31S 



The Horse Rake. 



Yoi. I] 



the middle, for guidino^ the teeth and lifting- 

 the rake trom the ground wlien necessary. 



In using this rake, instead oi" the teeth mov- 

 ing onward upon their points as in the com- 

 mon hand rake, they run along flat upon the 

 ground, passing under and collecting the hay; 

 when full, the handles are thrown forward, 

 the rake emptied, and lifted over the winrow 

 for another load. The rake thus passes back- 

 wards and forwards across the field, always 

 emptying opposite the last lieaps, and thus 

 forming regular winrows at right angles witli 

 the path of the rake. A few hours practice 

 will enable any one to use this rake without 

 difficulty, the only skill required consisting in 

 keeping the points of the teeth just so low as 

 to pass under all the hay and yet not run into 

 the ground. When small obstructions oc- 

 cur, the handles are depressed, thus causing 

 the teeth to rise, and the rake passes freely 

 over. Large obstructions, as stumps and 

 stone heaps, require the rake to be lifted from 

 the gi'ound. 



Tiie cliief recommendation of this kind, is 

 its cheapness and simplicity. A good one 

 need cost no more than two dollars. It may 

 also be used on rougher ground than the re- 

 volving rake, as it is more easily lifted over 

 obstructions. Where the ground is very un- 

 even the teetk should be much shorter. WhenJJd 



Fig-. 61 



one becomes well accustomed to the use of 

 it, work may be done nearly as fast with this, 

 as with a revolving rake, tliough much more 

 laborious. Twelve acres of hay, part of it 

 yielding nearly three tons to the acre, on a 

 meadow of the writer, were raked into win- 

 rows, by means of one of these rakes, in about 

 six hours, working time. It possesses ano- 

 ther advantage over the revolving rake — it 

 may be used for scraping the winrows into 

 heaps for drawing, .and if the hay is stacked 

 in the field, for drawing the hay to the stack. 

 A man with a rake and horse, not only raked 

 the hay, but drew it at the same time to the 

 stack, a distance of from ten to twenty rods, as 

 fiist as an active man could pitch with a 

 fork. A hand rake need scarcely ever be 

 used on the meadow, as all the scattered hay 

 may be raked up in a short time, after the rest 

 of the hay has been drawn oft'. 



The horse rake is very useful in raking; 

 stubble of wheat, and eminently so in pulling 

 and gathering peas. 



Shafts, instead of ropes have been attached 

 to tlie head of the rake, and have been strong- 

 ly recommended; but they diminish the sim- 

 plicity of the rake, and appear to possess no ad- 

 vantage on the whole, and for gathering and 

 'rawing hay, are positively detrimental. 



THE REVOLVING EAEE. 



This is much more complex in its constmc- 

 tion than the common horse rake, but pos- 

 sesses advantages over it in ease and expe- 

 dition in raking. Its peculiar advantage is 

 the facility with which it may be unloaded, 

 requiring for this purpose but a slight eleva- 

 tion of the handles, and without stopping once 

 in crossing the whole breadth of the meadow. 



Its construction is as follows : — The head 

 A B, fig. 61, is a piece of strong scantling, 

 three inches square and ten feet long, through 

 which eighteen holes,, one inch square, are 

 made to receive the teeth, which are pieces of 

 the strongest white ash, one inch square and 

 three feet long, projecting equally on both' 

 sides of Uie head when inserted,, and forming, 



