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AGRICULTURAL

In the United States the maize or Indian-corn crop1 exceeds all others in value, and machines used in planting and handling this crop are of great importance. Corn (maize) is sometimes listed or planted in a continuous row like wheat, and for this purpose a machine

MACHINERY

in both directions, so that a cultivator may be driven between them. This work is done by a machine called a check row corn planter, shown in Fig. 15. In using the corn planter, a wire, having buttons attached thereto, at intervals corresponding to the distance between the hills, is first stretched across the field and anchored at its ends. This wire is then placed upon the guide rollers at the side of the machine and passes between the jaws of a forked lever, which is connected at its other end with a rock-shaft passing across the machine and

Fig. 13.—Disk furrower. known as a lister is employed, which is shown in Fig. 14.

Fig. 16.—Check row corn planter.

Fig. 14.—Maize lister. In its general construction this machine is a sulky plough, having a double mould-board, which turns the furrow in both directions. Immediately behind the plough is a sub-soiler for deepening the furrow and penetrating to the moist soil below the surface. A seed-box is mounted on the plough beam, and is provided with a feed-plate operated by a shaft geared to one of the wheels The seed is delivered to the furrow in rear of the sub-soiler and covered by two shovels which turn the soil back into the furrow.

serving to oscillate a feed-plate in the bottom of each seed-hopper. As the buttons on the check-wire strike the forked lever, the latter is drawn to the rear and causes the feed-plate to drop the seed through the tubes into the open space between the plates of the furrowing shoe. The reel at the rear of the machine is used to take up the check-wire as the planter progresses. . In one of the latest corn planters, shown m lig. lo, the check-wire is dispensed with, and the machine is provided with a shaft carrying two reels, the blades of which are at a distance apart equal to the distance between the hills of corn, and thus measure the intervals at which the corn is to be dropped. A rod, extending from the side of the machine, and carrying a small wheel, marks the next row and serves as a guide to the driver.. _ _ Potatoes are also planted by a special machine, which may be seen in Fig. 11 •

Fig. 17.—Potato planter. Fig. 15.—Check row corn planter. It is, however, more common to plant maize in hills, which are spaced equally from each other and form rows 1 In America the word “corn” usually signifies maize, not wheat— as in the United Kingdom—and so throughout this article. As a grain crop maize can only be grown in Europe in the southern parts and in the Danube valley.

The potato planter consists of a frame mounted on wheels, carrying a seed-box and usually a receptacle for fertilizers. The potatoes are fed by a suitable valve-plate into a chamber in which revolves a wheel having at the extremities of its spokes pins which impale the potatoes one by one, and carry them over to the seed tube, through which they fall into the furrow opened for them by a shoe, in the same manner as in the corn planter. An endless