Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/453

 Popular Science Monthly

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��A Novel Tea-Table Made From a Mill Stone

SINCE farmers now rarely bring their grain to a small local mill to be ground, the old millstones have gradually- settled to the bottom of the rubbish heap. Many have been broken up, but the lovers of antiques are now the ones.

In the illustra- tion is shown an old stone found in a New Hampshire mill. It is now used as the tea- table. Remem- bering the Biblical warning that "on whom it shall fall it will grind into powder," it is set on a stand of rocks which have been firmly cemented together.

Benches or in- dividual seats of stone are appro- priate for use with such a table.

���An old millstone used as a tea-table. The stand is made of rocks cemented together

��A French Inventor Improves the American Harvester

ERNEST BONNET of Nonancourt, France, has made important im- provements in an automotor harvesting machine, which facilitate cleaning and mov- i n g the machine from one place to another. The work- ing parts of this new har- V e s t e r may be complete-

���The working parts of this new harvester may be completely uncoupled. The engine in front drives the whole mechanism

��ly uncoupled. The front tractor is at- tached to a trailer which comprises a harvester, combined with connections for transmitting rotary motion from the motor to the trailer and power-control mechanism on the trailer.

Power is so transmitted that the driver can unclutch the driving wheels for halt- ing the vehicle, without stopping the operation of the working parts. The reverse effect canbeobtained,and the driving wheels can be made to carry the vehicle forward without setting the other mechanism operating.

The traction wheels are hung on vertical pivots with a bridge con- necting them. This bridge carries a dif- ferential gear. A divided axle com- municates move- ment from the dif- ferential to the trac- tion wheel. Uni- versal joints are provided coinciding with the vertical pivots of the wheel. Transmitting mechanism for communi- cating rotation from the motor to the differential gear completes the combina- tion.

Will machines, such as this, shortly be

used on our great Mid -west- ern farm- ing lands? Assuredly tractors, in one form or another are to work great changes in our agri- cultural methods in the very near future.

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