sow 



s o w 



ing-machines that are intended to fow the feeds in drills, 

 and a minute defcription of one invented by Mr. Salmon, 

 which is very fuperior to the others, as it is capable of 

 being guided, and thus laying the drills in exaft llraight 

 lines, a circumftance of the firft importance in the opera- 

 tion of drilling, that the horfc-hoe, which is to pafs in the 

 fpaces between the drills, may not cut the young plants. 



The term foiving-machine is almoft exclufively confined 

 to fome implements lately introduced for fowing feeds in 

 the broad-caft manner, that is, for diftributing them equally 

 over the whole furface ; and this operation can be much 

 better performed by the aid of a machine, than by fcatter- 

 ing it abroad by hand, as in the ordinary method. The 

 moll approved fowing-machine is that of Mr. Bennet's, 

 which is extremely fimple : a flight wooden box, or trough, 

 of a triangular figure, about five inches each fide, and five 

 or fix feet in length, is held horizontally by the fower, 

 who carries it fufpended by a belt round his neck, fo that 

 the length of the trough is before his bread crofswife. 

 The trough is filled with the feed which is to be lown or 

 diftributed ; and at the bottom angle of the trough is 

 a flight wooden axle, extending the whole length of it. 

 This axle is turned round by an endlefs band and a wheel, 

 which is mounted in a frame upon the top of the trough, 

 and furnifhed with a fmall handle, conveniently fituated for 

 the fower to turn it round, and thus give motion to it. The 

 axle has feveral notches, or fmall cups, cut in it at various 

 places, and the bottom angle of the trough is open all the 

 length ; but the axle lying immediately beneath, clofes the 

 opening, and by hair-brulhes is made fo clofe, that no feed 

 can pafs, except when the axle is caufed to revolve ; the 

 cups or notches then become filled with the feed, which is 

 contained in the bottom of the trough, and they carry down 

 their contents of feed through the bottom of the box, and it 

 drops on the ground in a flight (hower before the fower. 

 The cups or notches are fo arranged at intervals round the 

 axle, that they will diitribute the feed in the moft equal 

 manner poflible, upon the whole breadth of ground over 

 which the trough moves, when it is carried forwards as 

 the fower walks in a llraight line from one fide of the field 

 to the other ; but the regular dillribution of the feed, in 

 the dircftion lengthwife of his walk, will altogether de- 

 pend upon the precilion with which he turns the handle of 

 the wheel with a regular motion. As this is rather difficult 

 to effeft, Mr. Bcnnet has made another machine, which 

 runs upon a wheel, like a wheel-barrow ; and the motion of 

 this wheel is communicated by wheel-work to the central 

 axle, fo that it turns regularly, and diilributes the feed 

 always in a given proportion to the diltance of land over 

 which it travels. The trough of this latter machine is the 

 fame as the former ; and the axle, with the notches, is fituated 

 at the bottom of it ; but, inllead of the belt, the trough is 

 carried, by being fixed tranfverfely acrofs two long rails, 

 which, at the fore-end, have the wheel between them, and 

 the other ends are formed into handles, by which the fower 

 fupportj the machine, and wheel-! it before him in the fame 

 manner as a wheel-barrow. A pinion is fixed on the axle of 

 the wheel clofe to the fide of it, and turns a wheel and 

 fpindle, extending to the wheel on the axis of the trough, 

 to keep the fame in conltant motion, and deliver the feed 

 regularly upon the ground, in proportion as the machine 

 advances ; and means are provided by which the rate at 

 which the axle delivers the feed can be increafed or di- 

 miniflied at pleafure, to dillribute more or lefs feed upon 

 the ground. 



Another clafs of fowing-machincs arc called dibblers, 

 and are intended to make a fmall round hole to receive the 

 Vol. XXXII]^ 



feeds, and then to drop them into it. We have feen feveral 

 attempts to perform this operation by machmes, but they 

 have not fully fucceeded. One of them was by means of a 

 wheel provided with points projefting from its circum- 

 ference, and placed at fuch diftances from each other as the 

 holes were intended to be. The machine being wheeled along 

 in the fame manner as a whcel-barrow, the points of the 

 wheel were intended to dibble or pierce holes in the ground 

 over which it pafled, and the machinery in the feed-box, 

 which was fixed upon the handles behind the wheel, fol- 

 lowed, and let fall the intended quantity of feed into each 

 hole fo made. The objeftion to this machine was, that the 

 points of the wheel, in lifting up or drawing out of the 

 ground, drew up with them lumps of earth, and foon 

 clogged the whole. 



An ingenious dibble or fowing-machine, for acorns, 

 was prefented to the Society of Arts by Mr. Waiftell in 

 1811, an account of which is publifhed m their Tranf- 

 aftiont for that year. The dibble, or piercer, which 

 makes the hole in the earth, is an iron rod, a quarter 

 of an inch in diameter, and about four feet in length, 

 round pointed at the lower end, that it may penetrate 

 the ground. At the upper end of the rod a handle 

 is fixed, to draw it up and force it down by. Thii 

 rod is contained within the hollow of a wooden tube or 

 ilaff, of the fame length as the iron rod, and about two inchet 

 in diameter externally, fo that the iron rod can be drawn up 

 and down therein in the fame manner as a rammer in the 

 barrel of a mufket : the lower end of the ftaff terminates 

 in an iron tube, to which the iron rod is clofely fitted, and 

 the tube is made taper on the outfide. The point of the 

 dibble, when put down into the tube, projefts a very fmall 

 quantity beyond the end of the tube, and the whole it 

 formed to a regular conical point, proper to pierce the 

 ground. On one fide of the ttaff a tin tube is united to it, 

 and communicates fideways with the interior paflage, or 

 bore of the ftaff, at about fix inches from the point.' Thii 

 tube is continued nearly up to the top of the ftaff, and 

 is withinfide of the fame bore as the aperture through 

 the ftaff. 



The dibble is forced into the ground, to make the hole, 

 by two handles, which projeft from it crofsways, on each 

 fide, at the upper end ; and on each fide of its point, or 

 rather on each fide of the iron tube which contains the iron 

 rod, and forms the point of the dibble, are fixed two wings, 

 or leaves of iron, projefting on each fide about three 

 inches. The operation of fowing with this implement, '\t 

 to force the dibble into the ground by its handles, and thu» 

 make the hole ; then draw up the iron rod, fo that its 

 point rifes above the place where the tin tube communicate* 

 with the interior paffage of the ftaff, and drop the acorn 

 down the tin tube, and it will pafs through that communi- 

 cation, and drop into the hole ; the rod being preffed 

 in again, carries the acorn down to its place, in the bottom 

 of the hole made by the point of the dibble. In drawing 

 out the dibble from the ground, it miift be gently turned 

 round backwards and forwards, by which means the wings, 

 or leaves, projefting fideways from its point, will loolen 

 the furrounding earth, and cover up the acorn. 



A great advantage propofed by the inventor of this im- 

 plement is, that acorns can be planted by it in the middle 

 of any bufti, without firft removing it. For this purpofe, 

 the dibble is to be preffed down into the ^ound through 

 the bufti ; then raifing up the rod, fo that its point will be 

 raifed above the point of communication between the inte- 

 rior of the tin tube and the cavity of the ftaff, an acorn i« 

 to be dropped into the tin tube, which will fall down 

 3 H through 



