320 



NEW ENGLAN FARMER. 



JULT 





KETCHUM'S ONE HORSE MOWING MACHINE. 



Mowing machines were introduced, and used in 

 various parts of New England last year, and with 

 varied success. Some being highly pleased with 

 the work which they were made to perform, while 

 others were disappointed in the results, and a few 

 abandoned them as being utterly incapable of con- 

 fering any advantage to the farmer over the old 

 mode of cutting with the scythe. 



Our own belief has always been, that the ma- 

 chine would be so improved as to come into gen- 

 eral use, and prove highly serviceable. This opin- 

 ion has been greatly strengthened recently, by 

 an examination of two or three different kinds of 

 machines, and noticing obvious improvements over 

 those of the same manufacturer presented last 

 year. 



The cut at the head of this article represents 

 one of Ketchum's one horse mowers — it cuts a 

 swath three feet wide, is much lighter than the 

 two horse, and if it proves well, will become a 

 popular , and a great labor-saving mach ine . Messrs. 

 Ru(/gles, Nuursc, Mason 4" Co., Proprietors of 

 tlie right fur New England, say, in a circular they 

 have just issued, that they are constructing the 

 entire frame work and finger-bar of wrought iron 

 instead of wood (as represented in the cut above) 

 which adds much to the strength and perman- 

 ence of the machine, while the weight is reduced 

 about 200 lbs. Again, they say, "We loarraiit 



the two liorse machine capable of cutting and 

 spreading, with one span of horses and driver, 

 from 10 to 15 acres per day of any kind of grass, 

 heavy or light, lodged or standing ; and do it as 

 well as is done with a scythe by the best mowers.'' 



Not having used the mower ourself, we prefer 

 giving the testimony of others rather than express 

 opinions of our own. 



William S. Lincoln, Esq., of Worcester, and 

 one of the best farmers in the Commonwealth, 

 wrote last year as follows : 



Worcester, Aug., 1854. 



Messrs. Ruggles, Nourse, Mason & Co. : — 

 Gexts., — Agreeable to your request I return to 

 you the One Horse Mowing Machine left with 

 me for trial, and in doing so cannot refrain from 

 giving my voluntary testimony to its great value. 



The machine was used by me to cut over about 

 30 acres of interval land. Thegrass was in many 

 places heavy and lodged, the bottom fine, soft and 

 very thick. In some few places it was a light 

 crop of fine flexible dried grass, which yielded be- 

 fore the scythe. But whether in heavy thick bot- 

 tom or badly lodged, or in the places of lighter 

 yield, it cut alike well and close — closer indeed 

 than I deemed desirable, or deem well for the 

 land. 



I apprehended difficulties in the operation of 

 tlie machine from the peculiar cliaracter of the 

 surface of the land. It is an irrigated meadow, 

 not graded, intersected ))y ditches of different 

 width and depth, running in different directions. 



