AGRICULTURE. 143 
harrows invented in Saxony, for working between the rows of crops; jig. 23 
is a Norwegian harrow, as improved in England; fig. 22 is the so-called 
English extirpator, which nearly resembles the cultivator in common use 
all over the United States. 
3. Sowmne anp Piantine Macutnes. Many machines have been devised 
for planting and sowing, which differ essentially from each other, according 
to the nature of the seed they are intended to plant. Pl. 29, figs. 32 and 33, 
are instruments used in the preparation of the ground ; jig. 28 represents a 
simple instrument used for marking the lines in which to deposit those 
seeds planted by hand, and may be drawn forwards either by the hand or by 
an animal ; jigs. 34 and 35 are instruments for transplanting. 
Sowing machines were first invented in Germany about the middle of the 
17th century ; since then they have been much improved in England and 
the United States. With nearly every machine for this purpose is united 
one or more small ploughs, to open the furrows, in which the seed is regu- 
larly distributed; they are so arranged that they may be placed to run 
deeper or more shallow, according to the nature of the seed to be planted, 
and to cut the furrows at such a width as may be required. There is also 
some arrangement attached to most of them for covering the seed. That 
portion of the apparatus which strews the seeds in the drills generally con- 
sists of a series of tubes reaching almost to the ground. Into these tubes the 
seed falls from a cylinder filled with holes, or is thrown in by small scoops 
upon an axis made to revolve in the seed-hopper ; they are so arranged as 
to be adjustable more or less near to each other, and receive a slight shaking 
motion to secure the passage of the seed. In a seed-sower represented in 
jig. 80 the seed is fed to the funnel by a revolving cylinder, and there is an 
arrangement to stop the feed when the machine is turned. Hornly’s seed- 
planter, seen in jig. 36, is intended to sow all kinds of small grain, as also 
to distribute dry or liquid manure; it has ten seed-tubes, with the same 
number of ploughs or drills. The furrows are opened at the required dis- 
tance apart, the seeds are dropped in them either continuously or at proper 
distances, and immediately covered. /%g. 29 is a more simple machine for 
drilling beans, which are dropped at certain required distances from each 
other; jig. 31 is a machine used for sowing clover-seed, and consists of a 
series of short perforated cylinders from which the seed is distributed with 
great regularity as it is drawn along the ground; this is said to be a 
labor and seed-saving machine, which performs its work well. Lig. 27 is 
a simple machine for drilling turnips, in which the feed-roller receives 
motion by a band from the axis of the machine. 
When seed is sown by hand it is covered by a drag seen in jig. 24. F; oq. 
25 is an instrument for the same purpose, which leaves the surface very 
smooth, and may be loaded with stones to increase the pressure. Fg. 26 is 
the common roller sometimes used when the field has been well harrowed. 
to cover the seed. 
C. Grain Crops. 
After the grain is cut it is bound into sheaves and put up in shocks 
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