Part 71

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.

I had formerly a Drill-Plough for drilling across very high round Ridges for Hand-hoeing, where Horse-hoeing is impracticable: It had no Limbers; but it had little Ground-wrists to make open Chanels, and had Handles behind it, whereby the Driller raised up the Tail of the Plough, when it was passing the Summit of the Ridge. There were neither Funnels nor Trunks; for these would hinder the Seed from falling into the Chanels, both by the Plough’s going up and down the Ridge. The Hopper was drawn by the Plough in such a manner, that in passing all Parts of the Ridge the Wheels were not raised from the Ground: The Chanels were equally supplied with Seed throughout: It planted Four Rows at once, at a Foot asunder. I used this Drill-Plough 30 Years ago in Oxfordshire: I have no such Ridges here, nor consequently any Occasion of such an Instrument; and did not make Cuts of it, because it is not useful for Horse-hoeing. I only mention it here for the Benefit of those who have a mind to plant such Ridges regularly with an Engine: I hope their own Reason will enable them to contrive such a Plough, especially now they have the manner of making the Drill, Hopper, &c. shewn to them.

I have made a very material Addition to the Hoe-Plough, of Plate 6. viz. At the fore End of the Beam Fig. 2. is the Hole I, by which alone let the Plough be drawn, leaving out the Hole H; instead of the Hole G make a Mortise, Three or Four Inches long, and as broad as the Thickness of the Iron Pin, the End and Nut of which are seen at C, in Fig. 1. This Pin should be more than half an Inch Diameter, and square at that End that goes into the Mortise; let the hinder End of the Mortise just appear behind the Plank, when the Beam is at right Angles with it.

By means of this Mortise there may be many more Holes through the Plank without Danger of splitting into one another the Holes in the Beam, which must answer those in the Plank.

Draw many Lines from the Middle of the foremost Hole of the Plank to the hinder Edge of it, at (suppose) a quarter of an Inch from one another there; and then bore a Hole in that Part of each Line that is least apt to break into the next Hole to it.

Every System of Holes in the Plank will have like Benefit of being increased in their Number by the Convenience of this Mortise; without which it is impossible to have so great Variety of turning the Point of the Share to make the Share go parallel to the Horse-path.

The Board described in p. 403. we now use very seldom in Hoeing of Wheat.

Explanation of Plate VII.

Fig. 1. shews the Plank and the Harrow of the latest and best Drill-plough, most simple, and accommodated to the present Practice of planting double Rows.

A is the Plank, with all its Mortises and Holes; b is the Mortise into which the Tenon of the fore Sheat of the Drill-plough, for planting treble Rows, was fastened; d is the square Hole for receiving the Seed from a Hole of the same Shape and Size in the Bottom of the Funnel.

When the Sheat is taken out of the Mortise b, and another Sheat is made exactly the same with that, place them in the Mortises a a, and make the Two square Holes c c behind them, for their Funnels to stand on. Make the Mortise e, which is to hold the single Standard that is to hold up the fore Hopper in the treble Drill, and in this to guide the Wheels also, instead of Wreaths, that in the treble Drill are put on the Spindle bearing against the Insides of the double Standards; for in this the Shares being but Ten Inches asunder, and at such a Distance from each of the Wheels, that neither of them doth by rising lift up a Share perceptibly; but if the Shares were wide asunder, or there were more of them reaching nearer to the Ends of the Plank, a Wheel might rise up, and lift a Share out of the Ground, if guided by the single Standard and Hopper, as in this. The single Standard is shewn in Plate 4. Fig. 10. but this has no Fork at its Bottom, as that has. This has only a single Tenon, and is shouldered before, behind, and on each Side, to hold it the more firm and steady, when tightly pinned down by Two Pins underneath the Plank. The Dimensions of this Standard are the same with those of the other; but the Shoulders must not increase the Thickness of the Standard any higher than the Tops of the Funnels.

The Four other square Holes, viz. f with another behind it, and g with one before it, are for the double Standards, which are to be well shouldered, or braced on the Side of each that is next to the End of the Plank, and on the Outside. There is no need of Shoulder or Brace on the Sides where the Spindle is placed, or on the Side next to the Middle of the Plank.

The Four round Holes h i k l are those thro’ which the Four Pins pass that hold on the Limbers, and the Piece A, in Fig. 2. and the other of the same Sort in Fig. 4.

Fig. 2. and 4. shew how the Harrow’s Leg B is held to the Piece A, by the Pin C. The Letters a b shew the Holes through which the Pins do pass to screw the Piece A up to the Plank, and the Limbers for guiding the Harrow. This Piece A is somewhat longer than the Breadth of the Plank; it is about Two Inches thick, and Two and an half in Depth. The Pin Fig. 3. goes through this Piece near the Bottom of its fore End, whereby the Harrow tines have the more room to rise up, without being held down by the Legs pressing against the Plank.

Fig. 3. is the Pin C, of Fig. 2. a is its Head, b its round Part, whereon the Harrow moves; c is its square Part, that prevents its turning, which by the Motion of the Harrow would unscrew the Nut d, and cause it to come off of the Screw e, and be lost.

The Harrow is also shewn in Fig. 1. as it is guided by the Pieces before described: B is its Head, that holds the Tines D D, drawn by the Legs C C. Tho’ these Legs in Plano seem in their Middle to crook sideways, yet when out of Perspective, their Middles crook only downwards; which is to give the greater Length to the Tines, and the more room for them to move up.

Fig. 5. is the Spindle in Three Parts. A is the middle Part, wherein are the Notches b b. This is best to be of Oak, or some other hard Wood, in which the Edges of the Notches are less apt to wear than in softer Wood; but I have had a Set that have lasted the Drilling of 120 Acres, when made of Ash. B and C are the Two other Parts: D and E are their Ends, whereon the Wheels are put. The Holes h h h h, and the same in the other End under the Letter E, are for setting the Wheels at different Distances, in order for making new Notches, or for different-sized Ridges: The Wheels are held in their Places by long Nails put through some of these Holes, and clenched upon the Iron Stock-bonds to prevent their falling out. These Ends B and C need not be cut to a Square; except just enough to prevent the Wheels from turning on the Spindle.

These Three Parts are grafted together by Help of the hollow Cylinder Fig. 6. which, being put on upon the Joint f, of the Spindle Fig. 5. holds the Parts A and B together by the Two Pins a a, passing through the Cylinder near its Ends, and through the Holes k and g.

This Joint may be in another manner; viz. One Part of the Spindle may enter into the other by cutting it to a square Peg of an Inch long, and ³⁄₄ths Diameter, entering an Hole that fits it, at the End of the other Part.

These Pins will be best to have Screws at their Ends with Nuts to them; and then they need not be so tight in the Holes, and may be the more easily taken out, when the Part B is to be taken off for avoiding Obstructions in drilling an outside Ridge.

The Cylinder is a Foot long, and about half an Inch thick, bound with an Iron Ferrel at each End; and if there were another in the Middle, it might be the stronger.

Place the Cylinder on the Outside of the Spindle, the Joint f being exactly against the Middle of the Cylinder; and mark at each End of it, in order to see when it is in its right Place; and after it is put on and pinned, mark likewise on the Spindle the exact Places of the Holes, for the more easy finding them every Time the Cylinder is put on.

Another Cylinder must be on the Joint c, held together by Pins passing thro’ the Holes i and d, in the same manner, and for the same Purpose, as the other Joint already described.

The Spindle ought to be of equal Diameter with the Bore of the Seed-boxes, thro’ which it is to pass; but this I find, needs not be quite an Inch and ³⁄₄ths; it may want an 8th of it, even in this long Spindle.

Fig. 7. is one of the Pins which hold the Cylinder in its Place, as has been said; a is its Head; b the Stalk, which would be better to be a Screw at its lower End, whereon to screw a Nut; but then the Stalk must be square at the Head.

Fig. 8. is a Sheat with its Trunk and Share of the Drill-plough, which has been described in Plates 4. and 5. but the Shape of the Share, as it rises at the Socket, is more plainly seen in this Figure.

Fig. 9. is the whole Wheat-drill, which at present I use for planting the double Row. A is the Hopper, rising and sinking on the single Standard B, which holds it up. C is the thing like the Carrier of a Latch, described by Fig. 22. in Plate 4. I need say no more for describing this Drill, than to shew how it differs from that described in Plate 4. viz. This Hopper has Two of these Carriers, the one near its Top, like the other; and another near its Bottom, which keeps the Plough from rising at either End, without the rising of either End of the Hopper, which is no Inconvenience here; because the Two Shares, being but Ten Inches asunder, are almost the same as one; so that at the Distance the Wheels stand from each other, the rising of one Wheel doth not lift up the Share that is next to it perceptibly; as it would do if the Shares were farther asunder, or the Wheels nearer together.

This Hopper holds twice as much Seed as the single fore Hopper did, viz. half a Bushel; and is divided into Two equal Parts by the Partition e, whereby the Driller sees whether the Seed is discharged equally; and if he perceives that one Part of the Hopper runs out faster than the other, he must adjust them by the Setting-screws.