254 AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING 



the conveyor chains are made to extend farther back, and 

 during the time a bundle is being tied the lugs or fingers are 

 allowed to fold back, not forcing the corn upon the needle. 

 Three horses are usually used with the corn binder, though 

 in heavy corn four horses, two teams in tandem, can be used 

 to good advantage, and the extra power is much needed. 



The care and operation of the corn binder do not differ 

 materially from that of the grain binder. The adjustment 

 of the tying mechanism is just the same. The service 

 demanded of the corn binder, however, is much more severe, 

 and it does not have as long a life as the grain binder. 



The Corn Shocker. The corn shocker is an implement 

 with cutting mechanism very similar to that of the corn 

 binder, but a round, horizontal platform with a center pole 

 is provided, and is made to revolve and collect the cut corn 

 and form it into a shock. When a shock is formed, the ma- 

 chine is stopped and the shock tied and then lifted from the 

 platform and swung to the ground by means of a derrick and 

 windlass. The fingers which extend out from the center 

 pole are then allowed to drop, and the center pole is removed 

 and returned to the machine. 



This machine has only about one-half the capacity of the 

 corn binder, as much time is consumed in removing the 

 shocks. Other disadvantages are, first, the shocks are small 

 and do not stand well; and second, the fodder is not as con- 

 venient to handle as when bound into bundles. In favor of 

 it, it must be mentioned that it is a one-man machine, and 

 there is a saving in the cost of twine. 



Corn Pickers. The successful corn picker is one of the 

 most recent of agricultural machines, although inventors 

 have been trying to invent a machine for field picking for 

 nearly two-thirds of a century. The mechanical difficulties 

 to be overcome and the lack of an imperative need for the 



