No. 



1% 

 o. 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



45 



native Weed that displays a more beautiful 

 flower tiian the great bindweed, which en- 

 twines itself amongst the shrubs of our 

 hed<Te-row3 until it reaches the top, where it 

 expandsits flowersin adress thatchallenges 

 tlie spotless snow for purity, and would de- 

 mand more general admiration, were it less 

 common. 



However we may admire this species of 

 bindwood in hedgerows, we must be cau- 

 tious to kee}) it out of shrubberies, in which 

 if it once enter it cannot be easily destroyed, 

 as the smallest piece of its rambling root is 

 sufficient to spread over a garden, where it 

 frequently entwines its roots amongst those 

 of roses or other shrubs, so as to make it ex- 

 ceedingly difficult to prevent its overpower- 

 ing the plants which support it, and next to 

 impossible to destroy it altogether. We are 

 told that swine are excessively fond of this 

 root, and we have frequently observed them 

 grubbing for and devouring it with great ea- 

 gerness ; but as these animals are bad gar- 

 deners, we cannot avail ourselves of their as- 

 sistance in the rooting out of the Convolvulus 

 Sepium, without incurring a greater evil. 



The Hay-Sweep. 



The object of the Hay-Sweep is to collect 

 and draw the hay from the w-inrow to the 

 stack, or place of deposit. It consists of a 

 piece of scantling, A A, 3 by 4 inches, and 

 10 feet long, united by seven upright bars of 

 wood, 1 by 2 inches, and 3 feet long, to 

 another piece B B, 4 by 5 inches and 10 feet 

 long; through the latter, six holes are made 

 in a horizontal direction to receive the teeth, 

 which are pieces of very strong wood, H by 

 4 inches, and so long as to project two feet 

 and a half on each side of the piece B B, and 

 taperinor on their under side like the teeth of 

 a horse-rake, so as not to run into the ground. 

 At the ends of the pieces A A, B B, are 

 attached two frames C D E F, termed gates, 

 by strong hinges so made that the gates may 

 turn round upon them through half a circle. 

 These gates consist of two pieces of scantling 

 3 inches square and 3 feet long, united by 

 two bars of wood G G, each I by 2 inches, 

 and 3 feet long, and a third D E, 3 inches 

 square, tapering on the under side like the 

 runner of a sled, and projecting a few inches 

 beyond the upright piece F E. The whip- 

 pie trees are attached to the upright pieces 

 F E, alittle above the middle ; they should 

 admit of being raised or lowered in order to 

 adjust the height exactly, which is readily 

 determined by trial. 



The mode of using this instrument is as 

 follows : — A horse is attached to the whip- 

 ple-tree at each end, and the length of which 

 is to be regulated to the draught in such a 

 way that the bottom of the gate may keep the 



teeth from running into the ground, and jet 

 under the hay. — Not the least management 

 or skill is further required ; a small boy is 

 placed on each horse, and passing on each 



J'ig. 8. 



side of the winrow, sweep it off, and carry it 

 to the stack. On arriving there, the horses 

 are turned about, causing the gates to per- 

 form a semi-revolution, and drawing the in- 

 strument out from under the heap of hay, and 

 they proceed as before to bring up another 

 load. The teeth on each side of the piece B 

 B are thus alternately used. In order that 

 the hay may be easily pitched, it is indispen- 

 sable that the load he left at the stack so that 

 the back of it may be pitched first. From 

 three to five hundred pounds of hay, are gen- 

 erally carried in each load. 



As a labor-saving machine, where the dis- 

 tance of drawing is not great, this is fully 

 equal if not superior to the revolving rake. 

 Two horses and two boys only, are needed 

 in using it. One will draw fast enough, in 

 ordinary cases, to keep three pitchers and 

 three stackers constantly at work. With 

 this and a revolving rake, ten acres of hay 

 may be cleared from the ground in half a day. 



