On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
This invention consists in the employment of two scythe-shaped cutters working over stationary cutters, whereby the standing stalks, as the machine is drawn along, are cut at a proper distance from the surface of the ground, and are thrown on to a platform, collected into a compact form, and after being ! bound by an attendant, are discharged upon the ground. Our engraving is a perspective view of the machine, in which A represents the platform, I mounted upon two wheels, B B, and having a pair of thills, C, attached to its front. In the front part of the platform, and at each side of the thills a recess, D, is formed. These recesses are not parallel with each other—their inner ends being nearer together | than their outer ones; at the inner end of i each recess a stationary carved cutter, E, is ; attached, and over each of these cutters, E, a scythe-shaped cutter, F, works. The cutters, F, are attached each to the lower ends of two vertical and parallel rods, ii The rods, b, at their ends, are connected to horizontal arms. The upper arms are fitted in bearings at the upper ends of vertical rods, a, attached to the platferm, one at each side ; and the lower arms are connected with bevel pinions, which I are placed underneath the platform, and gear j into corresponding pinions, which are rotated by the cog wheel, j, that is moved by the toothed rim, G, on the inside of the wheels, B B. Horizontal arms or teeth, k, are attached to the rods that carry F, and these may be I slightly curved in form. Theserods are connected by bars, I, to the inner ends of arms, I m, their outer ends being fitted and allowed ] to work freely in bearings, re, attached to the j platform. The back part of the platform, A, I is of curved form, and standards, o o o, are j attached to it, these standards having hori- I zontal rails, p, across them, to form guards. On the back central standard a horizontal bar, H, having two arms, q q, is allowed to swing freely, the arms, q q, being over the platform, A. I represents a swinging gate, which is attached to another of the standards, o, at the back of the platform. This gate is j formed by attaching rails, r, to an upright, s, that is loosely connected by links to ona of the standards, o, and can swing by their means upon it. J is an inclined plane or drag plate. The operation of the machine is as follows : As the machine is drawn along, the cutters, ' F F, are made to work over the stationary cutters, E E, by means of the gearing describing a circle, and the cutters are always kopt facing the stalk, by their being allowed to swing loosely upon b, and by being held in ,the one position by the connection, I m n. The stalks are cut at the inner parts of the re. cesses, D, by the cutters, E F. The teeth or arms, h, which have the same movement as the cutters, E, pass the stalks on to the platform in an upright position against the standswinging gate they are compressed and bound by the attendant, and passed on to the inclined platform, J, from which they fall on the ground. The gate is then closed, and H brought back until there shall be a sufficient ards and rails, o p. When a sufficient number of stalks have accumulated at the back of the platform to form a shock, the attendant moves the bar, H, which with its arms, q, collects them, and by means of this and the number of stalks to form another bundle. The inventor is I. V. Adair, of Romulus, N. Y., who will be happy to furnish aiiy additional information. It was patented April 6th, 1858.
