180 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
the highest degree, by the peculiar movement 
to be presently explained. It is claimed for this. 
mower that the knife will work in any posi¬ 
tion, and may be adjusted while in operation 
to cut low or high; 
to take up lodged 
hay or grain; to pass 
over stumps, stones, 
or other obstruc¬ 
tions, by raising either 
or both ends from one 
inch to a foot; or the 
bar may be lifted up 
as in fig. 2, to pass a 
tree, or for any other 
purpose. There is 
no pitman to become 
entangled with grass, 
or to jar or to waste 
power in noisy opera¬ 
tion. We find that 
the peculiar move¬ 
ment referred to, and 
which may be used 
for other mowers and 
machines, works in 
a most satisfactory 
manner. The im¬ 
portant novelty in 
this machine, and its 
chief value, consist 
in its motive parts. 
These are two small cog-wheels, or disks only, 
which are shown in figure 1. These are placed 
together, so that there are always eleven cogs 
in contact, giving extreme strength, and mak¬ 
ing the breaking of a cog impossible. Only one 
of these wheels rotates, the other, from its be¬ 
ing hung on what is known as a gimbal point, 
has a peculiar wobbling movement, or vibra¬ 
tion, which gives di¬ 
rect action to the knife. 
Thus the whole force 
of the horses is used to 
work the knife, instead 
of being used in wear¬ 
ing a number of cogs, 
and making a wasteful 
and annoying clatter¬ 
ing. There are no gears J 
on the wheels, and the 
two disks mentioned 
are completly enclosed. 
We have not space 
sufficient to describe 
more fully the interest¬ 
ing details of the ma¬ 
chine, and only to say 
that the smallest of 
these are constructed 
on the same bases of 
strength, simplicity,and 
effectiveness, as the 
principal parts. One 
point should not be 
omitted, which is that 
one geared disk has 40 
cogs, and the other 48, 
so that a great many 
revolutions occur be¬ 
fore the same cogs come 
into contact with each 
other the second time. 
This has the effect of 
preventing such wear as 
would cause unevenness in working, even after 
many years. This machine has received many 
first premiums at agricultural fairs, and a medal 
and diploma at the Centennial. A more full 
description of this peculiar movement will 
be found in an illustrated pamphlet issued 
by the proprietors. This improvement is 
the property of Mr. Wm. N. Whitely, one of 
USES of THE fountain pump.— (Seepage 178.) 
the manufacturers of the Champion Reapers 
and Mowers of the city of Springfield, Ohio. 
A Cruel Flower—The Bladder-Flower. 
Every now and then an old plant turns up 
as new, as is the case with the Bladder-flower, 
Fig. 2. —whitely’s improved champion mower. 
which we had not seen for twenty-five years or 
more, but last year one or two florists offered 
it, and we now see that several have it in their 
catalogues. Firstly, as to its name; it is in the 
catalogues, and some books, as Physianthus, 
from the Greek words meaning bladder and 
flower, and as the plant has not, so far as we 
can learn, an English name, and as the majority 
will like it all the bet¬ 
ter if it has one, we 
translate the generic 
name. But here 
comes the trouble 
that botanists no 
longer call it Physi¬ 
anthus, because, be¬ 
fore it received that 
name, some one else 
had given it another, 
and as the oldest pub¬ 
lished name must be 
followed, it is proper¬ 
ly Arauja, which is 
the name by which it 
is called by the sav¬ 
ages in its South 
American home. It 
is often a great bother 
to fit a plant with an 
English name, and 
we can not see why 
Arauja is not good 
enough, but as the 
majority think differ¬ 
ently, we comply 
with their wishes 
when possible. The plant is a climber from 
Brazil, which has leaves and flowers of the 
shape shown in the engraving, the leaves being 
of a whitish-green or light sage color, and the 
flowers, which are hardly sufficiently bladder¬ 
like to warrant the name referred to, are white 
and fragrant. The fruit is as large as an orange, 
or larger, is quite curious and ornamental, and 
said to be made, while 
young, into sweet meats 
by the South Ameri¬ 
cans; the pod being 
very light and spongy, 
breaking open and 
showing the seeds, each 
of which has a tuft of 
beautiful silky down, 
like those of our Milk¬ 
weeds ( Asclepias), to 
the same family with 
which it belongs. This 
relationship is further 
shown by the copious 
milk-juice which the 
plant gives off when 
cut or wounded. It has 
long been in use as a 
climber, for covering 
the rafters of green¬ 
houses; it is hardy in 
the warmer parts of 
England, and no doubt 
would be so in Virginia 
and southward; in the 
Northern States it 
proves a useful tender 
climber, to be set out 
for the summer, it be¬ 
ing of rapid growth, 
and will cover a large 
space, if given a rich 
spot. No doubt, the 
roots could be pre¬ 
served in the cellar, though we have not tried 
it. When the plant grows in the open air, the 
flowers will be found with numerous insects— 
butterflies and moths—fastened to them, often 
