Part 35
When we hoe betwixt Rows, where the Plants are very high, as those of Turnep-seed, which are much higher than the Horses, to turn a new Furrow up to the Row, when there is a Trench in the Middle of the Interval, where the Horses must go, we find it best to place the Beam by the Holes B and E, in _Fig._ 3. and the Draw-pin near the left Limber, which brings the Tail of the Plough to the Right-hand, and the fore Ends of the Limbers being towards the Left, the End of the right Limber (by turning the Handles a little to the Left) bears against the wooden Saddle at _d_, and cannot hitch into or take hold of any of the Plants to tear them. And that no Part of the Limber may take hold of any Plant, we make it very smooth from one End to the other; and cut off the Corner of the Plank equal with the Limber, that the Plants may slip by it without hanging in it, or being broken by it. The Whipper standing towards the left End of the Plank, its End _b_ does not reach so far towards the right as to take hold of the Plants, its End _a_ being over the Interval, where no Plants are; and to keep its right End the more out of Danger of hurting the Plants, we place the Hook of its Chain nearer towards this End, by which means the left End, becoming heavier, sinks lower, and raises the right End higher; and the higher it is, the more secure the Plants will be from it; because they are held off by the Limber above.
This way my Turnep-seed has been ho’d, when one would have thought it impossible for a Plough and Horses to go betwixt the Rows without destroying the Crop. Almost in this manner we give our Wheat the last Hoeing, to turn the Furrow a Second time towards the Row. When the Plants of the Rows are very high, the Driver must go in the next Interval, on the Left of the Plough; and the Holder has a Cord, like the Reins of a Bridle, which he lays over the End of the Draw-pin, which keeps it from falling down, until he has occasion to use it for guiding or turning the Thiller.
When we turn the Furrow from the Row (which will then be ever on the left Side of the Plough), the Plough must be set in a very different and contrary Posture; but then the Plants commonly being low, there is no Danger of the Whipper’s or Limber’s hitching or taking hold of them; but the Driver must take care, that he does not tread on them, nor suffer any of the Horses to do so; and they of themselves, when they are not blind, take all the Care they can to avoid it; and I observe, that the Plants are oftener injured by the Driver, than by the Horses.
’Tis in this last-mentioned manner of Hoeing, when we go very near to the young Plants, the First or Second time, that we must take care of burying them with the Earth, which (especially when dry and fine) is apt to run over to the left Side of the Plough; this we can in great measure prevent, when the Ground is clean, by nailing with Three or Four Nails a very thin square Piece of Board to the Sheat, with one Corner bearing at, or below, _a_, in _Fig._ 1. and its other lower Corner bearing on the Back of the Coulter on its left Side at _b_, its upper Corner reaching to _c_ or higher; its fore End is ty’d on to the Coulter by a leathern Thong passing thro’ an Hole very near the End of the Board. The lower Edge of the Board must come no lower than the prick’d Line _a_, _b_, which, at _b_, is just even with the Surface of the Ground, before it is rais’d by the Share; for if this Board should be set down too near the Share, the Plough would not go; but, being set in this manner, it prevents the Earth (when never so much pulveriz’d in the driest Weather) from running over upon the Plants to bury them, tho’ the Plough go very near them; except in this case, we never use a Board, the Earth running over to the left Side, being often advantageous in Hoeing; for it changes more Surface of the Ground, than if it went all to the right; and when in Summer we hoe from the Wheat-rows, not going very near to the grown Plants, this Earth that runs over the Share to the Left, helps to mend such Places where the Furrow was not thrown up close enough to the Row by the precedent Hoeing.
The first time we turn a Furrow towards the Row, the Horses go in the Trench near to it, and the Plough stands on the left Side of the Horse-path, almost in the same manner as when the Furrow is turn’d from the Row; but we very often make use of a common Plough, for throwing down the Ridge, which has lain all the Winter in the Middle of the Interval. One Wheel, going on each Side of that Ridge, holds that Plough to a great Exactness for splitting this Ridge into Halves, which the Earth-board, being set out for that Purpose, throws up to the Row on each Side of the Interval.
We also very often make use of the Two-wheel’d Plough, for raising up the Ridges, whereon we drill the Rows; not but that the Hoe-Plough will do every thing that is necessary to our Husbandry: Yet the common Ploughs being heavier than we usually make our Hoe-Ploughs, they by their Weight, and Help of their Wheels go a little steadier: and besides the Ploughmen, being more accustom’d to them, prefer them before all other, where their Wheels are of no Prejudice.
I never saw neater Ridges rais’d by any Plough, than by the Hoe-Plough, nor finer Plowing; and I believe that were it made as heavy, and as strong, it would outdo the Swing-Plough, in plowing miry Clays, where Plough-wheels cannot go; but I, haveing no such Land, have never made any Hoe-Plough heavy enough for it. However, I am convinc’d, by the many Trials which I have seen, that no other Plough can be used for every Horse-hoeing Operation, so effectually as this I have now describ’d.
The making the Hoe-plough is not difficult for a good Workman; and a few of the Holes for setting the Beam are sufficient, provided they are made in their proper Places, which is impossible for me to describe exactly in a Number that is no more than necessary; because the Distance the Plough must go from the Horse-path on either Side, is uncertain, as the Largeness or the Depth of the Furrow is; and for that Reason, it is as impossible for me direct the Ploughman to the particular Angles, at which his Beam must be set with the Plank, to keep the Share parallel to the Horse-path, as it is to direct a Fidler, how far he must turn his Pegs to give his Strings their due Tension for bringing them all in Tune, which without a Peg to each String could never be done; but when he has his just Number of Pegs, his Ear will direct him in turning them, till his Fiddle is in Tune; so the Ploughman by his Eyes, his Feeling, and his Reason, must be directed in the setting his Plough; but without a competent Number of Holes, he can no more do it than a Musician can tune Four Strings upon one Peg. And I am told, that some Pretenders to making the Hoe-Plough have fix’d its Beam to the Plank immoveable, which makes it as useless for hoeing betwixt Rows, as a Violin with but one Peg to its Four Strings would be for playing a _Sonata_.
_Fig._ 5. shews the Sort of Yoke, that is us’d on every Ox that draws in a single File, as they always must when they work with the Hoe-plough; but after they have been accustom’d to draw double (_i. e._ Two abreast) they must be practis’d for about a Week to draw single, before they are set to Hoeing; for otherwise they will be apt to demolish the Rows, one running off to the right-hand, expecting his Fellow to come up with him on the Left, and another will run off on the Left to make room for his Companion to go abreast with him on the Right, endeavouring to go in the manner in which they us’d to be placed for drawing in Pairs.
I suppose I need not give any Caution about muzling the Oxen when they hoe; because they will eat the Plants as soon as they come an Inch above the Ground, and that will shew the Necessity of it; but there is no occasion to muzzle the Horses until the Plants are grown as high as their Noses, when rein’d up, as in _Fig._ 4.
_Fig._ 6. is an Instrument of Pulveration, which might have been sufficiently describ’d by its Matter, Weight and Dimensions, without any Portrait, were it not to shew the particular Manner of drawing it, being very different from that of a common Roller, whose Frame is difficult to make, and costly; but this, being only Three Feet long, is drawn by a simple Pair of Limbers, held together, by the Two Bars A and B, firmly pinn’d in at their Ends.
Its Gudgeons must not come out beyond the outer Surface of the Limbers, lest they should take hold of the Plants, when drawn in the Intervals; also the hinder Ends of the Limbers, behind the Gudgeon, should crook a little upwards, for the same Reason.
This Stone Cylinder is Two Feet and an half Diameter, and weighs Eleven hundred Weight besides the Limbers. It must never be us’d but in the driest Weather, when neither the Plough nor Harrow can break the Clods; and then being so very ponderous and short, it crushes them to Powder, or into such very small Pieces, that a very little Rain, or even the Dews (if plentiful), will dissolve them.
I have had great Benefit by this Roller in preparing my Ridges for Turneps. The Weather proving dry at _Midsummer_ (which is the best Season for planting them), the Land was in Pieces like Horse-heads, so that there was no Hope of reducing them fit for planting with Turneps that Year; the Clods being so very large, that they would require so many Vicissitudes of wet and dry Weather to slack them; but this Instrument crush’d them small, and the Plough following it immediately, the Ridges were harrow’d and drill’d with very good Success.
I have also made use of it for the same Purpose in the Middle of a cloddy Field, where it pulveriz’d the Clods so effectually, that the Benefit of it might be plainly distinguish’d by the Colour and Strength of the Two following Crops, different from the other Parts of the Field adjoining on both Sides, whereon the Roller was not drawn.
But crushing has such a contrary Effect from squeezing, that if this Roller should be us’d when the Land is moist, it would be very pernicious, by unpulverizing it; of which I am so cautious, that sometimes I let the Roller lie still for a whole Year together.
There is also a long triangular Harrow, which is sometimes useful in the Intervals when the Earth is of a right Temper betwixt wet and dry; but there is no need to describe it, and I scarce use it once in Two or Three Years.
The Diameters of the wooden and iron Pins and Screws, with their Holes, and the Sizes of the Nails to be made use of in all the describ’d Instruments, I leave to the Discretion of the Workmen, who, if they are Masters of their several Trades, cannot be ignorant of such Matters.
_Fig._ 7. and _Fig._ 8. shew the Lands of Turneps mention’d at the Beginning of this Work.
AN
APPENDIX
CONCERNING
_The making of the_ DRILL, _and the_ HOE-PLOUGH, _&c._
To a Workman, who would make these Instruments, I would add the following Directions.
The First thing to be done for making the Drill, is to place half a Sheet of Paper to the Back of Plate 2. by pasting it on to its Margin; and likewise another half Sheet to Plate 3. in the same manner.
Then with a Needle prick through all the Out-lines of A, B, C, and D, in _Fig._ 2. which will mark out both Sides, and both Ends of the Mortise of the Turnep Drill-box. Also prick through the Out-lines of the great Hole in the middle of A, and of the elliptical Hole in B. Also prick the little Hole at E, in A; and at F, in B. Prick through the prick’d Line _p q_, in B; which is the Line to which the Setting-screw _Fig._ 6. or _Fig._ 12. that is to pass through the Hole in C, must be parallel.
When the Paper is taken off, cut out of it the said A, B, C, and D, by the Pricks made by the Needle.
Then cut the same in Pastboard, by laying these Pieces of Paper thereon (because Pastboard, being stiffer than Paper, will be more fit for the Use). Draw a Line with Ink on the pricked Line, _p q_.
The Hole in C must be something larger than in the Cut, because the Setting-screw must be so, being best to be of Brass, which is less apt to rust than Iron, of which Metal it was formerly made; but Brass, being weaker, requires the more of it to equal the Strength of Iron.
The Wreath, _Fig._ 14. is not necessary, because the Slider, _Fig._ 15. is sufficient without it; but then care must be taken, that the Edges of its Claws A B, which rub against the Cylinder of E, in _Fig._ 9. be taken off, to prevent their cutting it. This Slider is sometimes made of Brass, and sometimes of Iron.
Thus the Workman will have the Sides and Ends of the Turnep-mortise, which make the Whole of it, whereby he may make it exactly in soft Wood.
_Fig._ 7. called the inner Cylinder, being put into the Cylinder A, of the Steel Tongue, _Fig._ 4. whereby the Holes for the Axis of the Tongue, being the lower from the Top of the Mortise, do not only secure the Edges of the Mortise from breaking out, but also give room for the Flanches B, C, in _Fig._ 9. to be made to reach as far forwards as the Axis of the Tongue, and farther: Hereby the Hole, in the Bottom of the Hopper, may be as wide at the fore End, as at the pricked Line at the Letter B.
The Notches in the Spindle, _Fig._ 5. seem to appear deeper than is usual for Turnep-seed; but I remember I have drilled Furze-seed with a Turnep-drill without altering the Notches. As for the Shape of these Notches, they are so fully described in _Fig._ 6. and _Fig._ 8. of _Plate_ 3. that I can add nothing to that Description; only that those being for the Wheat-drill, the Size of Notches for the Turnep-drill must be lesser in some proportion to the lesser Size of the Seed.
For making the Wheat-drill do the same as for the Turnep-drill. The _Fig._ 3. in _Plate_ 2. is one Side of the Mortise, by which must be made Two in Pastboard. _Fig._ 10. in _Plate_ 2. and _Fig._ 9. in _Plate_ 3. are the Two Ends of it.
The Cover that prevents the Wheat from falling down on the hinder Side of the Spindle, is one intire Piece of Brass, which is marked B in _Fig._ 3. of _Plate_ 3. but the Shape of it, with its Hole whereby it is held in by a Screw, is only seen in the Side, _Fig._ 3. of _Plate_ 2. and there described by pricked Lines; and by pricking through them, the Shape of the End of the Cover may be taken, which Cover is of the same Shape from End to End.
The Joyner who cannot by these Additions, and the Explanations of the _Plates_, make these Drills in Wood, doth not deserve the Name of a Workman.
When he has once made them whole, he can easily make them in Halves like _Fig._ 8. in _Plate_ 2.
By these Halves the Founder will make his Moulds proper for casting them in the best Brass. But in these Halves for Casting, there must be no other Holes, but the great Holes, and the Hole for the Setting-screw.
The great Hole in the Mould must be largest at E, in _Fig._ 9. _Plate_ 2. and lesser in the Inside in _Fig._ 8. for as it must be of a conical Shape for making the Core, if it should be cast bigger within, when the Whitesmith bores it (as he must) to an exact Cylinder, the End E would be in Danger of bursting by the Force of the Boring, as it is much thinner than in the Mortise. And besides this, if there should be any little Flaw in the Edges of the Hole within the Mortise (which the Founder must avoid as much as possible), it may perhaps be bored out by means of the Hole’s being less there. The Hole must be something less in the Mould than its proper Size, even where it is largest; else it may happen, that in boring it to a true Cylinder it may become too big. And I believe, in the Cooling of the Brass, the Hole grows bigger as the Spindle grows less.
For the Hole of the Setting-screw, lay on upon the dark Part of _Fig._ 8. one of the Pastboard-sides; and from the black Line _p q_, draw a Line coincident to it as on the Brass, for making the half Hole A by; and the other Half of it on the opposite Half-side.
These Pastboards will be very useful to the Whitesmith, for directing him to find the Places where the Holes for the Axis of the Tongue, and those for screwing the Two Halves of the Mortise together, are to be made. I advise against boring the great Hole with a Tool (a Bit) with more than Four Edges; for it would be apt to tear the Brass.
The great Hole of the Turnep-drill is bored with Tools like those wherewith a Gun is bored. But the Wheat-drill is bored with a Screw-stock, whose Edges are made sharp for that Purpose, and may be set wider or narrower at Pleasure: It is put into the Hole along with an half-round Piece of Wood, the lower End of the Stock being set fast in a Vice: The whole Seed-box (for it must always be screwed together before it is bored), being put on the End of the Stock (made taper a little way for entering), is turned round it by a long wooden Spanner, which hath a Notch in the middle of it, to receive the whole Seed-box, in order to bore it by turning it round upon the Stock.
The Brass ought to be of the best Sort, which will be easy to file, and yet not mix with baser Metal.
The Seed-boxes may be cast whole by these Moulds; but I prefer those that are screwed together, for several Reasons, which I have not time now to write.
There is a Turnep Seed-box come to my Hands that was made by Pretenders; I wish it is the only one made in the same manner; for it is useless; the Notches in the Spindle are much shorter than the Breadth of the Mortise; at each End of the Notches is a deep Chanel (as deep as the Bottom of the Notches) quite round the Spindle, instead of a Mark, which should be but just visible for cutting the Notches; and instead of a tender Steel Spring, there is a strong Piece of Iron without Elasticity. By means of this Iron, the Machine grinds the Seed, instead of drilling it.
What I shall here add concerning the Wheat-drill, is some Alterations in _Fig._ 21. of _Plate_ 4. _viz._ The fore Share and Sheat must be left out for drilling Wheat, up more middle Rows being used. And the Two Beams B B in the Plough, _Fig._ 1. must be set to make Chanels Ten Inches asunder. And the double Hopper, _Fig._ 15. must be set nearer together, so as the Seed may fall into the middle of the Funnels of the Beams.
Tho’ there is no Necessity of Marking-wheels for guiding the Drill-horse upon Ridges; yet they are very useful for holding the Drill steady, and to prevent its tottering, which without the Marking-wheels, and the fore Hopper, it is apt to do, when the Shares stand so near together as Ten Inches; and on a narrow Ridge one of the hinder Wheels might run off to the Furrow, and draw the Shares after it, if the Drill were not kept steady by the Marking-wheels, and by their Hopper, which takes hold of the single Standard by _Fig._ 22. as is seen in _Fig._ 21. in _Plate_ 4. But there should not be so much room in it on each Side of the Standard, left the Plough by that means should have too much room to totter, now the Shares are so near together.
The Marking-wheels must be set at the Distance of the Breadth of Two Ridges, which, as we now make them, is about Nine Feet and an half from Wheel to Wheel.
The Brass Box may be taken out of the fore Hopper: And tho’ that Hopper be of no Use to the double Row, except as is abovesaid; yet if there should be Occasion to press the Marking-wheels deeper into the Ground for keeping the Plough the more steady in its Course, it may be usefully filled with Earth, or other Matter, sufficient for that Purpose. And besides, it may serve to plant Three Rows of St. Foin, when the fore Share and Sheat are put in, and the Beams and hinder Hopper set a Foot or Eighteen Inches wider, and the Marking-wheels at their due Distance, as is directed in the Essay. Thus the same Drill may plant Wheat and St. Foin.
A Drill for the double Rows might be made with a single hinder Hopper, instead of the double one. And there is a Contrivance to supply the Use of the fore Hopper for keeping the Plough steady, and more easy to make than that Hopper; but this cannot be described by Words without Cuts.
The Lime wherewith the brined Wheat is dried, receiving some of the Salts from the Brine, will stick in the Notches of the Spindle; yet never makes any Stoppage to their Delivery of the Seed; but every Year we clean the Notches from the Lime with a Chissel, and, if it were done oftener, it would not be amiss.
There is an Accident that may possibly happen, but never to a careful Driller; _viz._ a large Clod may some way be thrown into a Funnel of the Beam of the Plough, either by a Wheel, or by the Paddle that cleanses the Sheats from the Dirt that sticks to them when the Earth is wet. This may stop the Wheat from falling out of the Funnel into the Trunk; and then, so far as the Plough, goes thus stopped, the Chanel will have no Seed in it; but the Driller that follows may take it out immediately, which if he should neglect to do for never so little a Distance, he ought to stop the Plough whilst he supplies the Chanel with Seed from his Hand as far as it is empty. When there is any Danger of this, as in very rough cloddy Ground, it is best to take off the Drill-harrow, to the end that the Chanel may lie open for receiving the Seed from the Hand. But if the Ends of the Hopper reach below the Funnels, and they are otherwise defended, as they may be, this Accident can never happen.
When the Drill-harrow is taken off, the best way for taking up the Plough to turn it, is to bore a Hole of about half an Inch Diameter in the End of each Beam behind the Funnels, and fasten a Withe into these Holes; by which Withe the Driller very conveniently takes hold with one Hand, and lifts up the Plough, laying his other Hand on the Hopper to keep it steady. This Method of taking up the Plough hath been often used for the Wheat-drill, and for the Turnep-drill; and in the latter the Hole in the one Beam holds the Withe as well as do the Two Holes in the former.
There are new Editions of some of these Engines, which cannot be fully described without more _Plates_; but since those already described are found by Experience to be sufficient for the Purposes they were designed for, new Editions of them are not necessary, tho’ convenient in many respects.
Reason will easily make Additions to the Instruments when they are necessary; as when more than one Brass Spindle is to be turned by one or each Wheel for planting Clover amongst Barley after it is come up. ’Tis done by a very light Plough, drawn by a Man: It plants Four Rows at once Eight Inches asunder: The Shares are very short and narrow, and so are the Sheats and Trunks. ’Tis not difficult to put on a Crank at the other End of the Brass Spindle, in the same manner that the Handle that winds up a Jack is put on, and to fasten it at the Hole at I in _Fig._ 5. of _Plate_ 2. This Crank must, at its first turning, before it turns up towards the Letter H, of the same _Fig._ be long enough to reach to within an Inch of the Fork of the Second Spindle. Thus each Wheel may turn several Spindles, and then this Drill may plant many Rows of Seeds at once.
When you plant Rows nearer together than Eight Inches, it is best that the Plough have Two Ranks of Shares and Hoppers, else the Earth may be driven before the Shares; but with Two Racks of them, they will not be more apt to drive the Earth before them in making Rows at Four Inches asunder, than at Eight, when there is only a single Rank of Shares.
But I think this near Distance of Four Inches cannot be proper for any Sort of Seeds, except Flax-seed; and even for that Seed not necessary. If the Land be made fine, a single Rank of Shares will go very well to plant Rows at Seven Inches asunder.