570 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



For the New England Fanner. 



DEDEEICK'S PARALLEL LEVER HAY 

 PRESS. 



Patented Mat 16, and June 6, 1856. 



Twenty years ago it was said that railroads v/ould 

 almost entirely remove the necessity for horses, 

 but the fact now is, that to-day, there are more 

 horses employed, solely in connection with rail- 

 roads, than at that time were in the country alto- 

 gether ; and, as these are mostly employed around 

 our depots, and places of transportation in the 

 cities, it follows that the hay for them has to be 

 transported to the cities, and hence, the necessity 

 for a machine to put it into the proper form for 

 safe and convenient transportation. 



Hay presses were first made to operate by a 

 screw, worked by a long lever. If the screw was 

 made coarse, so as to make a bale in a short time, 

 then the work of turning it was exceedingly labo- 

 rious; and if it was made fine, so' as to be easily 

 worked, then those operating it had to walk round 

 and round, almost interminably, to make a bale, 

 while they had to walk just as many times back 

 again to lower the follower, preparatory to making 

 another bale. Of course, this could not give any 

 permanent satisfaction ; and, consequently, in due 

 course of time, it was supplanted by the ajipllcation 

 to this purpose of the power and working of the 

 toggle joint. This, as every body may know, is a 

 progressive power, which we may illustrate by say- 

 ing, that if you bend your knees to an angle of for- 

 ty-five degrees, the greatest weight you can bear 

 up in your hands is, say 30 pounds ; raise yourself 

 a little, and you can hold up 40 pounds ; a little 

 more, and you can sustain GO ; a little more, 100 ; 

 and as, raising yourself a little more, you become 

 nearly erect, you can sustain 200 pounds as easily 

 as at first you sustained the 30. The power of the 

 toggle joint, which, scientifically speaking, is a lev- 

 er operating upon, or in connection with a mova- 

 ble fulcrum, was first applied to pressing hay by 

 the application of one joint and lever ; but, as in 

 this plan, the platen or follower was moved by a 

 lever attached only by a point to its centre, it — the 

 follower — would tip now to one side, and again to 

 the other ; and therefore its movement was accom- 

 panied by a great friction against the sides of the 

 press. The plan was afterwards improved upon, 

 by the application of two points and levers — these 

 levers working to and from each other, like the 

 legs of a pair of compasses. But, as the two lev- 

 ers, like the one, were attached to the centre of 

 the follower, this plan did not remove that tipping, 

 and consequent friction, just spoken of. 



Another evil visible in this plan was, that one 

 lever felt the application of the power before the 

 other, so that the strain was always more or less 

 of an uneasy character, and in an undue direction. 

 But now, both and all of these evils are removed, 

 in the above Parallel Lever Press, invented by Mr. 

 Dederick, and introduced by Messrs. Deering & 

 Dederick, of Albany, N. Y., in 1854. This press 

 is operated by two parallel toggle joints and levers, 

 so arranged that one lever is near one end, and the 

 other near the other end of the follower ; and as 

 the arms of each set of these parallel toggles are 

 exactly of the same length, and connected together 

 at exactly the same distance upon the follower, and 

 at their outward ends, it will be at once apparent 

 that the follower cannot tip or cant to either side, 



and, consequently, it moves Avithout any friction 

 against the sides of the press ; and, also, by this 

 parallel arrangement of the toggles, both levers, 

 and every part of the follower start simultaneously, 

 which insures the bale coming from the machine 

 square, and of a proper form. The sweep by which 

 the horse turns the capstan is about eight feet in 

 length, the horse going round but five or six times 

 to make a bale ; and how easily this is done, may 

 be inferred from the fact, that, by making the 

 sweep two or three feet longer, two men can walk 

 round, pressing the same amount of hay into the 

 same compass, quite easily. When the bale is 

 made, the door, C, and also a similar door on the 

 other side, is then opened, the bale is then bound, 

 and the end is relieved, by releasing the end of 

 the bar, or handle, D, it is taken out from either 

 side at pleasure. 



There is also a great improvement made in the 

 doors of these presses, which, contrary to the 

 doors of the old presses, which have to be pounded 

 open with a heavy mallet, or crowbar, these doors 

 can be opened quite easily with one hand. 



Another great advantage in connection with 

 these presses is, that they are what a good horse- 

 power press has never been before — namely, an ar- 

 ticle of merchandise which can be transported to 

 any part of the country as conveniently, and at 

 about the same cost, as a railroad horse-power and 

 thresher. Hence they are now being forwarded to 

 all parts of the countrj- — full printed directions ac- 

 companying each press, for the benefit of those to 

 whom baling hay is a new business. Messrs. 

 JVourse, Mason ^ Co., of Boston, who are the 

 principal agents for the sale of these presses in New 

 England, say that "in view of the numerous first- 

 class references which can be made to gentlemen 

 using these machines, it can be safely affirmed that 

 this parallel lever hay press is the simplest, most 

 compact, easiest working, most convenient and pow- 

 erful hay press in the United States." They are 

 made of various numbers, to bale from 100 to 500 

 pounds, and are sold in Boston at from SlOO to 

 $190. All other information necessary may be 

 had by personal or letter application to the gen- 

 tlemen above named. 



Remarks. — An engraving of this Press was re- 

 cently given in the Farmer, reference to which may 

 be had by those particularly interested. 



For the New England Farmer. 



BOSTON AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 



Notwithstanding the attractive name, we believe 

 this Association has little in it pertaining to agricul- 

 ture, except the name. When you look into the 

 pens, you find nothing but horses there ; — and when 

 you go upon the fields, you find nothing but speed 

 of movement there regarded. This is well enough, 

 so long as they use their own means for their pur- 

 poses, but when they borrow the frock of the farmer 

 as a cloak to cover the tricks of their horses, and 

 thereby mislead the multitude, we think there is 

 reasonable ground of complaint. We like to see 

 such perfect animals as Ethan Allen and Flora Tem- 

 ple, and should like occasionally to see them driven 

 |at their best speed, whether it be 2m. 25s., or 

 2m. 338. per mile, provided it be fairly done, and 



