Part 34

Of this Plough, _Fig._ 1. the Two hinder Funnels E and F differ from the fore Funnel (which has been described), first, in Dimensions; these not being so deep, because they being made in the very Beams, their upper Edges are in the upper Surface of the Beams, and their Holes at the Bottom, being about the Eighth of an Inch deep. The Depth of the Funnels must want the Eighth of an Inch of the Thickness of the Beams; but we make each Funnel an Inch and a quarter broader at Top than its Beam, by adding a Piece of Wood to each Side of its Beam, which reaches down about half-way its Thickness; and these Pieces being firmly fix’d on by Nails, to the Sides of each Beam, the Legs of the Harrow take hold of these Pieces, which are in the Inside of these Beams. When the Plough is taken up to be turn’d, the Man who turns it takes hold of the Head of the Harrow with one Hand, and lays the other upon the Hopper, or Spindle, to keep it level, and to prevent either of the fore Wheels from striking against the Ground, whilst the Plough is turning round.

Another Difference there is between the Shape of these hinder Funnels from that of the former, to wit, That each fore Side of the hinder Trunks must not be quite so oblique as the rest; because then the upper Edge of these fore Sides might be too near the Tenons of the Sheats, and there might not be sufficient Wood betwixt them, to prevent the Sheats from being torn out; a thing which has never happen’d, that I know of. We sometimes make these hinder Funnels of a roundish Shape, like a Cone inverted; except that the Part which is next the Sheat, is not so oblique as the rest, for the Reason already given.

The only Advantage proposed by this roundish Shape is, that there is less Wood taken out than from the square Corners, and therefore more Wood for the added Pieces to be fastened to the Beams, than, in the square Funnels.

M and N are Two Pieces of Wood, each Eleven Inches long, Two Inches broad, and Two Inches thick: These are screw’d on near each End of the Plank, by Two Screws and Nuts each: They stand parallel to the other Beams, and have each a double Standard or Fork, O and P, in them, perpendicular to the Plank; by which Standards the fore Hopper is drawn and guided, in the manner as is seen in _Fig._ 21.

These Standards ought to be braced (or spurr’d) before and behind, and on their Outsides; they never being press’d inwards, have no occasion of Braces there: These are to be so placed, that when the Spindle is in their Forks, it may be exactly over the Hole of the Funnel, so that the Seed may drop into the Middle of it, when the Plough stands upon an horizontal Surface, the Spindle being also exactly parallel to the fore Edge of the Plank.

_Fig._ 10. is D in the Plough _Fig._ 1. It is Two Feet long, Two Inches broad in its narrowest Part, and half an Inch thick in the thinnest Part, and Two Inches at its Shoulders above the Plank. It is pinn’d thro’ the Plank before the Funnel, having one of its Legs on each Side the Tenon of the Sheat: It stands perpendicular to the Plank: Its only Use is to hold the fore Hopper from turning upon the Spindle, being put thro’ a thing (_Fig._ 22.) like the Carrier of a Latch, nail’d onto the upper Part of the fore Side of the fore Hopper, in which thing this Standard has room to play, or move side-ways, to the end that either Wheel may rise up.

_Fig._ 11. is one of the hinder Standards, which being placed in the Beam, as G or H, perpendicular to it, is driven into a Mortise, and pinn’d into the Beam. It has a Shoulder behind, and another before, and a Third on its Outside; which Shoulders serve instead of Braces, to keep it from moving backwards, forwards, or outwards: It is Two Feet Four Inches long, Two Inches broad, and an Inch thick: It is placed with its broad or flat Sides towards the Sides of the Beams. It is made so thin, because it should have the more room for the Hopper to play on it; and therefore must have its Strength in its Breadth. The Part at _a_ must stand foremost.

The Standards G and H are both alike, except as they are opposite: Their Use is to draw, guide, and hold up the hinder Hopper: They are to be placed perpendicular to the Beams, and at equal Distance from each Side of those Beams, and at such a Distance before the Funnels, that when the fore Side of the Hopper by its whole Length bears against the hinder Surface of the Standards, the Seed may drop into the Middle of both Funnels, the Plough standing upon an horizontal Surface.

Be sure to take care, that the Sheats, Funnels, and Standards, be so placed, that the Spindle of the Hopper may be at right Angles with the Beams.

Q and R Part of the Limbers, which are also called Shafts, Sharps, and Thills; from whence the Horse that goes in them is call’d a Thiller. These Limbers are screw’d down to the Plank, by Two Screws and Nuts each. The Limbers are kept at their due Distance by the Bar S; near each End of which Bar, there is a Staple with a Crook underneath each Limber, to which is hitch’d, or fastened, a Link of each Trace, for drawing the Plough. This Bar is parallel to the Plank, and Seven Inches and an half before its fore Edge.

The Limbers must be mounted higher or lower at their fore Ends, according to the Height of the Horse that draws in them; and this may be done by the Screws that hold them to the Plank, and by cutting away the Wood at the Two hinder Screws, or at the Two foremost Screws, or by Wedges.

Every Workman knows how to team the Limbers; that is, to place them so on the Plank, that the Path of the Horse, which goes in the Middle betwixt them, may be parallel to all the Shares, and so that a Line, drawn in the Middle of this Path, might fall into a strait Line with the fore Share, standing on the same even Surface with the Path; for otherwise the Plough will not follow directly after the Horse, but will incline to one Side.

The Use of the Trunks of this Plough is for makeing the Chanels narrow, of whatsoever Depth they are: But, without Trunks, the Chanels must be made wide by Ground-wrists, which spread the Sides of the Chanels wide asunder, to the end that they may lie open for receiving of the Seed; and the deeper they are, the wider they must be: By this Width of a Chanel, the Seed in it is with more Difficulty cover’d, and the Chanel fill’d with the largest Clods, and the Seed comes up of a great Breadth, perhaps Three or Four Inches wide, so that the Weeds coming therein are hard to be gotten out.

To avoid these Inconveniences of wide Chanels, I contrived Trunks like those described, except that they were but Five or Six Inches high; and the Tops of their Plates, bending outwards from each other, form’d Two Sides of a Funnel; and the Wood between the Two Plates, being cut bevel at the Top, was as the fore Side of a Funnel to this Trunk: It was open behind from Top to Bottom: The Wheels were low, and the Seed-boxes narrow: The Seed in these Chanels was easily cover’d, especially those Sorts which were sown in dry Weather; for then the finest Mould would run in, and cover the Seed, as soon as the Trunks were past it.

The Seed in such a narrow Chanel comes up in a Line, where the Row not being above a Quarter of an Inch broad, scarce any Weeds come in it; and when the Weather is dry, the Earth of the Chanel not lying open to be dry’d, the Seed comes up the sooner.

I had Two Reasons for making of these Trunks higher, as they are now used: The one was, to avoid the too great Length of the Shares; and my other Reason was, that with those low Trunks, and long Shares, there could not be Two Ranks of Shares, and their Hoppers in the Plough, which are necessary for making very narrow Partitions, and absolutely necessary for planting this treble Row of Wheat; for if Three Shares for making the Seven-inch Partitions were placed in one Rank, the Mould (which is always moist or wet, when we plant Wheat) would be driven before the Shares, there not being room for it to pass betwixt them.

_Fig._ 12. is one End of the hinder Hopper laid open. I call it one End (altho’ it be an intire Box by itself) because this Hopper is supposed to have its middle Part cut out, to have a clearer Sight of the Plough, and fore Hopper; as is seen in _Fig._ 15. which is the whole Hopper in Two Parts. In this _Fig._ 12, A is the Inside of one End of the Hopper, made with several Pieces of half-inch Elm-board nail’d on to the Post _c a_, on the fore Side; which Post is a little more than half an Inch square, and Seventeen Inches and Three quarters long, being the Depth of that Part of the Hopper which holds the Seed. B is the fore Side of this Hopper; which must be nail’d on to the said Pod, being of the same Length with it, and Four Inches broad, and half an Inch thick; and this is the Part which on its Outside goes against the right-hand Standard of the Plough, when it is at Work. The other Post _b d_, of the same Thickness with the former, is nail’d in within half an Inch of the opposite Edge of this End; to which Post also C being nail’d, makes the hinder Side of this Part of the Hopper. C is Four Inches broad, and half an Inch thick; and both it, and the Post to which it is to be nail’d, are something longer than its opposite Side, because the Side B makes right Angles with the Top and Bottom of the Hopper; but the hinder Side C makes oblique Angles with the Top and Bottom of the Hopper; and the Reason of this is, because when the Hopper is full of Seed, it may be equally pois’d on the Spindle; which it could not be without this Bevel, unless the Bottom of the Hopper did come as much behind the Spindle as before it; and that would hinder the Person that follows the Drill, from seeing the Seed fall out of the Seed-box into the Funnel; and that Part of the Bottom which is before the Spindle cannot be made shorter, because that Part of the Seed-box which is before the Spindle, is (upon account of its Tongue) much longer than the Part of it which is behind the Spindle. ’Tis true that when the Hopper is empty of Seed, it cannot be thus pois’d; but then, being so light, it does not require it. _e f g h_ is a Piece of a Board, nail’d on to that Part of the End A, which is below the Bottom of the Cavity which holds the Seed, and is commonly plac’d a little cross the Grain of the Board to which it is nail’d, and serves to strengthen it, and keeps the Hole _i_ from splitting. The upper Edge _e f_ of this added Piece of Board is exactly the Length of the Bottom of the Hopper, whereto the Brass Seed-box is fastened; and this Bottom, together with its Seed-box under it, being put into its Place, bears upon this Piece from _e_ to _f_, which holds Up the right Side of the Bottom, and keeps it from sinking downwards; as the lower Ends of the Two mention’d Posts, and the fore and hinder Side B and C nail’d to them, prevent its rising upwards.

The Manner of making the Hole _i_ is as follows: Place the Seed-box with its fore End at _e_, and hinder End at _f_, with the Base of its Cylinder (or great Hole) against this added Piece of Board, and its upper Edge exactly the Height of the Edge _e f_; then, with a Pair of Compasses put thro’ the Cylinder of the Seed-box, mark round the inner Edge of its Base upon the added Board; then take off the Seed-box, and find the Centre of the mark’d Circle; and then with a Tool call’d a Centre-bit, of the right Size, bore the Hole quite thro’ the double Board; and this Hole will be in the right Place, and of the same Diameter with the Spindle; but in case there is to be a Brass Wreath on that Part of the Spindle which is to turn in this Hole, then the Hole must be bor’d of the same Diameter with that Part of the Wreath which is to enter it; and that may be perhaps near a quarter of an Inch longer than the Diameter of the Spindle, upon which it is fastened.

This End A, thus bor’d and shap’d, is a Pattern for its Opposite, and for the other Two Opposites of the other Cavity, which holds the Seed at the other End of the Hopper.

When the Opposite of A (with the Two Posts whereto the fore Side B, and the hinder Side C, are nail’d, and having a like Piece of Board in its lower Part with a like Hole in it) is added, and when the Bottom (Four Inches broad), with its Seed-box under it, is thrust in at f by the prick’d Lines, until it reach _e_, bearing on one Side upon the Piece of Board _e f g h_, and the other Edge of the Bottom bearing in like manner upon the opposite Piece, then this Cavity of the Hopper, which will contain about Two Gallons of Seeds, will be finish’d.

_Note_, The Bottom must make a right Angle with the Two fore Posts, having the Side B perpendicular to it.

D is a Part of the Board which comes out farther than the Hopper, in order to hold a Bar at _k_; which being fastened there, and in like manner to the Opposite of this Board, this Bar bearing against the fore Part of the Standard, the Hopper and its Wheels are in part drawn by it.

Into the Notch _l_ is fastened one End of a long Bar, which passes the whole Length of the Hopper, and holds the upper Part of its Two Cavities in their Places, as is seen mark’d D, in _Fig._ 15.

E is Part of the Board which comes before the Hopper, and whereto one End of a Piece of Wood is fastened by Nails or Screws, which bearing against the fore Part of the Standard, and against its Inside, the Hopper is in part drawn and guided by it, as shall be shewn in _Fig._ 15.

_Fig._ 13. shews the Outside of the Figure last describ’d. A is the Standard by which this End of the Hopper is drawn, in the manner as it is here placed. B is one End of the Spindle passing thro’ the Hopper and Seed-box. C the Bottom, having the Seed-box fastened on to it, with one Screw before, and another behind, with their Nuts underneath, and the Heads of their Screws very thin, and the Pins square at Top, that they may not turn in the Wood; and their Heads must either be let into the Wood, even with the Surface, or else the Sides B C of the Hopper must be cut for these Heads of the Screws to pass in under them.

This bottom Board, which holds the brass Seed-box, is Four Inches broad, and full half an Inch thick, and at each End a quarter of an Inch longer than the Seed-box: This Piece is first thrust in sliding upon the Two added Pieces of Board, until its fore End comes under the fore Side of the Hopper, and its hinder End under the hinder Side; then setting the Hopper with its Bottom upwards, the Spindle being thro’ the Seed-box, and Holes of the Hopper, we hold the Seed-box hard upon the Bottom, at equal Distance from each End of it, whilst the Holes are bored thro’ the Bottom, by the Holes at each End of the Seed-box; and then the Screws, being put thro’, screw on the Box; and when that is done, we make a Mark upon the bottom Board, with the Compasses, on each Side of the Brass Box, beginning from the Ends of the Axis of the Tongue, reaching as far backwards as is the Length of the Mortise: These Two Lines or Marks are a Direction for cutting the Hole in the Bottom of the Hopper, thro’ which the Seed descends into the Seed-box; then we pull out the Spindle, then draw out the Bottom, take off the Seed-box, and cut the Hole in the Bottom in the manner I will now describe in _Fig._ 14. where the Two pricked Lines _a b_ and _c d_ are the lower Edges of the Hole, and the same with the Two Lines mentioned to be marked by the Sides of the Seed-box. The pricked Line _a d_, being at right Angles with the Two former, is the lower Edge of the fore End of the Hole, and exactly over the Axis of the Tongue, and parallel to it. The pricked Line _b c_ is the lower Edge of the hinder End of the Hole, which is just over the hinder End of the Mortise, and parallel and equal to the last-mentioned pricked Line: These Four pricked Lines are the lower Edges of this Hole, contiguous to the Seed-box. The Two Lines _e f_ and _g h_ are the upper Edges of the Sides of the Hole, which, being farther asunder than the lower Edges, make the reverse Bevel of this Hole; which may be determined by this, that the Surface between these Two upper and lower Edges, being Planes, are inclined to one another downwards, in an Angle of about One hundred and Thirty Degrees. The Two Lines _e g_ and _f h_, at right Angles with the Two last-mentioned Lines, make the upper Edges of the Ends of this Hole; and, being nearer together, than the pricked Lines under them, the plane Surfaces, betwixt these Two Lines and those Two pricked Lines, shew the Bevel of the Ends of these, which are inclined to each other upwards in an Angle of about Sixty-five Degrees.

This double Bevel effectually prevents the Seed from arching in the Hole, before it gets into the Mortise of the Seed-box; and also, the Two upper Edges of the Ends of the Hole being nearer together than the lower, there is the more Wood left between these Edges and the Screws, which hold the Box to the Bottom, whereby the Board is less apt to split.

Then the Box being screwed on to the Bottom, and thrust again into its Place, the Spindle, passing thro’ both the Hopper and the Box, keeps the Bottom in its Place: Then D, in _Fig._ 13. is the imaginary Plane of the Top or Mouth of the Hopper, being a rectangled Parallelogram, and parallel to the Bottom, to which the fore End is perpendicular, and a rectangled Parallelogram of the same Breadth.

_Fig._ 15. shews the fore Side of the whole hinder Hopper, with its Two Cavities, and all its Accoutrements, except the Wheels; the Two Ends A and B being exactly alike, having each of them its Seed-box at the Bottom, in the same manner as in the one has been described. The Bar D holds together the upper Parts of this double Hopper at a right Distance, which is, when there is Ten Inches clear room betwixt the Two single ones. The Spindle E, passing thro’ the Whole, holds the Two single Hoppers by Four Wreaths, at the same Distance below, as they are held by the Bar above.

These Four Wreaths are screwed on to the Spindle, to keep it from moving towards either End, as well as to hold the Hoppers in their Places: Two of which Wreaths are seen at _a_ and _b_; and the other Two are placed on the Outsides, as these Two are on the Insides. Before we proceed any farther in this Figure, it will be proper to shew the Wreaths, which are of Two Sorts.

The one in _Fig._ 16. where A is its Hollow, which is circular, and must be of the same Diameter with the Spindle; and, being thrust on upon the Spindle, till it touch the Board, is fastened to the Spindle by a small Screw thro’ each of its opposite Holes, _a b_ shews the Breadth of this Wreath, whether it be made of Brass or Wood: It is little more than half an Inch. _b c d_ is the Part of it that goes against the Board: The Thickness of the Surface of this End which goes against the Board, is a quarter of an Inch, if made with Brass; but if with Wood, half an Inch; but the Thickness of its other End _a e f_ is less than its End _b c d_, by which means the Screws are the more easily turned in.

_Fig._ 17. shews the other Sort of Wreath, which is always made in Brass: Its Cavity is a hollow Cylinder like the former: When it is on the Spindle, its End _a b c_ is thrust into the Hole of the Board (made wider for the Purpose) until _d e f_ come close to the Board, and stop it from entering any farther; then we screw it on to the Spindle by the Holes, as the other Sort of Wreath is described to be screwed.

This is the best Sort of Wreath; because it keeps the Spindle from wearing against the Edges of the Hole, and then the Spindle never has any Friction against the Wood in any Part of it; but the other Sort are more easily made (especially of Wood), and the Spindle will last a great while in them; or if it be worn out, the Expence of Three-pence or Four-pence will purchase a new Spindle.