186 MECHANICS. 



pressure is completed, the driver touches the upright rod, 

 and detaches the wheel or drum, by which the rope is 

 drawn backwards, without stopping the horses, which, 

 continue to walk around the circle. 1 



This capstan answers an admirable purpose in usingj 

 the common horse hay-fork, by obviating the necessity of 

 backing up at every forkful. 



The New York Beater Press Company, of Little Falls, 

 manufacture a press, working like a pile engine, and re- 

 ducing the hay to a degree of compactness nearly equal 

 to that of solid wood. These bales are well adapted to 

 long conveyance by land or shipment to foreign ports. 



HxVY Loaders. Several of these, of different construc- 

 tion, have been tried to a limited extent, but, so far, the 

 experiments have been but partially successful, or the 

 machines have not proved themselves fully adapted to 

 general use. Their expense, when compared with the horse- 

 fork, and, to some degree, their cumbersome character, 

 have proved objections. They mostly require very smooth 

 meadows, are often difficult to work in the wind, and 

 those constructed on the endless-rake principle are found 

 to carry up small stones or gravel into barley, endangering 

 the thrashing machine. Further ingenuity and labor on 

 the part of inventors appear to be required, to place them 

 generally within the reach of farmers. 



CHAPTER XIIL 



THRASHING, GRINDING, AND PREPARING PRODUCTS. 

 THRASHING MACHINES. 



The old mode of beating out grain with the hand flail, 

 (fig. 211,) has now nearly passed away, and thrashing 

 machines liave come into general use. 



