96 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[March, 
center timber for tlie axles. This gudgeon xs 
shown in figure 2. It is 8 inches long and the same 
Fig. 4.— THE ROLLER COMPLETE, 
in width ; the inner end is brought to a sharp edge, 
so that when the timber is bored to receive it, in 
part it may be driven up to its place, making a 
tight fit. To prevent the timber from splitting, an 
iron ring, sharp upon one end, half an inch thick, 
and four inches long, is driven in around the 
gudgeon before that is driven home. The ring is 
shown in figure 2, and the manner of its use in 
figure 1. This roller is 32 inches in diameter and 8 
feet long. It may be made in two sections of 4 
feet each, by having the central timber bored from 
end to end, and using an iron rod of 11 or 2 inches 
in diameter for the axle. In this case an iron washer 
or plate should be fitted to the end of the central 
timber, and an iron ring two inches thick be shrunk 
or keyed on to the axle, to prevent it from sliding 
back and forth. 
The cement roller is shown at figure 3. It is 
made of a mixture of one part of Rosendale or 
Portland cement with three parts of fine sand. 
The cost may be reduced by making the central 
portion of coarse concrete of broken stone, with 
the mixture above mentioned. Equal parts of 
frame and box is so completely shown in the illus¬ 
tration, that no description is necessary. The 
timber used should be 
oak, and as weight and 
strength are the objects 
aimed at, it may be as 
heavy as possible. Boil¬ 
ers of various kinds are 
sold, including those of 
iron, and if one has the 
money to invest in such 
an implement, can be 
suited with but little 
trouble. Many farmers, 
who have thus far man¬ 
aged without a roller, 
think they will continue 
in the old way, rather 
than be at the outlay re¬ 
quired to procure one. 
There is really but little outlay of money required. 
If the farmer is the mechanic he should be, he can 
do all the work himself, except the blacksmithing. 
How to Make a Pole Pence. 
“ W. L. T.,” Mount Hope, Wis., gires the follow¬ 
ing method of making a pole fence, which may be 
usefully adopted where the timber is too small to 
be split. The method may also be applied in part 
to the preparation of split rails for a post and rail 
fence of the ordinary kind. The poles are cut 10 
feet long, the posts being set 9 feet apart. Each 
end of the pole is hewed flat, so that it can be 
nailed to the post. For convenience in hewing 
them, the following contrivance is used. A pair of 
blocks are procured, and made into a “ bed,” by 
nailing strips to them, as shown in fig. 1. These 
blocks may be kept exactly so far apart that they 
will serve as guides for trimming the poles to their 
proper length. Notches may be cut into each 
block, in which the pole to be trimmed is placed. 
A “ horse ” is used to hold the pole firmly, while it is 
Fig. 1.—MANNER OF CUTTING POLES. 
C.,” Crawford Co., Ohio. It consists of a sill 4 
feet long, 5 inches wide, and Is inch thick. A gain 
is cut in the upper edge, and the ends are cut with 
a bevel, as seen at a, figure 4. The upright pieces 
on which the boards are nailed, are 4 feet 8 inches 
long, and also 5 inches 
wide and II thick. The 
lower boards are 6 and 
5 inches wide, the three 
upper ones are 4 inches, 
and all one inch thick. 
The spaces between the 
boards from the bottom 
upwards are 4, 5, 7, and 9 inches. The first panel 
is made before it is set up. It is then set up with 
the lower part inserted in the gain, and is braced as 
shown in the illustration, with braces, cut in the 
shape seen at 6, fig. 4. The sills are raised from 
the ground an inch or two to preserve them from 
rotting, by a small stone or piece of wood, and are 
held in place by means of a stake driven in the 
ground. This fence is said to cost only half as 
much as that with posts, and lasts much longer. 
© 
Fig. 1.—WOODEN ROLLER. 
More About Field-Rollers. 
There are few more useful implements upon the 
farm than the roller, and its use should be encour¬ 
aged. Every meadow that is to be mowed should 
be rolled in the spring, more especially if it is to be 
mowed with a machine. Fall wheat or rye should 
be rolled as soon as the ground is dry enough in 
the spring, as it will have a very beneficial effect 
upon the crop, saving thousands of plants that 
have been partly drawn out of the ground by spring 
frosts. Rolling is of great advantage after sowing 
clover or grass seed, as it compacts 
the soil about the seed, which helps 
germination. It is very useful for 
the same reason upon a cornfield as 
soon as it has been planted, and for 
all root crops the field should be 
rolled when they are planted. We 
here give in response to many re¬ 
quests, directions for making wooden 
and cement rollers. The first can be 
made at a very small cost by any farmer who can 
handle tools, and the second needs but very little 
skill, and the material is not costly. The wooden 
roller, is shown at figure 1. It is built upon a square 
piece of oak timber, 12 inches thick and 8 feet long. 
Pieces of 4x4 oak scantling are bolted to the 
timber, and others are bolted to them, as shown in 
the illustration; strips of three-inch oak plank are 
then dressed upon their edges so as to fit closely, 
and these are firmly spiked upon the frame of 
scantling. When these are filled, the outer surface 
of the roller is planed down at the joints of these 
Fig. 3.— CEMENT ROLLER. 
strips, so as to make it perfectly round. At each 
end of the roller a winged gudgeon is fitted into the 
broken stone and cement and san.1 may be mixed 
for the concrete. The mixture is placed in a mold, 
in the center of which is placed the wooden axle, 
and is rammed down firmly. The solidity of the 
roller depends greatly upon the ramming down of 
the cement. The mold is a wooden tub without 
a bottom, made purposely, smoothly finished inside 
and put together so that the hoops may be knocked 
off when the cement has set, and the staves taken 
apart. The roller is made in two parts, each four 
feet long, and 30 or 32 inches in diameter. Either 
of these rollers may be used in the frame shown in 
figure 4. This is made with a step behind for the 
driver to ride upon, and a box in which stone may 
be put to increase the weight, if necessary. The 
being trimmed. This is made of a heavy pole, 20 
feet long, and a foot thick at the butt end. At the 
thick end two legs, 3 feet long, and at the other 
end two pins, 8 inches long, are inserted. The pins 
Fig. 2.— CUTTING-HORSE. 
are placed so that when they are made to rest up, 
on the pole, they grasp it and hold it firmly. The 
horse is shown in use in fig. 1. While the pole is 
