FARM MACHINERY 263 



The sickle must be so adjusted under the clips that each 

 section will form a shear cut with the ledger plates. The 

 clips which hold the knife down are made of malleable iron or 

 steel and are adjusted by bending down with a hammer. They 

 must not be too tight; there should be a little clearance be- 

 tween the knife and the ledger plates about equal to the 

 thickness of ordinary paper. The guards must all be in line 

 so that the above adjustment will be possible. Bent guards 

 may be hammered back into line, as they are made of malle- 

 able iron and are not easily broken. The alignment should 

 be tested by sighting over the ledger plates. If the mower 

 leaves streaks of long stubble, and the knife is in good con- 

 dition, it is quite a sure indication that one or more of the 

 guards have been bent out of line. The rear of the knife is 

 supported by steel wearing plates which assist in keeping the 

 points of the sections down over the guards. If these become 

 worn until they no longer keep the knife in place, new ones 

 must be put in, which may be done at small expense. 



The sickle should be kept sharp at all times. It is poor 

 economy to use a dull knife, owing to the increase of wear 

 upon the machine and the poor quality of work which is sure 

 to be performed. All nicked or broken sections which can 

 not be sharpened should be replaced. If many of the sections 

 are damaged, it is best to buy an entirely new knife. 



HAY RAKES 



The Sulky Rake. The sulky rake is made either to be 

 dumped by hand or, by engaging a pawl on the tooth bar with 

 a suitable ratchet on the wheels or axle, the machine is made 

 self-dumping. The self-dump rake costs but little more 

 than hand-dump and has the additional advantages. 



In selecting a sulky rake one need consider only the size 

 and spacing of teeth to suit the conditions to be met. The 



