sow 



calline that which is neareft to the winch of the cylinder of 

 it the firft. The driver is alfo confidered as beginning on 

 the left of the field, and making up the broken parts, on 

 the right of the numbers, &c. by preferving about the 

 diftances fpecified in the right-hand column of the table, 

 taking the mark of the roUer for his guide. In broad-caft 

 work he muft return clofe to his former track. 



It remains now to be (hewn how, or in what manner, the 

 grain is brought into the little furrows made by the (hares ; 

 for this purpofe, the funnel is divided into fixteen compart- 

 ments ; and for the very fame reafon, to make the feed fall 

 equally through the bottom, when the implement may be 

 working on a declivity. But all the partitions are made to 

 Aide out, they being formed in battened grooves. This is 

 for the purpofe of introducing the drill bottoms, as they are 

 called ; one of which is for nine rows, and another for three. 

 Each of them, it is faid, is nothing more than a wedge-hke 

 block, which being let down into the bottom of the funnel, 

 fits exaftly at the edges ; and by means of holes of a conical 

 form, which are fcooped out in it, and correfponding fmall 

 tin fpouts below to direft what feed they refpeftively re- 

 ceive, in a forward manner, (hooting it, as it were, under 

 the hollow heel of the (hare, diftribute the feed into the 

 number of furrows which are made for receiving it. 



The middle hole or fcoop only, however, is of equal ex- 

 tent to the right and left of the tin fpout ; the other two 

 fcoops are neceffarily of a fomething (helving or flanting 

 form ; it being indifpenfable to allot to each fpout an equal 

 furface on the block ; and to flielve the fcooping to the fpot 

 where its fpout is fixed. 



The drill bottoms may thus be changed at pleafure ; the 

 partitions will keep them duly in their places. But although 

 there are fixteen compartments in the funnel, no more par- 

 titions are to be ufed than may be necell'ary to correfpond 

 with the number of fcoops and fpouts in the drill bottom. 

 It is to be remembered, that, as there will be feed falling 

 from the whole length of the cylinder into the funnel, and 

 that as there will be occafionally a portion of the drill bot- 

 tom parted off, which has no fpout, fuch compartment 

 fhould when nece(rary be emptied, and the feed be put into 

 thofe divifions only of the cylinder which are over the 

 fpouts. 



The two (hafts of the tool are connected firmly together 

 by a ftrong thwart or tie, and which, when the other parts 

 are united with it, render the whole completely fubftantial. 

 Under the hinder end or part of the (hafts, a fcraper is 

 carried quite acro(s, and is bolted in with the crofs piece, 

 which has an iron edge, and ferves to diveft the roller of the 

 adhefive foil that would otherwife accumulate about it. The 

 upper and under edges in the back part of the thwart are 

 completely rounded off, fo as to be femicircular. This 

 thwart (hould be inferted as clofe as pollible to the back of 

 the cylinder ; becaufe its purpofe is to aid a (heep-(kin 

 wrapper in lapping round under it, thus keeping the feed 

 in, when the cylinder (hould not fow. The wrapper ex- 

 tends the whole way acrofs, and (hould be about two feet 

 deep ; each edge, that is of the top and bottom, but not 

 of the fides, (hould be afExed to a lath, in order to make 

 it draw backward and forward in a ftraight line. The place 

 (hould be cut to about half an inch in length, by which means 

 it will, when pafTed under the cylinder with the wool fide 

 upwards, repel the feeds when they attempt to prefs through 

 the perforations. This wrapper (hould always be palled 

 under, while the implement is turning at the ends of the 

 lands ; but at other times it draws over the cylinder, the 

 fle(h fide uppermoll, and ferves to keep out wind and rain. 

 There are two little pullies affixed into the (hafts, clofe 



SOW 



under the fore-board, which ferve to paf* cords over, fo that 

 by the aid of the rounded back of the thwart, the wrapper 

 may ghde eafily, either over or under. When brought 

 round under the cylinder, its front lath hitches to two 

 hooks, under the half foot-board, in order to prevent it* 

 receding, and to keep it tight to the cylinder. It may be 

 noticed, that it is of more importance to keep the wrapper 

 tighter to the front than to the back part of the cylinder ; 

 becaufe the revolution of the latter being againft that of the 

 fun, the fame as that of the roller's when viewed from the 

 left fide, it is obvious, it is faid, the grain will call forward, 

 and have a tendency to rehnquilh the hinder part of the 

 cyhnder, as it rifes in that part. It is hkewife fuggefted, 

 that although the axis of the cylinder in this implement is 

 made to pafs through the (hafts, it would ride on them to 

 more advantage, and render it far eafier to (hift the drill 

 bottoms and the partitions in the funnel. Indeed, it i« 

 thought, that the former might be made to fit in by a flap, 

 made to open at the bottom of the back-board. 



There is a fmall ftiff bolt affixed to a crofs-piece, for the 

 purpofe of Aiding into the grooves of the bar near the cylin- 

 der, fo as to keep it fixed, and prevent its turning either 

 way, when prefl'ed by the aftion of the (hares. In fetting 

 the (hares to any defired depth, by turning the winch, the 

 bolt mult be drawn back, otherwife the grooved bar cannot 

 turn ; but as foon as it is put to the proper depth, the bolt 

 is to be pulhed in again to its oppofite groove. 



The ends of the cranks on the axis of the roller are fplit 

 like fpring keys, and have a catch, over which the hind end 

 of the parallel iron Aides, and is kept in its place. This is 

 more clearly evident in the terminations of the fame cranks. 

 When the cylinder of the implement is not to turn, as in 

 palling from one place to another, &c. the fprings are to be 

 pinched together, and the parallel iron to be drawn off;- 

 which is then to be hitched up to a hook at the fide of the 

 driver's feat, which feat is fupported by the ftandards which 

 are let into the (hafts. The ends of the cranks might, it is 

 fuppofed, be perforated and keyed, but thefe modes would 

 not be fo good as the plan which is here adopted. 



It will be readily remarked, that by far the greater part 

 of the machinery in this fowing-roller relates to the drill 

 praftice of putting in the feed ; as when it is made only to 

 broad-caft, nothing but the cylinder and two thin boards, 

 forming a direAing funnel, will be neceflary. It is alfo 

 fuggefted, that the great Itrength of the fore-board, already 

 noticed, would hkewife be unnecelfary, as 'there would be 

 no (hares, no ftaples, nor grooved bar ; and t'nat there would 

 not be any occafion for a drill bottom, thoBgh an immenfe 

 faving of feed, and great facility of hoeing the young crops, 

 would arife, it is afierted, from adopting fuch a mode of 

 committing the feed to the foil. The t'm fpouts, in fuch 

 cafe, it is fuppofed, Aiould rather point', backwards than 

 forwards; for, if unprotefted by preceding (hares, they 

 might be liable to injury from clods, &t'.. ; their diameter 

 ought to be, it is (aid, about an inch for white corn, but 

 that for fmall feeds half an inch might anfvter better and in 

 a more perfeft manner. The harrow, prep ared with a fuf- 

 ficient number of (harp tines, fuited in leng'th to the kind 

 of feed, would cover it fufBciently ; and thi^ roller would 

 finilh the work in a complete manner. Thus, if corn were 

 fown at nine inches or a foot afunSer, it woui'd, it is con- 

 tended, be fo little difturbed by the harrow, as to come up 

 in rather broad lines, but with interval enough i'or the free 

 aftion of a fix-inch hoe. It is farther alfo to be well no- 

 ticed, that, as the roller and the cylinder each revolve in 

 the fame period of time, that the larger the cyliniler, the 

 more feed will be fown ; unlefs a fmall one be more pierced, 

 V that 



