M E C H A N I C S, 6oi 
cafe in hour and a quarter. The trials made with it on 
wheat, though not extenfive, were fatisfaftory ; and in 
reaping oats, the.corn was laid down in the molt regular 
manner, at a right angle to the path of the machine. The 
expenfe of this machine is eftirnated at from 30I. to 35I. 
If properly managed, it may lad for many years; only 
requiring a new cutter every two or three years, a repair 
which cannot coft much. 
This very ingenious and ufeful machine, the defcrip- 
tion of which we have taken the liberty to borrow from 
the Encyclopaedia Britannica new Supplement, is repre¬ 
sented on Plate XII. Fig. 39. is a profile view, (flowing 
the machine complete, and in operation, the near horfe 
and carriage-wheel being however removed, that the view 
of the framing and gearing may not be obftru&ed. It 
will be feen by this figure and fig. 40 (which is a bird’s- 
eye view of the machine), that the horfes are yoked one 
on each fide of a pole, which runs back from the frame 
of the carriage. The perfon who drives the horfes and 
directs the machine walks behind, having command of 
the horfes by a fet of common plougb-reins, and direct¬ 
ing the machine by a hold of the end of the pole. The 
horfes draw from a crofs-bar at the end of the pole by 
common plough-chains, the back-weight of the carriage 
refting on their common cart-faddles, by means of an ap¬ 
paratus fnch as is ufed in curricles. On the fore-part of 
the carriage is hung a horizontal circular cutter, fur- 
mounted by a drum, the blade of the cutter projecting five 
inches and a quarter beyond the periphery of the lower 
end of the drum. When the carriage is moving forward, 
a rapid rotatory motion is communicated to the cutter and 
drum, from the motion of the carriage-wheels, by means 
of a Series of wheels, pinions, and fhafts. The diameter 
of the cutter projects beyond the carriage-wheels on each 
fide, fo as to cut a breadth fuflicient to allow the carriage 
and horfes topafs along without rifk of treading down the 
uncut corn. The corn being cut by the rapid motion of 
the cutter, the lower ends relt upon the blade of the cutter, 
and the upper parts coming in contact with the drum, the 
whole is carried round, and thrown off in a regular row at 
the fide of the machine. The lower ends taking the 
ground firft, the heads fall outwards, the (talks lying pa¬ 
rallel to each other, and at nearly a right angle to the line 
of motion of the machine. The' corn, lying thus in regu¬ 
lar rows, is eafily gathered into (heaves by the hand, or by 
a rake, fork, or other convenient inftrument, and is bound 
jn the ufual way. The following is a more minute de- 
fcription of the parts of the machine. 
Figs. 39 and 40. A, the frame of the carriage, made of 
Oak, or other ltrong wood, and put firmly together, by 
bed-bolts fcrewed into the crofs bars B B B. C, the pole, 
made faff to the crofs bars. D, a crofs bar, at the extre¬ 
mity of the pole, from which the horfes pull ; this bar is 
of iron, in order to give fufficient weight on the horfes’ 
backs. E E, the carriage-wheels, five feet diameter, and 
fix inches broad in the tread. F F, the cutter, five feet 
four inches in diameter, compofed of fix fegments bolted 
to an iron ring, one inch and a quarter broad and a quarter 
of an inch thick, which ring is connedfed to the foot of 
the upright fpindle, Z, by the crofs arms, G G. H, a 
conical drum of flight tin-plate or bafket-work, whole 
lower periphery is five inches within the edge of the cut¬ 
ter, but wliofe upper periphery extends as far as that of 
the cutter. This drum is two feet deep, connected to 
the fame ring with the cutter below, and to the fpindle 
above, by another ring, with four arms. The drum is 
covered on the outfide with canvas, on which perpendi¬ 
cular (trips of foft rope are fewed, being one inch thick, and 
three or four inches apart, as fliown at I, I, I; thefe give 
fuflicient friction to carry round the cut corn, whillt,from 
their foftnefs, they have no tendency to fhake orthraflt it. 
The horfes are yoked to the crols bar D by common 
plough-chains ; an upright rod J, and crofs rod K, ferve 
the purpofeboth of belly-band and back-band, the ends of 
the crols rod palling through iron eyes, fcrewed temporarily 
to the wooden ridge of common cart-faddles, which are 
kept firm on the horfe’s back by a ltrong extra girth, LL. 
The breeching-chains are linked to the draught-chains. 
M, a breaft chain palling through a ring made fart to the 
flames, and drawn up to an eye N, on the fide of the pole. 
Fig. 41. is an infrde view of the naves of the carriage- 
wheels; a, a tranfverfe feftion of the axle; b, b, a ratch- 
wheel made fart: on the fquare of the axle ; c, c, c, catches, 
moveable on pivots made fart to the nave; d,.d, d, flight 
fprings to keep the catches in gear. By this means the 
wheels carry the axle in revolution with them when the 
carriage is moved forward, but move round upon it when 
the carriage is drawn in a contrary direction. This con- 
ftruftion is heceffary, to facilitate the turning of the ma¬ 
chine. The axle moves in two caft-iron feats with caps, 
on which the frame of the carriage refts. A wheel O O, 
(figs. 39 and 40.) of twenty-four teeth of one inch and a 
quarter pitch, works into an intermediate wheel of the 
fame dimenfions. This wheel is in gear of a pinion P of 
twelve teeth, fart on the end of the crofs fljaft, Q. At 
the centre of this draft, two bevelled wheels, R, R, with 
long fockets, are fitted loofe. Thefe wheels have each 
twenty-eight teeth of one inch and an eighth pitch; ia 
the bofom of thefe is a double reverting catch, which will 
be belt explained by reference to fig. 42. which is a longi¬ 
tudinal feftion of the crofs draft with the wheels and 
catch; a, the draft; b , the pinion, P, of fig. 40. c, c, the 
bevelled wheels, R, of fig. 40. having long fockets fitted 
loofe on the (haft; d, d, a double catch, which is move¬ 
able longitudinally on the fiiaft, but is carried in revolu¬ 
tion with it, by means of the feather e upon the (haft, fitted 
into a correfponding groove in the catch. This catch 
can be put into gear of either of the wheels at pleafure, 
by means of the lever, S, (figs. 39 and 40.) moveable on 
a ftool at T, and kept to its place when let, by notches ia 
an iron (land at U. Both of the wheels are conrtantly in 
gear of a pinion of fourteen teeth, V, figs. 39 and 40, and 
fj , fig. 42. By thus reverfing the gearing, the cutter and 
drum can be made to revolve to the right or left, and 
confequently will throw the cut corn to either fide of 
the machine at pleafure. On the oppofite end of the 
draft, W, (figs. '39 and 40.) on which the pinion V is 
fixed, is a bevelled wheel X of twenty-eight teeth, in gear 
of a pinion Y of fourteen teeth, on the upright fpindle 
Z. The velocity is fo raifed by thefe wheels and pinions, 
that the cutter makes 128 revolutions per minute, when 
the machine moves at the rate of two miles and three- 
quarters per hour, the edge of the cutter palling through 
thirty-two feet per fecond. The pinion Y has a long 
focket with a groove, to which is fitted a feather, one inch 
long, on the upright fpindle Z, by which the fpindle is 
moveable up and down in the focket, whillt it is carried 
in revolution with it. The fpindle Z has three bearings: 
one in a brafs budr, a, fixed in an iron Hay-frame, b ; a 
fecond bearing in a wooden bufli with a cap on the front 
of the crofs bar at c ; and a third in a focket refting on 
the fmall wheels, d. Thefe wheels ferve to keep the 
cutter always at an equal height from the ground. The 
particular conftruftion of thefe wheels, with that of the 
frame and focket, will be better underftood by reference 
to figs. 43 and 44. Fig. 43. a perpendicular feftion of 
the foot of the upright fpindle and focket; a, the 
fpindle; b, the focket; c, a groove in the fpindle, into 
which the points of two ferew pins, d, parting through the 
fides of the focket, are fitted. Thefe are neceffary to keep 
the fpindle in its place, and to bear up the wheels when 
the fpindle is raifed. Fig. 44 is a bird’s-eye view of the 
wheels and carriage, with a tranfverfe fedlion of the focket 
and fpindle ; a, a, the wheels, fourteen inches in diame¬ 
ter and three inches broad ; b,b, the axle, to which is faf- 
tened an iron frame, c,c,c,c, moveable on a pivot at d, on 
the point of the iron bar, f, f, and in a focket at e; the 
bar,/is pne inch fquare, having a long ruff at g, which is 
turned and fitted to the eye e of the focket, fig. 43. The 
bar is bent fo, as to pafs cloie under the cutter at e, fig. 39. 
and* 
