74 
AMEEIOA^T AG-EIOULTUEIST. 
[February, 
Metallic Fence Post.—B- R. Scott, Shingle 
Springs, Cal., Nov. 27; No. 289,149.—This patent covers 
an improved screw point and means of anchoring metal¬ 
lic fence posts, designed to prevent their yielding in 
hilly ground where the upward strain of the wires tends 
to pull them up. The special novelty of the point lies in 
the thread, which increases in width toward the end of 
the point, and is flat on the upper side. The widening 
thread gives a better hold on the ground while it does 
not affect the entering capacity of the screw through the 
less compacted soil nearer the surface. The greater re¬ 
sistance of this form of thread is found especially ad¬ 
vantageous on the Pacific Coast, where the ground is 
baked in summer and softened by the incessant winter 
rains. The character of the invention is clearly shown 
in the cut. The base-piece is cast on the wrought iron 
post. On level ground the anchor bars are not used. 
Crain Harvesting Machine.— George Es- 
terly, Whitewater, Wis., Nov. 20; No. 288,784. This In¬ 
vention has reference to that class of machines in which 
the main frame is adjustable vertically with reference to 
the main or ground wheel, from which motion is trans¬ 
mitted to the operative mechanism of the harvester and 
hinder. It consists essentially in combining with the 
main wheel, B, an adjustable main frame. A, and an in¬ 
termediate arm, Z, journaled at one end around the main 
axle and at the opposite end around the gear shaft, this 
bar having attachments for communicating motion from 
the main wheel to the gear shaft. There are also im¬ 
provements claimed in the form and arrangement of rack 
plates and other gearing, by which the frame is allowed 
to rise and fall freely and any binding or cramping of the 
parts is prevented. 
Plow Attachments.— Samuel B. wniams. 
Sailor’s Best, Tenn. Nov. 20; No. 288,904.—This simple 
attachment promises to be useful where the soil is light 
ize the earth as it leaves the plow, thus saving the labor 
of harrowing. 
Agricultural Machine.— Frederick Nish- 
witz, Millington, N. J., Nov. 20; No. 288,657. This im¬ 
provement lies in the method of coupling together two 
fully organized machines—seedei-s, harrowers, or the 
like—by pivotal connections or parallel coupling bars, 
which will permit each machine to move freely within 
certain limits, independently of the other. The figure 
shows two harrows so joined. The object of this coup- 
iing of machines is to obviate the difficulties attending 
the use of extra width machines as employed in the 
West, where the need of economizing time and labor 
makes it desirable to treat as wide a swarth or strip of 
soil as possible in one traverse of the machine over the 
field. The coupling of two harrows or cultivators so as 
to allow limited motion forward and backward is not 
new, though Mr. Nishwitz’s mode of doing it appears to 
be new. 
Process and Device for Storing and 
Curing Crain, Hay, Etc.— Oscar w. Kendall, 
Olmstead, Ohio, Nov. 13; No. 288,243.—Mr. Kendall’s ob¬ 
ject is threefold: to provide a process by which grain 
and forage crops generally may be cured in mass, and, 
when cured, baled for transportation without rehandling 
with forks; to provide an inexpensive appai'atns that 
may be readily set up in the field so as to avoid the load¬ 
ing and hauling of the materials in wagons until required 
for transportation ; and to provide apparatus by which 
the material to be cured may be thrown open to the sun 
and covered again when desired without forking, thus 
affording not only facilities for stowing and curing such 
crops but storage as well. This method of treating for¬ 
age crops is novel, and is designed to obviate the disad¬ 
vantages attendant upon the curing of them in the cock 
or in winrows, especially in rainy weather, and also the 
risks attending the stowage of imperfectly cured mate¬ 
rials in stacks or mows, owing to deficient ventilation on 
account of the packing of the materials. In the figure a 
curing stack of ten sections is shown, two of the sections 
being left partly raised to show the device in operation. 
The material to be cured is spread upon the lifting 
frames, B, and held in place by slats and pins, so that it 
cannot settle when the frame is raised. The jointed 
braces, /S', allow the sections to be thrown over outward¬ 
ly from the center post so as to let the sun in upon the 
material to be cured. The roof of each section is made 
of two boards on a side, permanently fastened together, 
one over the other, so as to batten the joint. The parts 
performing similar offices are interchangeable, and the 
whole may be readily disjointed for compact storage or 
transportation. In operating the device, the frames are 
set up in pairs on opposite sides of the center post. If 
the material is to be baled when dry, a suitable number 
of baling slats are put upon the frame; then the material 
is spread on in layers loosely enough to avoid risk of 
overheating; lastly the supporting rods are put on and 
secured, and the frame set up. Prom time to time the 
frames arc lowered for the addition of fresh material 
until they are full enough. When the time for baling 
comes the supporting rods are removed and proper bal¬ 
ing slats are set opposite those first placed. Wire bands 
bent hairpin fashion are then passed down through the 
layers so as to clasp the slats. Power is then applied, 
the frames raised, and the material compressed. In com¬ 
pressing the bands are forced through the layer to their 
utmost extent, when they are locked by twisting the free 
ends together. The slats are then sawed in proper 
lengths, and the material cut up, layer by layer, into 
suitable bales. 
Crain Header.—John A. Rumril, Salina, Kansas. 
Nov. 27; No. 280,144.—Mr. Rumril claims an endless- 
chain sickle, the sections having cutting edges per¬ 
pendicular to the line of travel along the guards, the 
sections being linked together suitably for running on a 
driving pully ; also guides with suitable tightening de¬ 
vices for taking up the slack of the chain, together with 
a contrivance for keeping the chain in its proper course, 
and means for operating the endless sickle ; also an ex¬ 
tension carrier for delivering the grain from the elevator 
to a wagon alongside the header. A plan view of the 
principal part of the header is shown in the figure. 
Sulky Plow.— G. A. Kellogg, Columbus Grove, 
Ohio, Nov. 13 ; No. 288,341.—Mr. Kellogg claims a num¬ 
ber of devices in the construction of sulky plows, by 
which the cost of such machines may be lessened, and 
the parts adjusted to allow the use of right or left-hand 
plows of any ordinary form. The figure shows the ma¬ 
chine as adapted for use with three horses and a left- 
hand plow in breaking ground. A' few easily made 
changes adapt the machine for corn-plowing. By means 
of the hand lever and its attachments the driver can 
easily lift the plow for carriage or to avoid an obstruc¬ 
tion. 
Harrow.—Frederick Nishwitz, Millington, N. J. 
Nov. 20 ; No. 288,658.—In this invention Mr. Nishw’itz 
has aimed to make sundry structural improvements in 
the sulky harrow patented by him Aug. 15,1882. These 
improvements relate to the fixing of the driver’s seat, 
the securing of the draft pole to the harrow instead of 
to the sulky frame, the connection of the pole with the 
transverse gang-bars, the means of attaching the trailing 
teeth to the gang-bars, and in other details which need not 
be described here. By these improvements, it is claimed, 
a very efficient, strong, and easily handled machine is to 
be had, and one which may be quickly adjusted to 
suit all the varying conditions of the various soils. 
