82 
Report on the Trials of Sheaf-Binders 
bent stout wire, as a guard to press upon the straws and prevent them entering 
between the gear work. 
When the twisting operation of the wire-ends is being effected, the end of 
the wire which has been held by the plate p is released, the plate turning on 
its centre in the reverse direction by the nose iv of the plate striking against 
a projection in the slot of the board ; directly after this the opposite nose q is 
struck to sever the twisted wire and to take hold of the end then formed, and 
to retain its hold until the next sheaf is tied. 
The projecting lugs x y limit the movement of the plate p. 
No. 2879. — fVaite, Burnell, Huggins, and Co., of 228, Upper 
Thames Street, exhibited the improved harvester and binder of 
C. H. McCormick of Chicago. This machine having been 
described in my Report of the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1876, 
and the same description having been repeated by the late Mr. 
Hannam in his Report of the Liverpool trials, I shall content 
myself with alluding to certain improvements in details, and give 
some simple illustrations explanatory of the binding mechanism. 
The platform has been enlarged so as to meet the require- 
ments of English crops. The driving-wheel is 40 inches in dia- 
meter, with a 9-inch face, which carries a number of clogs or pro- 
jections, \ inch by |, which occupy about 5 inches of the centre 
of the face. The mechanism for raising the reel, and altering its 
position in reference to the knife, is very simple and good, 
although it has this disadvantage, that the two motions being 
combined, height and position are adjusted at the same time, 
and it is not possible to regulate them independently. Practically 
this is not of much importance, for when it is desirable to have 
the reel in a forward position, it is also desirable to have the axle 
of the reel as low as possible, in order to pick up grain that is 
down. The driver has perfect command of the reel, and can adjust 
the knife-bar from 3 inches to 9 inches. Greater height of cut 
can be obtained by means 
Fig. 6. — Bridle to regulate the height of of a bridle with holes on 
cut in McCormicVs Sheaf-Binder, each side of the main 
driving-wheel, by altering 
which the height can be 
raised to 16 inches ,from 
the ground (see Fig. 6). 
-) The binding apparatus 
and cover, 3 feet 6 inches 
wide, slides 11 inches, in 
order to regulate the posi- 
tion of the band according 
to the length of the straw. 
This is effected by a screw 
and chain. The chief improvements are : — An adjustable paul 
or conveyor-wheel, \vhi(;h drives the twister, by which anv wear 
