Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 4, 1802).djvu/58

38&#93; 38] SC Y This figure represents the Sile^ sian Scythe, which varies little from that commonly employed for mowing grass : the blade, how- ever, is somewhat smaller, and has four wooden teeth which are fixed parallel to it, with a view to prevent the grain from being scat- tered, when it is cut ; so that the labourer is enabled to lay it on the ground in an even and regular way. a, I, the handle, which is two Milanese brasses and Q inches, or about 4 feet and 4 inches English measure, in length. b, c, represents the blade, being one brass and 3y Milanese inches, or about two feet one inch long, — • The piece of wood, in which the teeth are inserted, is one brass, 1 J inches, or nearly two feet in length. The Austrian scythe greatly re- sembles the instrumept above de- lineated, excepting that the blade is larger, and die number of wooden teeth is increased to five, which are consequently longer. The Patriotic Society of Milan observe in their memoir, that the difference in the construftion of these two implements, will render it necessary to employ each of them in a peculiar manner, which can only be acquired by pr;t£tice. They farther remarjc that, though, in mowing grass, the feet are kept in a direaion nearly parallel to each other, it will be advisable to place them, when corn is reaping, in a line, one behind the other, the right foot being thrust forward, and the left drawn towards it ; be- cause, in the latter case, if they were advanced in a parallel man- ner, the labourer would be obliged to turn and bend his body in a very inconvenient posture. SCY Such of our agricultural readcm as arc accustomed to the use of the common scythe, will easily ascer- tain the most suitable and advan- tageous mode of employing the instrument now described : and, before we complete the history of the new implements, it will not be too great a digression from the subjedt, to mention the manner of reaping wheat in Flanders, by means of a very simple scythe, greatly resembling that above ex- plained by Dr. Templeman ; and a model of which is preserved in the repository of the " Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c." Adelphi, Lpndon, Another ac- count, as well as a representation of this useful tool, was communi- cated to the public by Mr. Adam Walker, in 1788, and inserted in the 91 h volume of Annals of Jgriculture,-where he observes, that com, thick clover, and vetches, are thus cut down with great regularity, and such expedition, as to surpass the sickle^ in iheproportion of three to one. After tl^e above given descrip- tions, and observations, relative tq the Silesian Sa/thc, had been pub- lished, the Milanese Patriotic So- ciety made additional experiments, from which it appeared, that when the stalks of corn are bent dowq in consequence of heavy rains, the wooden teeth are apt to catch some of the ears, to the stalky of which the blade does not ex- tend 3 and thus, not being cut be- low, the ears are pulled down and the grain is scattered. This acci- dent happens principally, when the labourers, not being sufficiently- acquainted with the use of the scythe, are unable to adapt it to particular circumstances. To rpraedy these inconvenien- eies.