NO. 23. 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



355 



may each be 1-4 of an inch square or diameter, 

 and long enough to extend tlirough the objccta 

 uitende'd, including tlie nut, but no more. 

 The whole machine made us smooth as possi- 

 ble. One bolt serves for two dogs, and one boll 

 for both ends of a strap ; eucli nut on tiie 

 shafts, handles, and arms, should be on the 

 upper side, and those on the standards should 

 be on the land or posterior sides. 



The machine may be varied from the afore- 

 said dimensions to suit circumstances. The 

 points of the teeth should be kept each set in 

 a straight line, parallel with the head ; the 

 tennons are confined in the mortices by small 

 pins. The whole niaciiine should be well 

 painted, and kept entirely out of the wet, or 

 as much so as possible. 



The operation is as follows, viz : — The 

 shafts are raised at the small ends a sufficient 

 height to make room for tiie hay and grain 

 between them and the fore or anterior teetii ; 

 this causes the arm to push back the large 

 ends of the standards of the hold-fast on the 

 two hind or posterior middle teeth, to witiuii 

 an inch or two of the points of those teeth ; 

 the small ends of the handles are raised, at 

 the same time, to a suitable height for the 

 person attending it to hold by the middle of 

 the upper or short round of the handles with 

 one hand, while he guides the liorse by a line 

 with ihe other hand. The shafts are held to 

 this height by the harness on the horse ; and 

 sometimes a small cord or leather strap (and 

 buckle) attached, with one end to the bolt on 

 the arm near the shaft-board, and the other 

 end to the middle of t!ie long round of the 

 handles assists to keep the shafts and handles 

 to a proper height. The horse is brouglit 

 within two or three feet of the shaft-board, 

 and tiie dogs adjusted to the press-rods so 

 that, when tlie standards of the hold-iiist rest 

 with their large ends on the two middle hind 

 or posterior teeth, within an inch or two of 

 the points of those teeth, and then raised about 

 half an inch from the teeth, the small ends 

 of the press-rods press with equal force against 

 tlie two dogs on tlie upper side of the rake 

 head. The four dogs are each confined firmly 

 to their places by the bolt head pressing with 

 great force against one dog, and the nut 

 against the other dog on the opposite side of 

 the rake head. Each bolt goes thvoui^h the 

 head at right angles to a flat surface formed 

 to receive the dogs, and each fits in the head 

 as tightly as possible so as not to split it. 

 The rake head lies on the ground when in ope- 

 ration, and the fore or anterior teeth also on 

 the ground, about four or five inches from 

 their points ; each set of teeth, as they alter- 

 nately become the anterior ones, are straight 

 on the upper side and the same, when hind or 

 posterior teeth, are straight on the under side 

 from the head to their points, or as near the 



points as possible, so as to preserve substance 

 enough to prevent them from being bruised 

 when in operation — tlie points being always 

 made so as neitlier to be bruised, nor to push 

 tiie liay or gram belbre them. 'J'he usual 

 method is to reduce them in a slraiglit line 

 from about four or live inches from the ends, 

 to the ends of the teeth, leaving 1-4 of an inch 

 square on the end at tiie upper part of the 

 anterior teeth, and on the lower part of the 

 end of the posterior or hind teeth, and then 

 dress olf this 1-4 of an inch half round, or of 

 a semi-spherical ibrm ; and when hard timber 

 cannot be procured, t!ie teeth may be made 

 larger, so as to give the necessary strength, 

 and their ends guarded by sockets or tangs of 

 pointed iron or steel. The corners of the 

 teeth, from the points to the rake head, are 

 made as square as possible, so as to wear 

 smooth. When the small ends of tlie han- 

 dles are raised, and the press-rods force against 

 the dogs, and tlie rake head raised till the 

 points of the fore or anterior teeth come ia 

 contact with the groimd, the draught of the 

 horse then causes the rake head to turn with 

 the other side up, and the other set of teeth 

 forward, which discharges the hay or grain 

 into winrows or sheaves, and the other set of 

 teeth go into operation until they become 

 filled : the head then performs, in like manner, 

 another half revolution, and so on alternately, 

 without stopping the horse, forming regular 

 winrows at rioht angles to the course which 

 the horse moves and two sheaves at each half 

 revolution — one sheaf on each end of the rake. 

 The scatterings of hay are collected merely 

 by passing over the ground that the winrovir 

 has been taken from ; and when the machine 

 becomes filled, the load is discharged as before 

 stated, but in detached parcels of a very con- 

 venient size, to be taken from the meadow. 

 In gleaning a stubble field of grain, after the 

 sheaves are removed, tiie scatterings are first 

 collected into winrows, and then tlie horse 

 made to walk at the side of the winrow, and 

 collect it into heaps; or it may be taken from 

 the winrow, and the ground where the winrow 

 lay be passed over with the machine as before 

 stated. When the handles are lowered at 

 the upper ends, and the standards of the hold- 

 fast forced down on the two middle hind or pos- 

 terior teeth, the fiire or anterior teeth are there- 

 by raised. Additional weight on the handles 

 prevents the head from being turned too soon 

 by the pressure of the hay on grain on the 

 anterior teeth. The arm always pushes back 

 the lower ends of the standards of the hold- 

 fast so as to clear the points of the teeth when 

 required. 



It is better to know a few things, than to 

 have a mere notion about many things. 



