Book IV. 



LEVELLING MACHINES. 



419 



long, 3:j inches broad, and five eighths of an inch thick at the back. The curves of the 

 blades are formed to a circle of 40 inches diameter. {High. Soc. Trans, vol. vii.) 



2716. The Sithne}/. scarifier, or hash, consists of a cylinder with many circular cutters, 

 or a number of circular cutters connected together upon one axis, which is intended to 

 pass over the ground, for the purpose of scarifying or cutting the surface of grass land, 

 perpendicularly, to the depth of a few inches, and to any required degree of fineness. 

 By means of this scarifier, or hash, the roots of old grass may be effectually destroyed 

 without the labour of ploughing, which is calculated to enable the farmer to graze the 

 land much longer, previously to breaking it up for wheat or turnip tillage. The 

 apparatus is proposed to be connected to the hinder part of an ordinary cart ; or the axis 

 of the cylinder, or circular cutters, may be supported by two iron arms, attached to the 

 axletree with a pair of common carriage wheels. When this machine is used for 

 renewing lawns or grass land, it will then be necessary to fix above the cutters a box 

 containing grass seed ; which box must be perforated with small holes, one hole being 

 exactly over every cutter, so that the seed may fall immediately into the furrow produced 

 by the cutter. (N'civlo)i's Journal, vol. i. p. 250.) 



2717. The only essential roller for general purposes is the parted cast-iron roller, with 

 a scraper and box over (Jig. 359.). 



Sect. V. Machines for laying Land even, and other occasional or anomalous Tillage 



Machines. 



2718. Various, machines for agricultural purposes are occasionally brought into notice 

 by amateur cultivators, and some even by the professional farmer. It forms, indeed, the 

 privilege and the characteristic of wealth and intelligence, to procure to be made what- 

 ever particular circumstances may require, in every department of the mechanical agents 

 of culture. We shall only notice a few, and that chiefly for the purpose of showing the 

 resources of the present age. 



2719. Of machines for laying land level two may be noticed: in the first and best 



(fig. 367.), the horses are harnessed to a 

 pole (a), which is joined to an axle having 

 a pair of low wheels (b c). Into this 

 axletree are mortised two long side-pieces 

 (d), terminating in handles (e e). Some- 

 what inclined to these long or upper side 

 pieces, shorter lower ones are joined by 

 cross pieces, and connected by strong 



side-boards. The machine has no bot- 

 tom ; its back part (/ ) is strongly attached to an axle [fig. 368. g), and to the bottom 

 of this the scraper part (/^) is firmly screwed. The front ends of the slide irons (fig, 

 367. m), turning up, pass easily through mortises in the 

 upper side-pieces (d), where, by means of pins, the in- 

 clination of the slide irons and of the back board can be 

 adjusted within narrow limits, according to the nature of 

 the soil to be levelled and the mass of earth previously 

 loosened by ploughing. This earth the back board is 

 intended to collect and force before it, until the machine 

 arrives at the place where it is intended to be deposited. 

 Here, by lifting up the hinder part of the machine by its 

 handles (e e), the contents are left on the ground, and 

 the machine proceeds to a fresh hillock, (Supp. Encyd, 

 Brit. i. 25.) 



2720. The Flemish levelling machine (Jig. 369.) may 

 be considered as a shovel, on a large scale, to be drawn by 

 a pair of horses ; it collects earth at the pleasure of the 

 holder, who contrives to make the horses tvun over the 

 shovel and empty the contents by merely letting go the handle (a), and recovering it by 



369 



means of a cord (6), when emptied, as already described. (508.) 



2721. The levelling harrow (2701.) is adequate to all ordinary purposes. 



E e 2 



