1907. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
589 
THE MOWING MACHINE: 
Various Makes and Points on Selecting 
I can remember when I was a boy there 
was “Manny” mower on the farm, and, 
viewed in comparison with the modern ma¬ 
chine it was a very primitive affair. It 
had one large power wheel and a heavy 
cutting bar rigid with the machine frame. 
When an obstruction was met, it was nec¬ 
essary to grasp the end of the cutting bar 
and tip the whole machine, and it was not 
light either. The present day mower is 
under complete control from the driver’s 
seat, and, as a grass-cutting machine, 
would seem to have reached the limit of 
improvement. Probably one of the most in¬ 
genious and puzzling forms of mechanical 
motion was involved in the construction of 
the “wobble gear” mower, which for a 
while was quite popular. While a most 
compact machine, it seemed to be heavy 
of draft, and was quickly worn out by 
those who did not know how to adjust it. 
Of the different makes each has its ad¬ 
vocates and good points, and it would be 
difficult to say which is the best. The 
tendency has been to make the construc¬ 
tion lighter, and to widen the cut. But a 
farmer may easily make a mistake in get¬ 
ting too wide a cut. While a wide cut 
run? satisfactorily when new it will be¬ 
come heavier as the machine becomes 
worn, and if, as is often the case, the gear¬ 
ing is not made correspondingly strong, 
breakage will result and the machine be¬ 
come useless before it should. The best 
machine is the one that has provisions 
for tightening bearings and connections 
after becoming loose by wear. Especially 
is this true of the sickle bar and its con¬ 
nections. The pitman should be so at¬ 
tached that it car. be always kept tight, and 
there be no lost motion. The guard plates 
holding the knife bar should be so con¬ 
structed that they can be tightened up 
and thus keep the knife surface running 
close to the ledger plates. The great dif¬ 
ference in the cutting qualities of an old 
and of a new machine is to be found in 
the fact that wear causes too much play, 
and the sickle does-not run close to the 
guard plates. 
The Care of the Machine. —It is a 
common remark that some farmers “are 
not fit to run a machine,” and that ex¬ 
plains why Farmer A may get good serv¬ 
ice out of a mower for 15 years, while 
Farmer B, with the same make of ma¬ 
chine, is always going to the shop for 
repairs, and has his machine worn out in 
one-half of the time. Some men can see 
through a machine better than others, 
and all should study the mechanism 
of the machine they handle to know 
the use of each part and where the strain 
comes. But a person does not have to 
have a mechanical bent to give his ma¬ 
chine good care, to keep it sharp, well 
oiled and run it in out of the rain. The 
following suggestions may be of help to 
anyone who wishes to get the longest 
and best service out of his machine. 
It should be overhauled once a year ?n 
the Spring before busy work begins. He 
will then have time to get repairs 
or renew any part which may need 
it. Bearings should be cleaned, nuts tight¬ 
ened and connections be adjusted to com¬ 
pensate for wear so far as possible. It 
should be kept well oiled with a good 
grade of lubricating oil. Probably more 
poor oil is used on farm machinery than 
elsewhere. Some of the cheap oils for 
sale at the country stores have very little 
lubricating power. The bearings soon gum 
and grind out. Keep the sickle sharp. 
More mowers become prematurely worn 
and broken from this source than one 
would think. I have known farmers to cut 
on with dull knives because it “takes too 
much time to grind.” It is hard on the 
horses, hard on the machine and fre¬ 
quently a breakage results which takes 
much more time than grinding. Every 
five hours of mowing is not too often to 
sharpen the knife blades. Keep track 
cleaner adjusted properly, so that the shoe 
has a clear passage in the succeeding 
round. Otherwise the fallen grass will 
dog or have to be cut again. Do not try 
to cut too low. It is injurious to the crop 
and cuts harder. Do not tilt the guards un¬ 
less necessary in lodged grass. 
Have a steady walking team and do not 
let them go too fast, as that causes a 
great strain on the high speed parts. At¬ 
tend to business. See all obstructions that 
may be in the way and be on the alert for 
anything wrong in the machine. An experi¬ 
enced ear can detect by the sound when 
all is not right, and a timely stopping 
will sometimes save a serious breakage. 
_GRANT DAVIS. 
Corn-Ear Worm; Wireworms. 
A. G., Pasco, Wash. —1. Can you tell me 
how to keep corn worms off sweet corn? 
Roasting ears sell here for from 10 to 30 
cents per dozen, hut the^worms get on almost 
every ear and spoil it for market. 2. What 
can I dip seeds of melons and pumpkins in 
to keep the wireworms from destroying the 
plants? These worms are in the ground by 
the hundreds and bore into corn, cucumber, 
melon, pumpkin and squash seed, eating the 
heart and .after the plants are started cut 
them off. 
Ans. — 1. The 'Corn-ear worm is the 
same insect that is known as the Cotton 
boll-worm in the South, and it also often 
works on tomatoes and tobacco. Exten¬ 
sive investigations have been made upon 
this insect, and in a recent •bulletin issued 
from the United States Department of 
Agriculture the results of an extensive 
study are summarized as follows, so far 
as concerns the pest on corn: “It must 
be acknowledged that thus far no satis¬ 
factory method of controlling this insect 
on sweet and field corn has been discov¬ 
ered. In those State where the insects 
hibernate in cornfields, Fall and Winter 
plowing would be especially valuable in 
destroying the pupae in the soil. The plan 
to crush the larvae in the roasting ears 
by hand or otherwise, does not, apparent¬ 
ly, take account of the often numerous 
smaller larvae to be found in the ear and 
which largely escape the effects of pres¬ 
sure fatal to the larger individuals. Tests 
of various substances placed on the corn 
silk and ears, such as black pepper, tar, 
sulphur, tobacco, crude petroleum, penny¬ 
royal, creolin, pyrethrum, etc., as repel¬ 
lents to the moth in egg-laying on these 
parts gave negative results. The first 
brood of larvae infesting “buds” of corn 
in the Spring could, in many instances, 
be profitably sought after and destroyed 
by children of plow-hands in the course 
of their work, thus greatly lessening the 
number of the insects in succeeding gen¬ 
erations.” 
2. The specimen of “wireworm” which 
the correspondent sent failed to reach me, 
so that I am not sure if the pest is the 
genuine wireworm or the thousand-legged 
worm. Many experiments have been 
made to protect seeds from the ravages 
of these pests. Corn kernels have been 
soaked in all kinds of poisonous and oily 
solutions, from kerosene oil to a saturat¬ 
ed solution of potassium cyanide, and 
the results indicate that it is not prac¬ 
ticable to protect corn by means of such 
substances, even where it is possible to 
use them without retarding or preventing 
the germination of the seed. I, there¬ 
fore, doubt if any of the other seeds men¬ 
tioned could be thus protected. In the 
extensive experiment we conducted some 
years ago against wireworms, we were 
unable to starve them out by*keeping the 
soil clean of vegetation for a season, or 
bv the growth of supposed immune crops, 
like buckwheat, mustard or rape. We 
were also unable to get any satisfactory 
results with insecticides applied to the 
soil or by the use of large quantities of 
commercial fertilizers or salt. The only 
satisfactory method we found for reduc¬ 
ing the numbers of these pests was by 
thorough cultivation of the soil during 
late Summer or early Fall. We found 
that many of the wireworms transformed 
through a very tender pupa stage during 
July and August, and if any of these ten¬ 
der pupae were distributed by thoroughly 
breaking up the soil they inevitably died. 
As the wireworms are about three years 
in attaining their development, not all of 
them transform the same season, so that 
this method of Fall cultivation must be 
continued for two or three years to ob¬ 
tain the most satisfactory results. 
M. V. SLINGERLAN» 
Good Paint is 
as Necessary 
to a Barn as 
to a House 
Exposure to the weather without a preserving coat of paint 
soon causes decay. When the paint on your buildings and imple¬ 
ments begins to show wear, and bare spots appear, repaint with 
Pure White Lead and Linseed Oil. Don’t wait until decay and rust 
have set in and joints have become loose; better paint a little while 
before it is needed than a little while after. Repainting is a pre¬ 
ventative rather than a curative measure. Repaint with Pure White 
Lead and Pure Linseed Oil, because Pure White Lead will give 
better protection and longer protection than any imitation or sub¬ 
stitute. Practice proves it. 
You can know Pure White Lead by the Dutch Boy trade mark 
found on the side of the keg. It is positive identification of Pure 
White Lead made by the Old Dutch Process—the genuine and 
unadulterated old-fashioned paint material. Look for the Dutch Boy. 
Send for Book 
“A Talk on Paint,” gives valuable information 
on the paint subject. Sent free upon request. 
NATIONAL LEAD COMPANY 
In whichever of the following cities is nearest you : 
New York, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, 
Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia (John T. Lewis & 
Bros. Co.) Pittsburgh (National Lead & Oil Co.) 
A/* 
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REX 
FLINTKOTE 
ROOFING 
is made of long-fibred wool felt, treated with water-proof 
materials and fire-resisting compounds. The cost per year 
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“Look for the Boy” trade mark. 
T 
We Send Free Samples 
to show you how strong, how pliable and how fire-resisting it is, with 
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^ J. A. & W. BIRD & CO. 
70 India Street, Boston, Mass. 
Agents everywhere 
