112 
Report on the Trials of Sheaf- Binders 
frame for travelling. The cutters consist of a set of fixed knives and 
reciprocating knives, on the double-throw principle (Fig. 17), the knife moving 
from A to A, thus making four complete cuts to one revolution of the crank. 
The machine requires a boy to drive the horses and a man to guide the cutters, 
which he does by means of the lever s ; thus the cutter can be moved nearer 
to or farther away from the machine, according to what has to be done, or 
it can be withdrawn from the hedge altogether, in passing a tree or other 
obstruction. All this adaptability is obtained by the following simple 
mechanism : — Made fast to the cutter is a w^orm-wheel, q, in which works a 
worm, r, in connection with the handle s. 
From the illustrations ^iven, my readers will obtain a correct 
idea of the mechanism. The modus operandi is as follows. The 
driver, on his seat, places the cutter in the required position 
against the hedge by operating the worm and worm-wheel at the 
head of the cutter. The horses are put in motion, being carefully 
driven, so as to keep the machine a given distance from the hedge. 
The side of the hedge next the machine is thus cut. The driver, 
having perfect contiol over the knives, can extend or withdraw 
them without stopping the machine. The machine is then 
brought back to its original starting-point ; the cutter-bar is 
passed over the hedge, and adjusted, so as to cut with cor- 
responding accuracy the opposite side. These two cuts will 
usually suffice to leave a well-preserved fence in the proper 
/\ shape, that is, pointed at the top and gradually widening to 
the base. Should it be desired to cut the top of the fence in a 
horizontal sense, nothing is easier. The cutter-bar is adjusted 
in a horizontal position by means of the worm and wheel ; 
then the attendant leaves his seat, and raises the arm by means 
of the handle of pinion v. The wooden lever x is then placed 
in the socket ?/. This lever is so pivoted that the man, by it, 
can move up or down the telescopic cap w.r, which fits over the 
tube 111, thus moving the cutter to the required height to the 
top of the hedge. 
It will thus be seen that the machine is capable of doing all 
the work when travelling on one side only. This is of great 
importance when ditches have to be avoided ; also in the case 
of crops interfering, or boundary fences. A trial was arranged 
on Monday evening, July 8th, on a wide, badly-trimmed fence 
of Captain Allcock's, near the Showyard. The fence had vertical 
sides and a wide top. The cutters were set at such an angle as 
entailed the cutting through of about a foot of the fence at one 
part, and wood more than an inch in diameter had to be severed. 
The ease and precision with which the work was executed was a 
matter of surprise even to the Judges. This was a most severe 
test, and it would be difficult to imagine a harder bit of work. 
After botli sides had boon trimmed into something more approach- 
ing a right shape than it originally possessed, the top was sheared 
