MANAGEMENT OF MEADOWS. 275 



the old plan. It will cut from six to eight acres in a day, 

 and will spread the hay as it goes, better than a man will 

 do it, and when cut by hand, it requires one man to every 

 four or five hands to do the spreading alone. 



Many persons object to the mowers, from the ease with 

 which they are damaged. This can be obviated to a great 

 extent, by buying in the first place, a well-constructed ma- 

 chine. No man may expect to get a cheap machine to do as 

 good work or to keep up as long at it as one that has been 

 faithfully constructed and carefully arranged. Then a 

 farmer must himself be a careful manipulator. He must 

 not expect to run his mower with impunity over roots, 

 rocks or grubs. But if carefully handled and properly 

 driven, there is no reason why one may not last through 

 many years. 



Another improvement is the horse rake. The first one 

 used was the horizontal rake, that running under the swath 

 heaped it up until the teeth were full, when by a slight lift 

 of the handles, it turned over, leaving the hay in wind- 

 rows. This it did very well, and still does well, but an- 

 other has come into very general use, that is a little more 

 extensive, but gives the driver a seat on it, and certainly 

 gathers up the grass cleaner than the other. These are of 

 various patents, and the selection is a matter of taste, all of 

 them being good machines. 



The Tedder is another machine that is used extensively 

 in the Northern States, where the weather is more uncer- 

 tain than here, and the hay dries much slower than beneath 

 the Southern sun. It is seldom used in Tennessee, and is 

 but seldom necessary. It is used for the purpose of shak- 

 ing up and re-spreading the hay. Should a rain overtake 

 the hay before it is put into cocks, it will be a very useful in- 

 strument to lift it from the ground and lay it down again 

 lightly, thus allowing free circulation of air under it. 



Being now supplied with the necessary machines to 

 commence harvest, it is necessary, as a preliminary, to put 



