STALK CUTTERS. Cornstalks, where the growth has been rank, are an obstacle to the plow. The stalk cutter, by means of draft hooks pendent under the frame, combs the stalks into line, and then, by means of transverse revolving knives, chops them into short lengths, which cannot foul the plow and are easily turned under by it. The implement for this use formerly consisted simply of a roller armed with knives parallel with its axis and projecting from its face, and, subsequently, mounted eccentrically with the axisof the roller, projecting through slots in the roller when coming to the ground, and drawn within the face of the roller when passing up ward and over. But it has been transformed from a very imperfect to an effective machine by the improvements shown in Fig. 1.
Par/in & Orendorff's Stalk Cutter.—The work ing parts are mounted on a strong sulky. The lower floating frame carrying the bladed reel is attached in front to the main frame above it by draft rings at the corners, and is pressed down by a pair of strong spiral side springs, which occasion a successive rebound of each of the five blades downward after every recoil from the resistance of the stalks to the stroke of the blades. This automatic rebound, aided by the resistant inertia of the whole fabric, chops the stalks thoroughly, which is impossible merely by the weight of the machine steadily applied. To relieve the team from undue jerking under the chopping action described, the doubletrce is connected by a spring to the draft rod of the machine. The cyl inder is covered for safety from the knives, and the cover forms a box for ballast, to add weight when needed to insure thorough cutting. The floating frame and cutters are raised
and held up by a lock lever when not required to cut. The knives are set tangentially backward, at that angle which insures the best cutting result. The knife-reel is rotated by contact with the ground as the machine advances. The same class of machine is used on cotton land to fit, it for the plow by cutting the cotton stalks into short lengths in the same way, but owing to their toughness and hardness is necessarily made much heavier and with stronger reaction side springs than is necessary for corn-stalks.
Avery's Stalk Cutter, Fig. 2, has six knives arranged spirally around their axis to effect constant. pressure on the ground, and thus avoid jolting; also to distribute the work evenly by cutting few stalks at once ; and to lighten work by cutting them obliquely with their grain. The cutting apparatus presents, when viewed from front or rear, a profile as shown in Fig. 2, suiting the machine to the usual ridged contour of cornfields. The machine is preferably made wide enough to cut the width of two corn rows, to use two horses and a man, for about as much duty as for four horses and two men with two of the single-row size. The cutters have their axis independent. of the ground-wheel centers, and their pressure can be controlled by the lever.
Stamp : see Ore-crushing Machines.
Stamping Machines : see Book-binding 'Machines.
Stave Jointer : see Barrel-making Machines.
Steamers, Passages of : see Engines, Marine.