38 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. 



for American use, and it was left to our own inventors to 

 meet and overcome the mechanical obstacles in the way of 

 success here. This they have done, and we have so far econ- 

 omized labor in this direction, that the tedder is now regarded 

 as of nearly equal importance with the mower and the horse- 

 rake. 



To these appliances for lightening and shortening the la- 

 bors of haying, have been added many forms of the horse- 

 fork for unloading and mowing away hay in the barn or upon 

 the staciv. Few machines have met with greater popular fa- 

 vor than the horse pitch-fork, for it saves not only the most 

 violent strain upon the muscles, but economizes time, which, 

 in tlic hurry of haying, is often of the utmost importance. 

 The American hand-forks had been brought so near perfec- 

 tion, by their high finish, lightness and strength, as to leave 

 little to be desired, but the horse-fork has been so generally 

 introduced as, to a considerable extent, to supersede their 

 use. 



GRAIN SEPARATORS. 



While these vast improvements have been going on with 

 the other implements of the farm, the improvement in ma- 

 chines for threshing grain has been rapidly progressing, till 

 they have reached a wonderful degree of perfection. Most 

 of us can remember when the old-fashioned flail was heard 

 upon almost every barn floor in the country. Here and there 

 was a case where the grain was trodden out by cattle, with an 

 amazing waste of time and labor. Compare those slow meth- 

 ods with the process, widely known at the present day, by 

 which a horse-power or steam-power thresher not only sepa- 

 rates the grain but winnows it, measures it, bags it ready for 

 market, and carries away the straw to the stack, at the same 

 operation, and all with a rapidity truly astonishing. The 

 first successful attempt to construct a threshing-machine was 

 made in this country in 1792, by Col. Anderson of Philadel- 

 phia. It answered the purpose well, but the inventor did 

 not folk)w it up so as to secure its general introduction. 

 Other patents were subsequently issued to American invent- 

 ors, but they were not successful in introducing them. 

 Scotch machines were introduced into New York, Pennsyl- 



