THE CULTIVATOR. 
were published in a former number, gives a very 
full description of its general features and “ mo¬ 
dus operandi.” 
Below we give a more minute description of the 
cutters themselves—it being a transverse section 
of the compound wrought iron cutter beam, with 
section of cutter bar, cutters and dividers, and 
the relative position, size, See., &c. 
B—represents the cutter bar, to which the steel 
blades are attached on its under side: the bevel 
of the blades being upon their upper side and 
sickel edge. These blades also extend back of the 
j cutter bar, with cutting angle and edges, same as 
I before it, but not terminating in a point. This 
rear projection serves to cut and clean the “ clog” 
or fibre, which may possibly escape the forward 
cut, and be dfawn into the dividers. 
D—represents a section of the crank axle which 
extends through the hollow beam, and supports 
its outer end. 
C—represents the double plate hollow beam 
with attachments. 
A—represents the divider with openings and 
guides, through which the cutters pass. This di¬ 
vider is made very true, and with sharp corners, 
over which the cutters pass, forming a perfect 
shears cutting action. 
These dividers are wider than most others, leav¬ 
ing a space of about two inches between them, 
thus better protecting the cutters from injury from 
stones, also compressing the grass or grain into a 
more dense body, and better condition for the ac¬ 
tion of the cutters. 
“We learn by suffering,” says the poet, “ what 
we teach in song.” 
The Culture of the Hop.—No. 2. 
In my communication on the culture of hops, I 
should have said that about six hills of male hops, 
equally distributed, ought to be planted to each 
acre. The reason for this is, I trust, obvious to 
every one. 
IIop Picking. — I come now to give you the 
mode of hop harvesting, as practiced here in Otsego. 
Hops are not considered ripe or fit to pick, until 
the seeds turn brown a little and become bard, or 
in other words, get quite out of the milky staled 
The flour or tallow of the hop, must also possess 
that peculiarly bright and sparkling gold color, 
which is always seen in good hops. As in this 
flour consists all, or nearly all, the virtue of the 
hop, it may readily be seen that it is important that 
it is well matured, (and this is easily ascertained 
by sight and feeling) ns it cannot be improved in 
any respect after picking. 
The time at which hops are fully matured and 
ready for picking, varies of course with the season. 
But generally, 1 think it would be about the mid¬ 
dle of September. It is a common practice here, 
however, to begin on the first week in September, 
as those having large yards, would not otherwise 
get through until frosts would injure the crop, 
and cold and bad weather would retard picking. 
The time having arrived, and all hands being en¬ 
gaged for weeks or perhaps a year before, a merry 
time to all but the poor bop-grower and his fami¬ 
ly, now begins. One might suppose it would be 
difficult to obtain the necessary help at all times, 
and especially as all want it at the same time, 
in districts where so many bops are grown as in 
many pans of Otsego. But there is no lack of 
assistance in bop time, (as it is familiarly called.) 
I have often heard the remark, and experienced 
the truth of it myself, that forty girls could 
more easily be obtained to work in the yard, than 
one in the 'kitchen, or to nurse a poor sick woman. 
I will here remark, that our Imps are all picked by 
females, many of whom spend weeks in prepara¬ 
tory making dresses, sacks, bonnets, gloves, 
he., thinking nothing of time thus spent, if they 
can only have a good time in picking. 
Our way of picking is in boxes; each box usu¬ 
ally contains about forty cubic bushels. They are 
