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Report on the Exhibition and Trials 
it recedes, again engages the string and draws it through the 
loop, completing the knot. At this point a T-headed lever 
comes in contact with a stop on the table, and presses the string 
against a cutting-knife on the top side, and a gripping-jaw on 
the bottom. Such is a short description of mechanism which 
appeared simple in construction, and, when tried in the Show- 
yard, thoroughly efficient, but, when put into actual work, was 
not successful, a great many sheaves being thrown off unbound, 
and stoppages from choking being frequent. This is partly 
due to the fact that the delicate binding-gear, being imme- 
diately under the binding platform, was injuriously affected by 
dust and litter, and it may have been that the cam action, 
under the jolting action of movement, was not accurate enough 
for the knotter. Another defect in the general arrangement 
was absence of any provision whereby uniform size of sheaf can 
be automatically secured in a variable crop. This must depend 
upon the judgment and attention of the driver, who requires 
eyes in front to drive his horses, and eyes at the side to gauge 
his sheaf. 
Messrs. Aultman and Co. — Article No. 4547. Reaper and 
Binder. Here, again, as in most of the machines, the Marsh 
Harvester is used as the medium for the binding mechanism. 
The latter is worked from a parallel shaft which runs in front 
of the main driving-wheel. It carries a loose clutch-wheel, which 
puts it in or out of motion by the action of the driver. On one 
end of this shaft is a small bevel-pinion, which drives a bevel- 
wheel with a cam on its back for regulating a sheaf-divider. 
This is an important arrangement, as it is sometimes difficult to 
prevent the sheaves becoming caught together, and hanging or 
dragging in their passage to the ground. On the other end of 
this same shaft is a small pinion, which engages a geared wheel 
fixed on a bracket on the side of the machine, which actuates all 
the tying-gear. The shaft, by means of chain-wheels and an inter- 
mediate shaft and lever, operates the needle, the necessary 
motion of which is obtained by the pivoting action of its arm 
working into a slot guide. On both sides of the geared wheel 
are cams ; on the back face a roller engages in the cam, and 
works the compressor. On the front side the knotter-arm, 
which works on a centre, obtains its motion from the cam, also 
by a roller. The angle through which the knotting-arm travels 
should be about 75°, guided by a segment which, for part of its 
length, is geared into and gives motion to the knotter. The 
position of the knotter is about vertical. As the needle engages, 
the string is carried over the outer tube of the knotter, and, as 
the arm descends, a vertical movement is given to the inner 
tube (by a cam arrangement in the segment-guides), which, 
when the string is once engaged, descends, allowing the string 
