FREE MARTINS.—HUSSEY’S REAPING-MACHINE. 
83 
For the American Agriculturist. 
FREE MARTINS. 
Mr. Allen : I have often heard it stated as a 
fact, that in cases of twins, the one a heifer and 
the other a bull, the heifer is always barren. Will 
you be good enough to tell us, in a short way, 
what you know about the matter ? It surely is a 
curious thing, should it be so universally ; that it 
is so in very many, if not most cases, I have not a 
doubt. I have inquired among my neighbors, and 
find some believe, and some doubt the story; but 
in no instance have I met with a case where the 
twin heifer of a bull has failed to he barren. 
John Titsworth. 
Sussex Co., N. J., April 24 th, 1843. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
HUSSEY’S REAPING-MACHINE. 
Agreeably to an intimation expressed in your 
March number, I send you a description with a 
cut of my reaping-machine, and presume that this 
will be sufficient to give the reader an idea of its 
construction and operation. 
When it is in operation in the field, the horses 
travel on the stubble, and near the standing grain, 
drawing the machine behind them. That part 
which cuts the grain is a wide platform, and ex¬ 
tends six feet to the right hand into the grain, and 
is capable of being adjusted as high or as low as 
grain is usually cut; say from five to fifteen inches 
from the ground. Along the forward edge of the 
platform where the grain is cut, is a row of strong 
iron spikes about the size of small harrow-teeth. 
These spikes are formed of two pieces of iron, one 
above and one below, leaving a horizontal slit in 
each spike for the cutting-blades to play in. These 
blades are formed like lancet-points, being sharp 
on both edges, and several inches long. They are 
fastened side by side on an iron rod, as many blades 
as there are spikes on the platform; the iron rod 
with the blades upon it extends through all the 
spikes, and is connected to a crank immediately 
behind the horses. This crank is turned by cog¬ 
wheels, connected with the main axle, and is mov¬ 
ed fast or siow according to the speed ol the hor¬ 
ses, giving a horizontal, vibratory motion to the 
blades, causing them to move out of one spike into 
another, backward and forward, there being as 
Reaping-Machine.—(Fig. 23.) 
Invented by Obed Hussey , Baltimore , Md. 
many blades as spikes. As the machine is drawn 
ahead in the grain, the stalks or straw is received 
between the spikes, while the vibrating blades cut 
it off as it enters; the straw being held by the 
spike both above and below the edge of the blade, 
while the blade passes into the spike—thus the 
cutting is made sure. 
As the grain is cut, it falls back on to the plat¬ 
form. When the wheat is tangled, this falling 
back is aided by an instrument in the hands of a 
man who rides on the machine, whose business is 
to push off the grain in heaps as it accumulates on 
the platform. He is able to do this with great 
accuracy and neatness, leaving the heaps distinct 
from each other, and in fine order for the binders. 
One machine will cut twenty acres per day with 
ease, if ordinary diligence is used. The blades 
need no sharpening from beginning to end of har¬ 
vest. Standing and tangled grain is cut perfectly 
i clean; indeed, lodged wheat is cut better with the 
