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RUSSELL'S MOWING MACHINE. 



RUSaELLS MOWI^O MACHINE. 



RUSSELL'S MOWIKG MACHINE. 



This machine, for which a patent has been secured, 

 consists of a square frame mounted on two wheels, 

 one of them being a heavy cast-iron wheel, from 

 which the motive power is derived ; the other, a 

 secondary wheel, placed in the opposite side of the 

 frame, and forward of the main wheel, for the pur- 

 pose of supportmg that side of the frame, preventing 

 the heavy drag of the knife-bar on the ground, and 

 effectually obviating the side draft of the machine. 

 In connection with this secondary wheel, is an appa- 

 ratus for elevating or depressing the knife-bar. By 

 means of a lever, the driver, while sitting on the 

 machine, may in an instant raise the knife-bar to the 

 height of fifteen inches. It is thus passed over 

 stones or other obstacles without changing the course 

 of the team, and at the proper moment is lowered to 

 its former position. The same apparatus admits of 

 the knife-bar being firmly fixed at any desired point, 

 so that the knives may cut at difliirent heights — 

 leaving the stubble at such lengths as the peculiar 

 surface of the ground, or other circumstances, may 

 render expedient. Motion is given to the knives by 

 means of a cam-wheel, placed on the same shaft with 

 the pinion connected with the main-wheel, requiring 

 only one set of gear to obtain any desired number of 

 vibrations of the knives, from 35 to 48, to one revo- 

 lution of the main-wheel, thereby making it very easy 

 to graduate the speed of the knives to the natural 

 walk of any horse. Each knife is placed upon the 

 knife-bar independent in itself, moving on a centre 

 pivot by means of an iron rod passing under, ind 

 attached to the back end of the knives, giving them 

 an oscillating motion, and eflfecting a drawing, circu- 

 lar cut. The knives are double — that is, they have 

 a cutting edge at ea?h end, and by removing the cap 

 which secures them in place while at work, any one 

 can be removed and another substituted in its place, 

 or the ends can be reversed, when one edge becomes 

 comes dull. This is equivalent to having a double 

 set of knives always in readiness, to be used without 

 loss of time, a.s may be necessary. The teeth are so 

 constructed that the driver may stop and start his 



team at pleasure in the heaviest grass, without back 

 ing the machine to clear the knives, or get motion to 

 the knives before striking the grass. 1 he machine 

 makes a carriage of itself, and is moved with as much 

 ease and convenience, from place to place, as a com- 

 mon horse-cart. 



The machine is made both for one and two horses 

 — the former cutting a breadth of three feet, and the 

 latter from four feet four to four feet eight inches. 

 The prices are $;125 for the two-horse and $110 for 

 the one-horse machine. 



The successful operation of this machine haa been 

 fully demonstrated, but the inventor was able to 

 bring only a few of them into market last season. 

 These were thoroughly tested, and their superiority 

 made so strikingly manifest, that they received the 

 unqualified approval of all who saw them. The New 

 York State Agricultural Society, at its last exhibi- 

 tion awarded it a silver medal. A similar token, was 

 also awarded by the Hampshire, Hampden and 

 Franklin Society. Hon. J. W. Proctor, Chairman 

 of the Committee of the Essex Society by whom it 

 was examined, speaks of it as follows : 



" When I take into view the facility of moving 

 this machine, and of sharpening the knives when one 

 or more of them happen to be dull, — and that it can 

 be operated by the power of a single horse, I think it 

 combines advantages that I have not witnessed in 

 any other mower, and I believe I have seen all which 

 have had any reputation in this country." 



The following is an extract from the report of the 

 Executive Committee of the Hampshire, Hampden 

 and Franklin Society, under whose supervision the 

 machine was tried at Northampton, in October last. 

 The place of trial was on the bank of Connecticut 

 River, and the grass of a description which is well 

 known to be very diflScult to cut — causing most ma- 

 chines to clog, and requiring the skill of an expert 

 mower to cut it well with a scythe : 



" We are happy to say to the Society, that Mr. 

 Fisk Russell, of Boston, offered a mowing machine of 

 his own invention, which the committee were unani- 

 mous in the opinion merited your reward. This 

 machine wa3 operated with one horse, cutting a 



