in length is tenoned, thus two handles. The cradle or bow is a piece of wood jointed to the heel of the Mane, into which are inserted three or four wooden teeth, in a line with the blade, the object of which is to secure the grain being laid evenly in one direction. As skill at the working of the scythe, however, increased, the cradle or bow was discarded in many cases. By the kcythe, corn can be cut at a rather less cost per acre than with the hook; but the work is not so, neatly done. As nice a stubble will be left by a good hand with the scythe, and often nicer than by the hook. hut the sheaves are not, as a rule, so tidy after the scythe, though they will stack rather earlier. Of a fair working crop, an adept at the scythe would cut 2 or 21 acres per diem. The average area cut per day with the scythe does not exceed 11 acres. In fact, if the crop is heavy, that extent is a very hard day's work. Those who contract for cutting the crops by the scythe obtain the services of the best men, and thus generally get about 2 acres per day reaped, and reaped very well too. In the midland and south ern counties of England, the scythe, long in general use, was of larger size, and had only one long shaft, on which were fixed two handles. In Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and some of the eastern counties, the whole of the cutting, until the introduction of reaping-machines, was clone by these scythes. The harvest operations then, from the cutting of the crop to the thatching of the ricks, cost from 18s. to 255. per acre.
The process of reaping with either the sickle or the scythe is, however, both tedious and expensive; and hence, during the last three-quarters of a century, ninny attempts have been made to accomplish the work by machinery—attempts which, in the course of the last 20 years, have been crowned with complete su3cess. Reaping by machinery, however, is no modern invention. Pliny the elder, who was born early in the 1st c. of the Christian era, found a reaping-machine in Gaul. He says: "In the extensive fields in the lowlands of Gaul, vans of large size, with projecting teeth on the edge, are driven on two wheels through the standing corn by an ox yoked in a reverse position. In this manner the ears are torn off, anti fall into the van." Palladius, about four centuries later, found a similar appliance for reaping corn in Gaul. He gives a more detailed but similar description of the machine. • In modern times the idea of a mechanical reaper appears to have originated with a Mr. Capel Lloft, who, in 1785, suggested a machine something after the pattern of the ancient one above described. Between that time and the great exhibition of 1851, in London, from which the general of mechanical reapers may be said to date, the patents taken -out fcr reaping-machines were very numerous. Among the most promis ing of these may be mentioned those of Mr. Gladstone of Castle-Don3las; Mr. Smith of Deanston; Mr. Kerr, Edinburgh: Mr. Scott of Ormiston; Mr. Dobbs, an actor in Bir mingham; Mr. Mann of Haby, near Wigton; and the late rev. Patrick Bell of Carmvlie, Scotland. In 1820 Mr. Bell constructed an efficient and cimple machine, which long continued in use, and several features of which are observable in the reapers of the present day. The inventor of this, the first machine of the kind in Scotland, received a public testimonial from agriculturists. in consideration of the services he thus ren dered to agriculture. In America Mr. ann. Sir. M'Cormick took out patents for
reaping-machines of superior character iu 1833 and 1834 respectively.
The movements of the cutters of these machines were various. A few were advanc ing only, some sidelong and advancing, others reciprocating and advancing, a large number continuous and advancing, and others continuous and alternate. The recipro cating and advancing motion is that now employed on the-machines in use. The principal difference in the machines now so largely used for cutting corn is in the form and character of the cutters, and in the mode of delivering the grain after it is cut.
The cmtiug-knives are of two kinds—one, obtuse-angled and serrated; the other, acute-angled and for the most part plain. Both are attached to a bar, and are made to work through another bar of iron fitted with hollow fingers, called guard-fingers, which. projecting forward, catch the standing corn, and retain it firmly until it is cut. The serrated knife saws through it; the plain knife clips it, as it were; the finger-guard forming the fixed blade of the scissors.
The delivery of the sheaves is effected either by manual or mechanical labor; but the vast proportion of the machines in use are what arc termed manual delivery-reapers. The delivery of the sheaves by manual labor is now almost at the back of the machine, the side delivery being generally abandoned, unless in the self-deliveries. In deliver ing the grain a man with a short-handled rake in his hand sits upon the machine almost 'opposite the cutting apparatus. With this inclines the grain toward the knife; and when sufficient to make a sheaf h c as been cut, he rakes it off the platform upon the machine, on to which it has fallen, and deposits it on the ground. In making a neat and squarely-formed sheaf, the raker is greatly assisted by a hinge in the platform, which asables hint, by pressure of the foot, to tip the board over, so as to let the corn slide gently down. With the back-delivery the sheaves must be tied up and removed out of the way of the machine before it conies round again. Such a reaper, therefore, always requires a full supply of hands to attend upon it. But it is the best for all that. It does require a skillful, careful man to "tilt," but the fact that the course has to be kept clear for the horses every round spurs the laborers, who thus do more work than they would otherwise accomplish. Besides, it is a very doubtful advantage to be enabled to slash down the crops irrespective of the gathering capacities. Moreover, with the self deliveries it is the distance gone over, and not the quantity of crops collected, that regu ' fates the size of the sheaf. With uneven crops tins is an inconvenience. Sheaves of different sizes are very troublesome in the stook. They will not stand well, and in stacking it is difficult to keep uniformity in building. Loge and small-sized sheaves are not equally dried, and are not ready for stacking at the same time. Eight people " lifting" after the manual-reape• will do as much work as nine following the self-deliv ery, so that the saving of a mates labor claimed by the self-delivery is doubtful. The sheaves are rather better formed by the manual machine than by the self-delivery. Each kind has, however, and will likely continue to have its advocates, though the preponder ance is in favor of the manual.