Part 33

When we drill hilly Ground, both up and down, we cover the hinder Parts of all the Trunks, from their Tops, to within Two or Three Inches of the Ground, to prevent the Seed’s falling out far behind the Trunk, in going up Hill; and this we do either by a Piece of Leather nail’d to each Side of a Sheat, the Middle of the Leather bearing against the hinder Part of the Plates (or Trunk); or sometimes, instead of Leather, we use Tin.

Every Trunk being thus inclos’d behind, we can drill up and down an hill of a moderate Ascent; but when it is very steep, we never drill any thing but St. Foin on it, and that by a Drill made for the Purpose, so very light, that a Man may carry it up the Hill on his Back, and draw it down after him: This Drill has Five or Six Sheats in one Row (with the Harrow behind them). Their Shares being extremely short, the Standards which draw the Hopper must be set perpendicular to the Horizon, when the Drill is coming down, rather than to the Surface of the Side of the Hill: The Funnels must also correspond with the Standards.

Some, instead of these Sheats, make use of hollow wooden Harrow-tines, thro’ which the Seed descends: But these I do not approve of; because where the Ground is hard, and not fine, they rise up, and make no Chanels for the Seed; and then it lying uncover’d will be malted.

When a Drill has only one Rank of Shares, we screw on the Harrow by its Legs, to the Inside of the Two outside Sheats, as near as we can to their fore Shoulders, leaving sufficient room for the Harrow to rise and sink, in the same manner as when it is drawn by the Beams.

CHAP. XXII.

_Of the Turnep-Drill._

_Plate_ 5. shews the whole Mounting of a Turnep-drill. _Fig._ 1. is a Plough, but little differing from the Drill-plough last mentioned. A, A, are the Two Limbers, differing in nothing from the other, except that they are lighter, not being above Two Inches Diameter, behind the Bar: They are drawn in the same manner as the other. Their Bar B is distant from the Plank Three Inches, being shoulder’d at each End, with a very thin flat Tenon, passing thro’ each Limber, and pinn’d on their Outsides, as at _a a_. We do not pin in this Bar thro’ the Limbers, lest the Holes should make these very small Limbers the weaker in that Part. C, the Plank, Two Feet and an Inch long, Five Inches broad, and an Inch and a quarter thick. D, D, the Two double Standards, or Two Pair of Standards, placed into the Plank with Shoulders above, and Tenons pinn’d underneath the Plank, and are Thirteen Inches high above it: These serve for a Pair of Marking-wheels, when Turneps are drill’d on the Level, to keep the Rows all parallel, and at what Distance you please, by setting them according to the Rule already laid down.

Sometimes we place the double Standards into the Plank of the Wheat-drill, in the same manner that these are placed.

We take off the inner Edge of each Standard at the Top, as at _b b_ and _b b_, for the more easy Admission of the Spindle of the Marking-wheels into the Forks: This Spindle is kept in its Place by Two of the same sort of Wreaths, and placed in the same manner as those describ’d for the fore Hopper of the Wheat-drill.

Such Marking-wheels are necessary for drilling upon the Level; but not for drilling upon Ridges.

E is the Beam, Two Feet Two Inches and an half long, Four Inches broad, and Two Inches thick: It is thus broad, that the Screws which hold on the cross Piece F, may be farther asunder: The Screws must be placed as near as may be to the Outsides of the Beam, and at equal Distance from each Side of the cross Piece; by which means the Standards are kept the firmer from Turning.

The Distance between the Plank and the cross Piece is Eleven Inches. The Breadth of the cross Piece is Two Inches and a quarter. This cross Piece is shewn apart in _Fig._ 2. where its Two Standards A B, are each Seventeen Inches long (or high), and each on its fore Side and hinder Side One Inch and a quarter broad, and nearly Three quarters of an Inch thick: They are shoulder’d and pinn’d into the cross Piece at _a b_. The cross Piece is Thirteen Inches and an half long, and one Inch and a quarter thick in the Middle from _c_ to _d_; but for about an Inch on the Inside of each Standard is Two Inches and an half thick, that the Standards may have the more Wood to support them, and that the Hopper, bearing upon the thicker Parts of the cross Piece, may be held up above the Funnel, that the Fork of the brass Spindle may not strike against it, when the Plough is taken up to be turn’d, there being a little more than a quarter of an Inch of the Breadth of the cross Piece behind the Standard, for the Hopper to rest on.

The whole Distance between the Standards is Nine Inches and a quarter. The Standards must be exactly perpendicular to their cross Piece: Their Tops are drawn up each to a Point, as at _e_ and _f_, by which the Hopper is the more easily put on upon them.

The Funnel, Sheat, Share, and Trunk, are the same as those in the Wheat-drill, except a few Differences: As G in _Fig._ 1. is the same as the fore Sheat of the Wheat-drill, with its Accoutrements; only it is lower, being but Eight Inches high from the Bottom of the Share up to the Beam; and the Plates of the Trunk are somewhat narrower: Its Tenon passes thro’ the Beam, and comes up above it, betwixt the Funnel and the cross Piece; and there is pinn’d in thro’ its Hole above the Beam. There is no want of Wood behind the Sheat, the Funnel not being cut in the Beam, but placed upon it.

The Funnel is shewn apart in _Fig._ 3. and is Two Inches deep, Four Inches square at Top; its Four Sides terminating at an Hole in the Bottom, half an Inch broad from _a_ to _b_, and near an Inch long from _c_ to _d_, which Length is divided in the Middle, by the upper Edge of a Brass Spout, which divides the Hole into Two equal Parts (or Holes), each of which is about half an Inch square; this Funnel being screw’d on upon the Beam by Two Wood Screws, entering at Two opposite Corners of the Funnel, as at _c d_ in _Fig._ 1. so that the Seed may drop from the Seed-box upon the right Side of the Funnel at _e_, which being about half an Inch distant from the Partition, and equidistant from both Holes, the Seed rebounding is pretty equally distributed to each of the Holes.

The fore Part of the foremost Hole being equal with the Back of the Sheat, the Beam being cut thro’; so that the Back of the Sheat, and the fore Part of the Hole thro’ the Beam, and the fore Part of this Hole, make one plain Surface, whereby the Seed that falls into this foremost Hole, descends to the Ground, near the Back of the Sheat, thro’ the Trunk.

And the Seed which falls into the hinder Hole, is convey’d obliquely backwards thro’ Part of the Beam, by a short thin Brass Spout, whose Diameter in the Inside is somewhat more than half an Inch; but the fore Part of it, which divides the Two Holes, descends first perpendicularly half an Inch, and then turns off backwards, and there the Spout begins to be round: Its joining is on its hinder Part, to the end that the Seed, never running upon it, cannot be stopp’d by it. The lower End of this Spout ends at the lower Surface of the Beam, a little behind the Plates of the Trunk, which Hole is seen at _a_ in _Fig._ 4. where this Hole delivers the Seed down into the Spout A, when it is drawn up into its Place by the String B drawn thro’ the Hole at _b_ in the End of the Beam, and there tied until it stand in the Posture in which it is seen at _f_ in _Fig._ 1.

The Shape of this Spout is better seen at _Fig._ 5. where A is the Spout, Four Inches long, a full Inch Diameter in the Inside: Its lower End is circular; but its upper End B is cut at oblique Angles, so that when it is drawn up to its Place, its Edges will touch the lower Surface of the Beam, and inclose the lower End of the other Spout within it: It is made of thin hammer’d Brass (as is the other). The Edges of the Piece of Brass, which make this Spout, are join’d on its hinder Part, for the same Reason that they are so in the other Spout. At _b_ there is a Jag cut in one of these Edges, and rais’d upwards, by which Jag the String being tied on the Spout just below, is hindered from slipping upwards.

Joining to the highest Part, and made with Part of the same Piece of Brass, turn’d back from the End of the Spout, is its Hinge C, near Three quarters of an Inch long in its Hollow.

D is a thin Piece of Iron, half an Inch broad, and a little longer than the Top of the Sheat, by which the Spout is held up: This Piece of Iron is riveted by a Rivet passing thro’ an Hole at _c_, and thro’ the Sheat, just before the Trunk, and thro’ another Piece of Iron on the opposite Side; both the Pieces of Iron, with their upper Edges touching the Beam, being thus riveted to the Sheat.

The Spout is pinned in by the Screw E, passing as by the prick’d Line F thro’ the Hole G, and also thro’ the Hinge C, and screw’d into the Hole of the opposite Piece of Iron, corresponding with the Hole G; and then it will appear as in _Fig._ 4.

Instead of these Pieces of Iron, we sometimes use Pieces of Wood, a little broader and thicker, nail’d on the Sheat.

The Use of this Spout is for carrying half of the Seed backwards, so that it may drop upon the Chanel, after the Earth is fallen into it: By this means the Seed lying very shallow, being only cover’d by a little Earth rais’d by the Harrow, by its Shallowness comes up in moist Weather, sooner than the other half, which lies deeper in the Ground; but if the Weather be dry when planted, the deeper half, by the Moisture of the Earth from the Dews, will come up first, and the shallow half will not come up till Rain come to moisten it; so that by the shallow or deep, the Turnep-fly is generally disappointed.

_Fig._ 6. shews one of the Tines of a Drill-harrow made of Wood: Its Edge _a b_ is made roundish at _b_, by which means it raises the Earth on its Sides; but does not drive it before: This Edge from _a_ to _b_ is Six Inches long; from _b_ to _c_, being its Bottom, is One Inch and a quarter; from _c_ to _d_ is the Back, an Inch and an half thick at Top, gradually tapering downwards to _c_, where it is half an Inch thick, being shoulder’d all round: It has a flat Tenon A, which passes thro’ a Mortise in the Harrow-head; the Length of which Mortise is parallel with the Length of the Harrow-head, into which it is held by a Pin, passing thro’ the Hole of the Tenon, above the Harrow; as may be seen in _Fig._ 7. at _a_; and its Fellow at _b_.

These Two Tines are Eight Inches asunder at their Points, and Six Inches and a quarter asunder at their upper Parts, just under the Harrow-head. The fore Edge of the Tine A inclines a little to the Left, as the Edge of the Tine B doth to the Right.

_Fig._ 8. shews one of the Legs of the Harrow. At _a_ is seen the round Tenon, which passes thro’ the Harrow-head up to its Shoulder, and is pinned in thro’ an Hole of the Tenon just behind the Harrow-head; upon this Tenon the Harrow-head may turn: The other End has an Hole at _b_, thro’ which it is pinned on to the Beam. The Length of the Leg from the Shoulder at _a_, to the Hole at _b_, is Twenty Inches: Its Thickness is an Inch and a quarter, and its Breadth an Inch. The Two Legs are seen mark’d C, D, in _Fig._ 7. They bend down in the Middle, to give the Harrow the more room for rising and sinking; they are parallel to each other, and distant a little more than the Breadth of the Beam, that they may have Liberty to move thereon, when one End of the Harrow-head sinks lower than the other, by the Unevenness of the Ground.

The Harrow is pinned on to the Beam by the Iron Pin, _Fig._ 9. passing thro’ the Hole of the Leg at _g_, and thro’ the Beam, and also thro’ the other Leg on the other Side of the Beam, where the Screw at the End of the Pin has a Nut screw’d on it. This Pin is round from its Head all the Way thro’ the first Harrow-leg, and thro’ the Beam; but all that Part of the Pin, which is in that Leg against which the Nut is screw’d, must be square; whereby that Part being bigger than the round Part of the Pin, and than the Hole in the last-mention’d Leg, cannot turn in the Hole of that Leg; for if it did, the Nut would be soon unscrew’d by the Motion of the Harrow; but the Pin must have room to turn in the other Leg, and in the Beam. This square Part of the Pin is seen at _a_, _Fig._ 9. The whole Length of the Pin, from its Head to the End of the square Part at _a_, where the Screw begins, is of the Thickness of the Two Legs, and of the Breadth of the Beam.

We sometimes set the Legs of the Harrow Two Inches wider asunder, by making them each an Inch thicker at their fore Ends in their Inside, and reaching Five or Six Inches behind their Iron Pin: These thicker Parts, bearing against the Beam, keep the hinder Part of each Harrow-leg an Inch distant from the Sides of the Beam, whereby the Harrow-legs are Six Inches asunder, instead of Four, by means of these added Thicknesses.

When a Drill is taken up to be turn’d, the Person that does it, takes hold of the Harrow-head, and lifts it up: The Legs of the Harrow, bearing against the cross Piece, support the whole Weight of the Drill.

When the Harrow does not go deep enough, we tie a Stone upon the Middle of the Harrow-head, by a String that passes thro’ the Holes at _h_. All the Wood of this Plough and Harrow is Ash, except the Limbers.

The Hopper of the Turnep-drill is very different from those already described. It consists of a Box placed into the Middle of a Carriage; which Box is described in all its Parts, lying open with their Insides upwards in _Fig._ 10. A is the fore Side of the Box, Five Inches and an half deep, and Six Inches and an half long. B, the hinder Side of the Box, opposite to the former, and of equal Dimensions.

Each End of the Box is made with Three Pieces of Board, of which C the uppermost is Three Inches and a quarter deep, and Five Inches long; which Length is the Breadth of the Inside of the Box. The End of the Piece C, when in its Place, stands against the prick’d Line _a b_ in the fore Side A; the other End standing against the prick’d Lines in B, which is opposite to, and corresponds with, the prick’d Line _a b_; the fore Side, and hinder Side, being screw’d to the Ends of this Piece by Four Screws.

The Piece D is Two Inches and a quarter broad, and of the same Length with the Piece C, and screw’d up to the Bottom of it with Two Screws, and then its End will bear against the prick’d Line _b c_, and that which is opposite to it in the Side B.

E is the lower Piece of this End, and an Inch and a quarter broad: Its End is to stand against the prick’d Line _c d_, and its other End at the opposite prick’d Line in B. The Piece D must be screw’d upon the upper Edge of the Piece E, as the Bottom F must be screw’d up to its under Edge, which will stand upon the prick’d Line _e f_. The Three Pieces G, H, I, being opposite to C, D, E, and of the same Dimensions with them, placed in the same manner, make the other End of this Box. At _g_ in the Bottom F, appears the Hole which is over the Mortise of the Brass Seed-box, the Shape and Size of which Hole may be seen by the prick’d Lines upon the Flanches B, C, of _Fig._ 9. in _Plate_ 2. The foremost End of which Hole reaches almost as far forwards as the End of the Axis of the Tongue of the Brass Seed-box, and its hinder End almost as far as the hinder End of its Cover[269]. The Bottom F, being of the same Length, with C, D, E, and their Opposites, bears against the prick’d Line _d h_ of the fore Side A, and against the opposite prick’d Line of B. The Length of this Bottom F is the Breadth of the Inside of the Box, and its Breadth reaches to the outer Edges of the Pieces E and I, being Three Inches and an half.

[269] Commonly it reaches within half a quarter of an Inch; but if it should only reach within a quarter of an Inch of them, it would not have that ill Consequence at that Distance, as the same Position would have in the large Seed-boxes; for, in them, the Seed would, in such Case, be apt to bear against the Bottom of the Hopper, and obstruct the Motion of the Brass Tongue, which small Seeds cannot do in the Turnep-seed Box.

All the Jointings of these Pieces must be at right Angles, and so close, that no Seed may run out at them. All the Pieces are of Board, full half-inch thick, except the Bottom, which is thinner.

_Fig._ 11. shews the Bottom of the Box with its under Side uppermost, where the light Part A is the Bottom-board, covering the Two End-boards, E and I, in _Fig._ 10. The dark Parts B and C are the under Sides of D and H, in _Fig._ 10. At _a_ is the fore End of the Brass Seed-box screw’d up to this Bottom-board. At _b_ is the hinder End of the Brass Seed-box screw’d up in like manner, the outer Edge of the Flanch of the Seed-box being even with the Edge of the Bottom-board. The End of the Brass Spindle, with its Fork, appears at C.

_Fig._ 12. shews this Box standing upon its Bottom, with its hinder Side laid open. At _a_ is the Hole in the Bottom, under which the Brass Seed-box is fasten’d, with small Iron Screws, square near the Heads, passing thro’ the Bottom, and thro’ the Holes at each End of the Brass Box, with their Nuts underneath. The Pins must touch all the Sides of the Holes in the Brass, to prevent the Seed-box from moving any Way.

A is the fore Side of the Box. B the hinder Side lying down. C is the Piece H of _Fig._ 10. which makes a sort of Shelf in the Box at its left End. D at the right End makes another like Shelf, underneath which, the Fork of the Brass Spindle is turn’d by the Crank in the End of the wooden (false) Spindle. By means of these Shelves, there is room for the Two wooden false Spindles to come the further into the Carriage, without lessening the upper Part of the Box. E and F are the Two Ends of the upper Part of the Box, made by the Two Pieces G and C of _Fig._ 10. When the hinder Side B is rais’d up, and screw’d to these Ends, the Box is complete.

We put a Lid upon this Box, which is hing’d on to its right or left End. This Box (having the Brass Seed-box at its Bottom) is to be placed into the Middle of a Frame or Carriage.

_Fig._ 13. shews the Inside of the Carriage lying down. A is the hinder Side, Eighteen Inches long, Dove-tails and all, and Six Inches broad. B the fore Side of the same Length with the hinder Side, and Eleven Inches broad. This Five Inches greater Breadth than the hinder Part is, because a greater Height is required on the fore Side, on account of the Hopper’s being drawn, and the Plough held up by that and the Pieces that must be fix’d to it. C, D, are its Two Ends, Six Inches long, beside their Dove-tails, and Six Inches broad. E and F are Two Pieces each Six Inches long, whose Ends are to stand against the prick’d Lines _a b_ and _c d_ of the hinder Side, and their other Ends against the prick’d Lines in the fore Side, which are opposite to these. The Breadth of each of these Pieces is Four Inches: When they are in their Places, their lower Edges come even with the Bottom of the Carriage. Their Use is to support the Ends of the Spindles which come just thro’ their Holes, after each of them have passed their Hole at its respective End of the Carriage.

All this Carriage is made of Board full half-inch thick; The Ends C and D are made of double Thickness by another Piece of Board added to each, that covers all their Insides, except their Dove-tails. These Boards with which they are lin’d, are nail’d to them, with their Grain going a different Way, and crossing the Grain of the Board at the End, either at right or oblique Angles. This prevents the Holes from splitting out, and makes the Holes of a double Thickness; whereby the Spindle is the less worn by them, in case there are no Brass Wreaths to enter them.

The middle Pieces E and F are lin’d by their whole Surfaces, in the same Manner as the Insides of the Ends are lin’d.

When these Ends and middle Pieces are in their Places, a wooden Cylinder, of the exact Diameter of the Holes, is thrust thro’ all Four, to hold them exactly true, whilst the Ends and middle Pieces are all screw’d fast into their Places.

The prick’d Lines are drawn all round the Carriage, thro’ the Centres of the Holes, and at equal Distance from the Bottom of the Carriage, which is an Inch and Three quarters, and the One-eighth of an Inch. This prick’d Line is a Direction how high to nail on the Ledgers G and H, whereon the Box is to stand; and the Distance the upper Surface of the Ledger must be above the prick’d Line, is the Semidiameter of the Brass Spindle; and the Thickness of the Brass Box above the Spindle, or which is the same thing, the Distance between the Centre of the great Hole of the Brass Seed-box, and the Plane of the Top of its Mortise, being half an Inch and half a quarter, strike a Line above the prick’d Line parallel to it, at this Distance above, and then nail on the Ledger, with its upper Edge at this Line. This, with its opposite Ledger plac’d in the same manner, will support the Box with the Axis of the Spindle of the Seed-box, at equal Height with the Centres of the Holes of the Carriage; so that if those Holes are parallel to, and equidistant from the fore Side and hinder Side of the Carriage, and the Axis of the Brass Spindle be placed in the like manner parallel to, and equidistant from the fore Side and hinder Side of the Box; then when the Box is thrust down in its Place, upon these Ledgers, and the wooden (false) Spindles are placed into their Holes, their Axis will fall into a strait Line with the Axis of the Brass Spindle, as they ought.