1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



337 



HAY MAKER. 



Last week we gave the cut of a Mower, with 

 some remarks and testiuionials in its favor. We 

 present this engraving so that the former may 

 have before him such of the labor-saving imple- 

 ments as promise to be useful, and may learn 

 something of their construction and merits. 



We copy from the circular of Messrs. Ruggles, 

 Nourse, Mason df Co., as follows : 



"We would also invite your attention to a 

 Ilay Making Machine, described and shown be- 

 low. This machine, we believe, Avill prove a 

 great acquisition in facilitating the business of 

 hay harvesting. ^lachines fur the purpose, much 

 more expensive, Init not more efficient, have long 

 been used in Enghuul and approved. I 



"We have nuule several trials of this machine 

 for making and turning hay. Its o})eration was 

 very satisfactory to all who witnessed its Avork. ^ 

 It is worked by one horse ; a boy rides tlie horse 

 and spreads, sliakes or turns an acre in twenty I 

 minutes. The hay is raised from the ground and 

 thrown into the air from si.K to ten feet, falling' 

 evenly distributed over t!ie whole surAice, leaving! 

 it so very light tliat the air and sun act forcibly] 

 and equally on the whole. 



"Being enabled by the Mowing Machine to cut 

 the grass after the dew is dried off, and by tlie 

 spreader to stir or turn it often, it is supposed! 

 that generally hay may be cut, cured ancl put' 

 into the l>arn the same day. In addition to a 

 great saving of labor, much Avould be saved by 

 putting tlie hay in the same day, both iu labor 

 and risk of weather." 



• Leaves. — Every person conversant witli vege- 

 table philosophy ii aware tiiat the all important 

 requisite, in the growth of tine fruit, is a good 

 supply of big, vigorous, healthy leaves. A tree 

 which he kept defoliated for a single season must 

 die ; and fruit growing upon branches which are 

 deprived of their leaves cannot ripen — examples 

 of which are furnished by tlic instant cessation 

 of growth and ripening of fruit upon trees which 

 become stripped by leaf blight. In one instance, 

 a dense mass of plums remained half-grown and 

 flavorless for several weeks, in consequence of the 

 premature dropping of the foliage — a second ci'op 

 of leaves three weeks afterwards elTccted the com- 

 pletion of t'ueir growth and their ripening to hon- 

 eyed sweetness. The editor of tlie Michigan 

 Farmer mentions the following interesting case 

 illustrating the same principle : 



"^Ir. Moro, of Detroit, has a magnificent 

 grape vine, spreading itself over one side of his 

 house, wliicli had been in September richly laden 

 with fruit. After the cluster was formed a cow 

 entered the enclosure, ate the leaves entirely, but 

 left the fruit untouched. The consequence was 

 that upon that portion of the vine, which was 

 beyond the reach of the cow, there never were 

 liner clusters, wliile upon the portion from Aviiieh 

 the leaves were removed, the clusters dwindled 

 away and caiue to n(^thing, and that, tog, up to 

 the very lin*' of separation between the mutilated 

 and unmutilated portions." — Maine Fanntr. 



To CoRREsroNDENTS. — Scvcral exccllcnt articles, 

 on various topics, and some agricultural poetic 



