1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



391 



munerated if he uses guano, superphosphate, TRIAL OF MOWING MACHINES, 



bone-dust, ashes, plaster, potash, or something The rival Mowing Macliincs that liave come 

 elge. I into use within a few years, are being put to the 



test for the premiums of §GUO, oU'ered by the 



KETCHUM'S ONE-HORSE MOWER. : State Agricultural Society, and $l200 l)y tlie Es- 

 _,, ... , .,. ^ , ,r 1 i.x sex County Society, for those tliat shall be able to 



The liberal propositions of the Massachusetts | p^^j.^^.^^ ^^^ most and best work. Yesterday a 



Society for the Promotion of Agriculture will do 

 much towards settling the questions, whether the 

 mowing machine is really to be a benefit to the 

 farmer, and which is the best, among the number 

 already presented to the pul)lic. "We had seen 

 but one kind in operation, Ketciium's, and that 

 with results not altogether satisfactory. 



Last week we took a one-horse machine into 

 our fields, and on Friday set it in motion on an 

 oblong strip containing about one acre and three- 

 quarters. The machine was put together by a 

 young man who did it for amusement. All the 

 bearings were well oiled with pure sperm oil, and 

 we 



trial was made in Salem. On account of the 

 great crowds that have collected at other trials, 

 no public notice was given, yet some two or three 

 hundred persons were on the field. Six persons 

 entered as competitors, with three separate pa- 

 tents, viz : — 



Robert Brookhouse, Salem, Manny's Machine. 

 Horace Ware, Marblehead, " " 



Richard P. Waters, Beverly, Ketchum's " 

 S. C. Pitman, Swampscot, " " 



George B. Loring, Salem, Russell's " 



S. A. Merrill, Salem, " " 



The parties all have large farms, with exten- 

 sive mowing grounds, where they proved them. 

 Mr. Brookhouse has a farm of some 200 acres ; 



^,„ , I XI i 1, • iu i. r- -i Horace ^ are IS one of the first and best farmers 



mounted the seat, hoping that our friend; • xi „„ j. t? d iTr,x • r xi 



_ , /. 1"^ t"6 county; K. P. \V aters is owner of the 



LixcoLxs strong testimonials in its favor would | cherry Hill, formerly the White farm, and was 

 be verified in our own mind, but we must con- j the first to use the mowing machine in this coun- 

 fess with many doubts. jty ; Mr. Pitman is on the place of Col. Stetson, 



But with a strong, noble horse, worth more ^^ *h^, ^^^^^"^ House ; Dr. Loring has the Pick- 

 .i,„ Tj-i Ti-j iu- man farm, where the trial was made yesterdav, 



than Richards kingdom was to him, away we! -■ "^" -.-/...■, • -^ viudj, 



went, the jolly clattering of the cogs and knives 

 arresting the attention of the neighbors, and soon 

 populating the field with an interested group of 

 observers. 



In two hours, including the stops for the horse, 

 and for explanations to by-standers, the piece 

 was handsomely mowed. The grass was a thin 

 red-top in some places, in others a pretty thick 

 stand of red- top and herds-grass, and afibrding a 

 fair trial for the machine. On the 17th, we used 

 it on a hill-side where, probably, double the power 

 was required that would be on level ground 

 with equal success. 



We have no means of speaking of the compar-> 

 ative merits between this and other machines, 

 but these trials justify us in speaking favorably 

 of this machine. It is susceptible, we thirk, of 

 some improvements, which it will undoubtedly 

 receive. 



The horse was not worried any more than he 

 was in plowing old ground ten inches deep, in the 

 spring, with another horse by his side. We have 

 no dou))t but this mower will prove of great ben- 

 efit to the farmer. Other trials will be made 

 which we shall report, and shall mention also 

 some of the difficulties usually encountered, and 

 their remedies. 



400 acres, 150 of it mowing grounds; and 

 Mr. Merrill is from the celebrated Derby estate, 

 f he ground selected was a level piece of mowing, 

 producing about two tons to the acre, and about 

 a quarter of an acre was allotted to each. They 

 completed the work in the order in which we 

 have arranged the names, as follows : — 'The first 

 in 20 minutes ; 2d in 1-1 ; 3d in 20 : 4th in 8^ ; 

 5th in 9 ; and Gth in 8.^. Tlie first was accident- 

 ally delayed several minutes ; and the tliird had 

 very spirited and somewhat unmanageable lior- 

 ses ; and the second, who was next longest, may, 

 upon the whole, have been as successful as any 

 of them. At this trial they all had two horses; 

 but! and with the same team and machine on Satur- 

 day last, Mr. Ware mowed 10 acres in little over 

 seven hours. 



We shall not attempt to descril)e the machines. 

 They may all have defects that will lie remedied. 

 The most essential difference we noticed was that 

 the cutters in llussoH's patent acted more fully 

 as shears, and would seem to cut easier and bet- 

 ter. They all mowed as clean and close as could 

 have been done f)y hand, and the poorest of them 

 would be so great an improvement over tlie scythe, 

 as to produce a perfect revolution in hay-making. 

 The obvious advantages are, 1st, in tiie groat sav- 

 ing of manual labor, one man bfing capable of 

 performing as much work as a do/cn mowers; 

 2d, it enaldes persons, by cutting their grass in 

 less time, to make liay when it will be best, and 

 not have it injured by delay ; 3d, it can as well 

 be cut after as when tlie dew is upon it, and the 



hajf can l)e made in shorter time; and 4tli, by 



Atmospheric Air — when it enters tlic lungs,! tlie grass dropi)ing where it stood, instead of be- 

 contains about two gallons of carbonic acid in ing thrown into swath, it saves the S] reading. — 

 every five thousand of air. AVlicn it escapes fTom\Ncivburi/port Ilrrdld. 



the lungs, it contains two gallons in every one — 



hundred. From this, we can see how much solid! Breathing. — A healthy person takes in about a 

 carbon is continually thrown from the system, (pint of air at a Itreath. He brcathes'a tliousand 

 and hdW much must necessarily be constantly! times in an Iiour,and re(iuircs about fifty-seven 

 supplied. 'hogsheads of air in twenty-four hours. 



