Chapter XVI: Preface (16)

When the Wheels are put on till they reach near to the Wreaths, they will stand with their Rings, or Circles, Two Feet Three Inches asunder.

We set them as near together as conveniently we can; because when they are too wide, they are apt to draw the Plough towards one Side of the Ridge; and sometimes, when the Ridge is high, the Hopper might bear upon the Funnels; and then the Wheels, being carried above the Ground, would not turn to bring out the Seed: And that these Wheels may come the nearer together, their Spokes are set almost perpendicular; so that the Wheels are not concave, as other Wheels are. This Hopper is shewn, put on upon its Standards, in its Place, in _Fig._ 21. where the mentioned Bar D, which holds the Hopper together at Top, is seen, as also the Four Wreaths, and likewise the hinder End of the Seed-boxes standing over the Funnels, with their Trunks underneath them. Here also the back Part of the fore Hopper is seen, with its Seed-box standing over the fore Funnel: Its Mouth also is seen at A; as also the Top of its fore Side held up by the thing (_Fig._ 22.) like the Carrier of a Latch, with the Nails in it, which fasten it to the Top of the fore Side of the Hopper, and give room for either of its Wheels to rise.

This fore Hopper may easily be described by the Figure of a Box, like the other already described, at its Ends, which are of the same Shape with the Inside of the Box, _Fig._ 12. but much lower, being Seven Inches and an half deep, and Sixteen Inches long; and the Breadth of its Bottom is determined by the Length of the Seed-box, and a little wider at Top, on account of the Bevel which poises it: It carries no more Seed than one End of the hinder Hopper; but it is capable of holding more; but we do not fill it quite, lest some of the Seed should fly over in jolting, its Mouth being so much longer than the other.

This Hopper is kept in its Place, from moving end-ways upon the Spindle, by a Wreath fixed to the Spindle at each End of the Box, in the same manner as has been described for holding the other Hopper. The Wreaths most proper for this Purpose are the Sort described in _Fig._ 17. but the other Sort described in _Fig._ 16. and even made with Wood, will suffice; but then we must take care to make the Hole at the End of the Hopper of a considerable Thickness, that it may not wear the Spindle, which, by reason of its great Length, is the more liable to bend, and be cut by the Edges of the Holes; which Cutting cannot be prevented but by the Thickness of the Holes, or by such Wreaths as that of _Fig._ 17.

We sometimes make this Hopper exactly like a common Box, without any Part of its Ends descending below the Bottom; and, in that Case, we place a narrower Piece of Board at each End of the Hopper, like that of _Fig._ 23. in which Figure, the Hole A being put on upon the Spindle, the Piece of Board is fastened on by a Screw and Nut thro’ the Hole B, near the Top of the End of the Hopper, and by another Screw and Nut thro’ the Hole C, near the Bottom of the Hopper. Another such a Piece of Board, fixed on in the same manner to the opposite End of the Hopper, holds this long Hopper parallel to its Spindle, that passes thro’ the Holes of these Two Pieces, and thro’ the Brass Seed-box, which is fixed up to the Bottom, in the Middle betwixt them.

There are Two Methods for letting the Seed pass from a long Hopper into the Seed-box. The first is that of cutting the Hole through its Bottom, in the manner that has been shewn in _Fig._ 14. The other is that which cannot be used in a Hopper so short as the Boxes of our hinder Hoppers are; but in the fore Hopper, or any other long Hopper, we can place the Brass Seed-box to a Bottom made for the Purpose, like that in _Fig._ 24. where there is a Piece of Board on the fore Part of the Hopper from End to End, as _a b_, and another on the hinder Part of the Hopper, as _c d_. Then the fore Part of the Brass Seed-box, being placed under the Piece _a b_, is screwed up to it at _e_, and the hinder Part of the Seed-box under _c d_ screwed up to it at _f_; then the Bottom of the Hopper, being open in the Middle, is shut by very thin Boards, _g_ and _h_, fixed up to the mentioned Pieces: These Boards having their upper Surface even with the upper Edges of the Brass Box, the Seed can no way arch in coming into the Mortise of the Seed-box. Whichever of these Two Methods be made use of, in a long Hopper, the Bottom must be fixed to the Two Sides, by small Bars of Wood of about Three quarters of an Inch square, to which the Bottom and Sides are fastened by Nails, in the manner that the Ends and Sides of the hinder Hoppers are fastened to their Posts, which stand in their Corners.

We take the same Method for cutting the Notches in this Spindle, as has been described for cutting the Notches in the other Spindle.

But observe, That the great Length of this Spindle requires it to be the larger; and we make it of an Inch and Three quarters Diameter, the other being only an Inch and an half: We therefore bore the great Hole or Cylinder of its Brass Seed-box a quarter of an Inch in Diameter larger than of the Brass Seed-boxes of the hinder Hoppers; and we commonly make a Notch more in the Circumference of this Spindle, because the Semidiameters of its Wheels must be as much greater than of the hinder Wheels, as is the Thickness of the Plank, and the Ends of the Limbers which are betwixt this Spindle and the upper Surface of the Two Beams.

We make all our Spindles of clear-quarter’d Ash, without Knots or Crooks; and when they are well dry’d, and made perfectly round, and of equal Diameter from one End to the other, by the Prong-maker, we pay a Peny _per_ Foot for them at the first Hand, and they will now-and-then have something more for the largest Size; but we are only curious to have the middle Part of this long Spindle exact; for we graft on a Piece at each End, which does not require any Exactness: The Graftings are seen at _a a_ at one End, and _b b_ at the other End of the Spindle (in this _Fig._ 21.) by Four flattish Iron Rings driven on upon the grafted Parts, as they appear under those Letters in the Middle. Between each Pair of these Rings, we drive a small Iron Pin thro’ the Joints at _c_ and at _d_, to keep the Grafts from separating end-ways; and if they are not tight enough, we make them so, by Wedges driven in betwixt them and the Spindle.

This fore Hopper is drawn by the Spindle, and the Spindle is drawn by the Two double Standards B and C, betwixt whose Forks it is placed, as appears in this Figure; the Distance between each Fork, or double Standard, being exactly the Diameter of the Spindle, so that the Spindle may have just room to rise and sink there, and no more.

The Hopper and Spindle are guided, or kept in their Place, from moving end-ways, by Two Wreaths screw’d on to the Spindle, the one at _e_, and the other at _f_; each of which Wreaths, bearing against the Surfaces of both the Legs of each double Standard, on the Sides next to the Hopper, prevent the Spindle and Hopper from moving towards either End; and yet admit the Wheels, or either of them, to rise and sink without raising either Side of the Plough, contrary to what would happen, if the Wreaths were placed on the Outsides of the Standards next to the Wheels.

We make these Wreaths a little different from the other Sort of Wreaths, which turn against the Holes; we make them of a greater Diameter, lest they should at any time get in betwixt the Legs of the double Standards, in case the Standards should be loose, or bend: Therefore we make the Diameter of each of these Wreaths, at least, Two Inches and Three quarters: We always make them of Wood, and of a peculiar Shape, taking off their Edges next the Standards, which Edges would be an Impediment to the Rising of one End of the Spindle without the other. So that, for making these Wreaths, we may form a Piece of Wood of the Shape of a Skittle-bowl (or an oblate Spheroid) having an Inch and Three-quarter Hole bor’d thro’ its Middle, and then cut by its Diameter (which is about Three Inches) in Two Halves, each of which will be one of these Wreaths; and they must be placed on the Spindle, with their convex Sides bearing against their respective Standards.

The Diameter of the fore Wheels is about Thirty Inches, as the Diameter of the hinder Wheels is about Twenty-two.

The fore Spindle should be of such a Length, that its square Ends, E and F, may come out Three or Four Inches farther than the Hubs (or Stocks) of the Wheels; so that there may be room to shift the Wheels towards either End, for making several Sets of Notches, for the Use of the Seed-box.

Observe, Tho’ the fore Hopper is drawn by its Spindle, yet the hinder Spindle is drawn by its Hopper.

The Reason of this great Distance between the Two fore Wheels is not so much for their serving as Marking Wheels to this particular Drill; which being drawn only upon a Ridge, its Top is a sufficient Direction for leading the Horse to keep the Rows parallel to one another, if the Ridges are so; but if the Wheels were much nearer together than they are, and yet more than Six Feet asunder, the Wheels going on the Sides of the next Ridges would be apt to turn the Drill out of the Horse-path towards one Side, not permitting the Drill to follow directly after the Horse; and if the Wheels should stand at Six or Seven Feet Distance from one another, then they must go in the Furrows which are on each Side of the Six-feet Ridge: This would occasion their Hopper to bear upon the Plank, which would carry the Wheels above the Ground, and no Seed would be turned out of the Hopper, unless the Wheels were of an extraordinary Height[268]; and the Height requir’d for them would be very uncertain, some Furrows being much deeper than others; but the Tops of contiguous Ridges are generally of an equal Height, whether the Furrows betwixt them be deep or shallow; for we seldom make Ridges of an unequal Height in the same Field: Therefore there can be no need to change the Height of our Wheels, that are to go upon the Middle of the Ridges; but if they went in the Furrows they must be of a different Height when used for drilling of high Ridges, from what would be required when used for drilling low Ridges.

[268] Notwithstanding the Reasons given, and that I have never used
Wheels of such an Height as might be necessary for going in the
Furrows, yet it may not be amiss to try such; because with them the
Spindle needeth not to be more than half the Length of one that is
carried by low Wheels: And high Wheels will allow the Funnel to be
much larger, so that altho’ the Spindle go higher from it, no Seed
will drop beside a large Funnel; but there is not room for a large
one under low Wheels.

I did not think it necessary to describe the Manner of making
Drill-wheels any otherways than by shewing them in the _Plates_;
but I will observe here, that they are to be made very light: One
of mine, that is 30 Inches high, weighs Five Pounds and an half; it
has a Circle or Ring of Iron, whose Depth is half an Inch, and its
Thickness a quarter of an Inch; also very thin Iron Stock-bands to
hold the Nave or Stock from splitting. The Circle is held on the
Spokes by small flat Iron Pins on each Side; and each Spoke has a
Ring of Iron to secure its End from being split by driving in of the
Pins. We also make the Drill-wheels less concave than other Wheels
are.

One Reason why the hinder Shares are shorter than the fore Share (and consequently the fore Part of their Sheats less oblique) is, that they may be set the nearer to the Plank; and I have had a Drill with Five Shares in the Plank, Fourteen Inches asunder, and Four of these hinder Sheats following in another Rank, whose Shares were less than Three Inches long; so that their Beams were set so far forwards, that one Hopper (by a Contrivance that carried the Seed forwards to the fore Rank, and backwards to the other Rank) supply’d the Seed to both Ranks of Trunks, and planted St. Foin in Rows Seven Inches asunder, when the Ground was too rough to be planted with Rows at that Distance by one Rank of Shares.

It may be objected, that the fore Part of these hinder Sheats might not be oblique enough to raise up the Strings of Roots or Stubble, which might come across them in their Way; but this Inconvenience is remedied by the greater Obliquity of the fore Sheat (or Sheats), which clears the Way for the hinder Sheats, by raising out of the Ground such Strings, _&c._ which might annoy them; especially, in this Wheat-drill, where the fore Share so clears the way of the hinder Shares, that they can take hold of no String in the Ground, except of the Ends of such which the fore Share has loosen’d; and they hanging faster in the Ground by their other Ends, the hinder Shares slip by them without taking hold of them; and the Harrow-tines, going after so near to the Chanels of the hinder Sheats, by the same means escape also from hanging in such Strings.

The Reasons for placing the One Share and One Hopper before, and the Two behind, in this Wheat-drill, are so many, and so obvious, that it would be but losing of Time to mention them.

The Limbers G and H, we make of Aspen, Poplar, or Willow, for Lightness; we make them as small and light as we can, allowing them convenient Strength; and the shorter they are, the more exactly the Drill will follow the Horse, without the Hand of him, that follows the Drill, whose chief Business is, with the Paddle to keep all the Shares and Tines from being clogged up by the Dirt sticking to them, and also to observe whether the Seed be delivered equally and justly to all the Chanels.

These Limbers should approach so near together at their fore Parts, near the Chain, that there may be none or very little room betwixt the Limbers and the Horse; and therefore must be nearer together for a very little Horse than for a great one: The Horse, which I have used in all my Drills for these many Years past, is a little one, about Thirteen Hands high; and the fore Part of my Drill-limbers are Twenty Inches wide asunder at the Chain.

At _g_ on the Outside of the Limber G, is a small Staple driven in, having one Link on it, which holds a small Hook, which, taking hold of different Links of the very small Chain I, raises or sinks the fore Part of the Plough to different Heights. But take care to set it at such a Degree, that the fore and hinder Share may go equally deep in the Ground; and when they do so, the fore Part of the Limbers ought to be higher than the Traces which draw them.

At _h_ in the Limber H, is driven another Staple, which holds the other End of the Chain; or else, instead of a Chain, we may make use of a Piece of Cord, one End of which put thro’ this Staple, and ty’d to the Limber, and a Piece of Chain of half a dozen Links, fasten’d to the other End of such a Cord, will serve as well as a whole Chain, for raising and sinking the Limbers.

He who can by these Directions make this Wheat-drill, may very easily make any other Sort of Drill, for planting any Sort of Corn, or other Seeds that are near about the Bigness of Seeds of Corn: He may make it with a single Row of Sheats, by placing as many of these fore Sheats as he pleases in the Plank, which maybe longer or shorter, as he thinks fit; and he may add a Beam betwixt every Two of them, with a Sheat in it, like these hinder Sheats; and then the Drill will be double, having Two Ranks of Shares. But I must advise him never to make a Drill with more Shares than will be contain’d in Four Feet Breadth, that is, from the outermost on the right Hand, to the outermost on the left Hand; for should the Drill be broader, some of the Shares might pass over hollow Places of the Ground without reaching them, and then the Seed falling on the Ground would be uncover’d in such low Places.

To a Drill that plants upon the Level, Marking-wheels are necessary, to the End that every Row may be at its due Distance: As in a Drill with Five Shares, for planting Rows Eight Inches asunder, Four of the Five cannot err, because Four equal Spaces are included betwixt the Five Shares; but the Fifth (which we call the parting Space) being on the Outside unconfin’d, would scarce ever be equal, were it not kept equal by the Help of the Marking-wheels. The Rule for setting of these is thus: We compute altogether the Five Spaces belonging to the Five Rows; which being in all Forty Inches, we set the Marking-wheels Eighty Inches asunder, that is, double the Distance of all the Spaces, each Wheel being equidistant to the Middle of the Drill, which Middle being exactly over the Horse-path, when the Drill is turn’d, the Horse goes back upon the Track of one of these Wheels, making his Path exactly Forty Inches distant from his last Path: By this means also the Rows of the whole Field may be kept equidistant, and parallel to one another; so that it would be difficult for an Eye to distinguish the parting Rows from the rest.

But when Two different Sorts of Seed are planted, suppose a Row of St. Foin betwixt every Row of Barley, the Rows of which being Eight Inches asunder, and the Barley drill’d by the fore Hopper into the Chanels made by the five Shares, and the St. Foin drill’d from the hinder Hopper into the Chanels made by Six Shares, the Marking-wheels must be at no greater Distance than those above-mention’d, where there are only Five Shares; because one of the Six, which are for the St. Foin, must always return in the same Chanel, going twice therein; for One Row of Barley would be missing, in case the parting Space should be made by this Sixth Share; and that parting Space would have no Barley in it. Therefore it is a Rule, that whensoever Two Sorts of Seeds are drill’d, the Rows of one Sort betwixt the Rows of the other there must be an odd Share in the Drill, which must go twice in one Chanel, and the Distance of the Marking-wheels must be accounted from that Rank of Shares which are the fewest: It must also be contriv’d in this Case, that each outermost Seed-box must deliver but half the Quantity of Seed that each of the inner Seed-boxes do; because the outer ones going twice in a Place, their Chanels would otherwise have a Quantity of Seed double to the rest.

In a Drill that has Two Spindles, we place the Marking-wheels on the foremost, which upon their Account is the longest; but if we should use the Wheels of the hinder Spindle as Marking-wheels, then that must be the longest, and so the fore Wheels (their Semidiameters being much longer than the Semidiameters of the hinder Wheels, and their Spindles shorter) would strike against the hinder Spindle, unless it were set farther back than is convenient.

When Ground is harrow’d the last time before it is to be drill’d, we contrive that the Harrows may not go directly towards the same Point that the Drill is to go, lest the Track of the Marking-wheel should be exactly parallel with the Track of the Harrow-tines, which might make it difficult to distinguish the Track of the Wheel from that of the Harrow-tine.

He that has not a great Quantity of Ground to plant with St. Foin, and does not plant it betwixt Rows of Corn, will have occasion for no other Drill than this Wheat-drill, describ’d in _Fig._ 21. He may plant his Rows at Fifteen Inches asunder, by the hinder Hopper, and its Shares, without removing them, the fore Hopper being taken off; or else you may plant Three Rows at Sixteen Inches asunder, by setting the Beams, and their Seed-boxes and Hoppers, at Thirty-two Inches asunder instead of Fifteen, equidistant from the fore Share: and then the Marking-wheels, which are those of the fore Spindle, must be Eight Feet asunder; to wit, double to the Spaces of the Three Shares, which are Three times Sixteen Inches (or Four Feet); or you may set the Two hinder Beams, _&c._ at what Distance you please, setting the Marking-wheels to correspond with them; but then the Harrow must be alter’d, and both its Legs and Tines must change their Places in the Head, the Legs for guiding it exactly, and the Tines to follow in all the Three Rows, which will require a third Tine to be added in the Middle, between the other Two. But without any other Alteration than that of taking off the fore Hopper, and that of lessening the Seed-passages of the hinder Hopper by the Setting-screws; my Man planted me several Acres of St. Foin with my Wheat-drill Two Years ago, the Rows being all Fourteen Inches asunder: It is now an extraordinary good Crop.

In case the Shares, being only Three, should in fine Ground go so deep as to endanger the Burying of the Seed, the best Remedy to prevent this fatal Misfortune is, to place a triangular Piece of Wood, like those in _Figures_ 25. and 26. the first of which shews one Side thereof, with the Nail by which it is to be nail’d into the lower Part of the Trunk, with, its most acute Angle uppermost; the other in _Fig._ 26. shews the same, and its Back-side _a b_, that is to be nail’d to the Back of the Shear, being of the same Breadth with it; its Bottom _b c_ being the Breadth of the Plates, on their Inside, the Angle _c_ coming out backwards, just as far as the Plates: The Depth of this Piece from _a_ to _c_ is uncertain, because the Plates of some Trunks are broader than of others. The Use of this Piece is, to fill up the lower Part of the Trunk; so that the Seed, dropping upon the oblique Side of this Piece of Wood, may by it be turn’d into the Chanel, after so much Mould is fallen in it, as will sufficiently lessen its Depth, whereby the Danger of burying the Seed is avoided: And such a Piece of Wood placed into each Trunk, I think, is preferable to Ground-wrists, which are commonly used for this Purpose; because the Ground-wrists leave the Chanels too wide and open.

But when only the Two hinder Sheats are used for St. Foin, we can make their Chanels the shallower, by sinking the Limbers by their Chain, so much as that, the Plough bearing most upon the fore Share, the hinder Shares will go the shallower.

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.

_Page. 378_

_B. Cole Sculps._]

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.

_Fig._ 14. shews the Carriage laid open. A is its back Side lying down. B is its fore Side standing up. C is the square End of the left (false) Spindle, whereon a Wheel is to be put up to the Shoulders of the Spindle, quite close to the Ends of the Carriage. This Spindle, being an Inch and an half Diameter, is held in its Place, and kept from moving end-ways, by Two Wreaths; the one at _a_, bearing against the Inside of the End of the Carriage, the other Wreath at _b_, bearing against the left Side of the middle Piece; which Wreath keeps the Spindle from moving towards the right Hand, as the other does from moving towards the left. D is the square End of the other wooden Spindle, whereon a Wheel must be placed in the same manner as the other Wheel. This Spindle is kept from moving end-ways by Two Wreaths, in the same manner as the other Spindle is; but this right-hand Spindle, being that which turns the Brass Spindle by its Crank, which enters the Fork, should have its Wreaths of Brass, like those describ’d in _Fig._ 17. _Plate_ 4. Part of which Wreaths entering about Three quarters of an Inch into the Hole of the End and middle Part of the Carriage, being firmly screw’d on to the Spindle, prevent the Friction that would otherwise be betwixt the Wood of the Spindle, and the Wood of the Holes; which Friction wearing the Wood of both, would in time cause the Spindle to be loose in its Holes, whereby its Axis would deviate from the strait Line it should make with the Axis of the Brass Spindle, and make an Angle with it; and then the Crank would change its Place in the Fork at every Revolution of the Wheels; and if the Hole should be worn very wide, and the Spindle worn much less, the Crank might let go the Fork; but when the Wood is of this Thickness, and each Hole has Wood in it, with its Grains pointing different ways, it would be many Years before the Holes would become large enough for this to happen, tho’ only wooden Wreaths were used; and as to the Two Wreaths of the left Spindle, they may be of Wood, because tho’ that Spindle should grow loose, it is no Damage; for it only serves to bear up that End of the Carriage; but he that has this Sort of Brass Wreaths for the hinder Hopper of a Wheat-drill, may take them thence, and place them upon these Spindles, and remove them again to the Wheat-drill when that is used; for that and the Turnep-drill are very rarely, or never, used at the same time.

E is the Iron Crank, plac’d into the false Spindle, in the manner shewn at H in _Fig._ 5. of _Plate_ 2. for turning the Brass Spindle by its Fork; but take care that the End of this wooden Spindle do not approach nearer to the End of the Brass Spindle than the Distance of half an Inch, left, if the inner Wreath should grow loose, the wooden Spindle might bear so hard against the Brass one, as to wrench the Seed-box down from the Wood, and then the Seed might run out betwixt the Seed-box and the Bottom to which it is screw’d.