the well-known operation of cutting corn either by the sickle or by the scythe. Reaping by the sickle is by much the most common practice, and that which, we believe, prevails universally in Scotland; yet the other method, where it is practicable, is certainly the least laborious, and by much the most expeditious. To the scythe, as an instrument of reaping, many objections are urged.
It is said that it shakes the ear, so that many of the grains are lost; that it lets the corn fall, after cutting it, in a confused and scattered state, so that either much of it is lost, or a great deal of time is consumed in gathering it together; that it can only be made use of in land which is very even and free from stones; that it does not leave sufficient length of stubble in the ground to lay the corn on when cut; that it mixes bad weeds with the corn, the seeds of which are sown the next year; and, lastly, that the use of the scythe is prejudicial to the health of the reaper.
These objections, however, are either of no weight, or they are made by those who are not acquainted with the scythes which have been adapted to this purpose, and with the proper manner of using them. With a good scythe, properly managed, the corn, after being cut, remains at first upright, and then falls very gently upon the rake fixed to the scythe, without any shake or jerk; or at least with less than that which it receives when reaped with a sickle. With respect to the loss of grain, that proceeds chiefly from the corn being too dry; consequently it should be reaped only upon proper days, and proper times of the day, which is much more easily done with the scythe than with the sickle, because the work is so much shorter. The stalks, kept together by the rake, may be laid upon the ground, or rather against the corn not yet cut, in so regular and collected a state, that those who gather and tie the sheaves, whether they are women or children, have nothing but their own negligence to accuse if anything is left behind. When land is properly ploughed and harrowed, it is sufficiently even; and in such as is stony, the only precaution necessary is to keep the scythe a little higher in using it, that it may not strike against the stones. If the stubble left in the ground be short, the straw which is cut off will be the longer; and the latter is certainly of more value than the former, which only serves to incommode the cattle which afterwards go to feed in the field.
These considerations, and others of a like nature, induced the patriotic society of Milan to send, some years ago, to those parts in which scythes are made use of for reaping; and having procured a model of a scythe from Silefia, they caused one to be made of a proper size. It was first tried upon corn, and afterwards upon millet; and although the first scythe was not accurately made, and the reaper had never before made use of such an instrument, yet it was found that nearly half the usual time was saved, and that the labour and fatigue were much diminished; the corn also was cut without receiving any shock that could be hurtful to it, and fell in an even and regular state, so that it was afterwards easily bound up in compact sheaves. They were afterwards presented with a scythe somewhat different from the Silefian, which is very generally used in Austria.
These instruments are so simple, that the figure of one of them renders the description of either almost unnecessary. In fig. 1, is shewn the Silefian scythe tried by the Society; the difference between that and the Austrian one we shall mention in our description. The first, or Silefian scythe, differs very little from the scythe we commonly use for mowing grass, except that the blade is rather smaller; to it are added four teeth of wood, parallel to the blade, fixed and secured in a proper manner, and intended to keep the corn together after being cut, so that instead of its falling in a confused state, the reaper may lay it down in a regular and compact one. The second, or Austrian scythe, is similar to the former, except that the blade is larger; consequently the wooden teeth, of which there are five, are longer; the handle also is more flat, and rather crooked.
In the first, the handle a b (see fig. 1.) is two Milanese braccia (a), and nine inches and a half in length; the blade \( b e \) is one brafs three inches and a half; the piece of wood in which the teeth are fixed, one brafs one inch and a half. In the second, the handle is two braffes, and seven inches long; the blade, one brafs eleven inches; the piece in which the teeth are fixed, eleven inches and a quarter. The proportions of the other parts may be conceived from the figure.
The difference in the construction of these two scythes makes it requisite to use them in a different manner; but that will be better acquired in practice than by precept. Such of our countrymen as are accustomed to the use of the common scythe will very soon find out the most convenient and advantageous manner of using these new kinds of scythe, and of laying down the corn properly when cut.
It should, however, be observed, that in mowing grass the feet are kept almost parallel to each other, whereas in reaping corn they should be kept upon a line, one behind the other, thrusting the right foot forward, and drawing the left towards it. This is necessary, because when grass is mowed it is left to fall just where it is cut; but when corn is cut, it is to be carried and laid in a proper manner against that which is not yet cut; and which is at the left hand of the reaper; and if the feet were kept parallel to each other, the reaper would be obliged to extend and turn his body in a very inconvenient manner.
After having made public these observations, the society made farther experiments upon the subject; in which it was found, that when, on account of very wet weather, the stalks of the corn are bent down, the wooden teeth of the forementioned scythes are apt to lay hold of some ears, to the stalks of which the iron does not reach, and consequently not being cut below, they are pulled so that the grain is scattered. This happens chiefly when the reapers, not being yet sufficiently accustomed to that kind of scythe, do not know how to adapt it to particular circumstances.
To remedy this inconvenience, it occurred to an ingenious blacksmith to add to the common scythe a gatherer or collector made of cloth, as may be seen at fig. 2, where \( a b c \) is a common scythe; \( c d e f g h \) is the gatherer; which at \( c d e \) is composed of a thin plate of iron, having at its extremity a hollow for receiving the point of the blade. At \( c d \) are holes for sewing in the cloth, which is coarse, light, and of low price; it is also fixed to two thick iron wires, of which the upper one is continued to \( f \), where it terminates in a hole in the handle; the other is fixed to the back of the blade. The manner of fixing this gatherer to the blade of the scythe will be better understood by referring to fig. 3, which represents one of the irons which, by means of a screw, are fastened to the back of the scythe. These irons proceed from, and make part of, the upright irons \( m n o \), which serve to keep the gatherer extended.
This is a very simple and cheap contrivance; but an attempt was made to render it still more simple, by substituting for the gatherer two iron hoops, which are shown in fig. 2, by the dotted lines \( b g k i \), with a cross piece \( p \) which connects them. Experience, however, has shewn, that the gatherer is in general preferable to these hoops, as it does not leave an ear of corn behind.
RECTIFICATION OF ETHER, a process for de-
Suppl. Vol. II. Part I.
priving ether of its sulphureous acid (See Chemistry, Index in this Suppl.) It has been usual to add an alkali for this purpose; but Dizé has found it much more advantageous to add a substance which might afford the requisite quantity of oxygen to convert the sulphureous into the sulphuric acid; in which state it is disposed to rise and come over. Various metallic oxys were tried, among which the black oxyd of manganese proved the best and the cheapest. His process is as follows:
The sulphureous acid contained in unrectified ether being neutralized with oxyd of manganese, the fluid is decanted into a pewter vessel of the capacity of fifty ounces, which is placed on a water bath. To this vessel a head and worm are adapted, the latter of which passes through a refrigeratory constantly supplied with water in a stream from below, which causes the heated water to flow off above. The distillation is then performed by raising the bath to a temperature of 36° (113° Fahrenheit, if the decimal thermometer be here meant). The rectification by this treatment usually requires a day to complete it. The flavour of the ether is of the best kind, and the product about one-sixth more than in the usual method with retort and receiver. Dizé has practised this method with success for three years.—Journal de Physique, April, 1798.