IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CHITTING CORN AND OTHER STANDING CROPS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Me-
chanical Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CHITTING CORN AND OTHER STANDING CROPS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th October 1852.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CORN AND OTHER
STANDING CROPS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the frame of the machine, to the truck by
which it is drawn, to the construction of the cutting apparatus, and a
mode of regulating the height of the cut from the ground, and to the
arrangement of the wheel which carries the outer end of the platform
and drives the cutter, with respect to a scraper for clearing the cut grass
off a track next the standing grass, in such manner that the track
cleared by the scraper during the cutting of one swath shall be run
upon by the driving wheel while the next is being cut.
The frame which carries the cutting apparatus is in the form of a

page_text: triangle, supported horizontally upon a pair of wheels mounted on an
axle carried by the frame; the forward side of the frame, corresponding
to the base of the triangle, constitutes the finger bar, or supports the
same. Two strong bars of iron are firmly attached to and project
beyond the forward part of the triangular frame, for the purpose of
carrying a horizontal rod, which passes through the rear or forked
extremitics of the draft bar, and forms a hinge on which the same turns,
to allow of the frame being adjusted to any required height. The front
extremity of this draught bar is connected to the truck by means of a
king-bolt, which passes through and secures it in the usual manner.
The inner of the iron bars has a long lever rigidly attached to it, which
extends forward to a standard erected upon the platform of the truck,
and a staple on the side of the lever embraces the standard, which has
a vertical row of holes through it, to receive a pin for holding the lever
at any required elevation; the office of this lever is to adjust the
position of the cutter, so that it may cut grain or grass at any required
level. A fence board extends across the frame, parallel to the front
bar, and at a distanco therefrom equal to the length of the longest
stalks to be cut. A second fence board is secured to the swath side of
the frame, to prevent the cut grain from falling over that side of the ma-
chine. The space between the fence board and the front bar of the frame
is fitted with a removeable bottom, or raking platform, which is inserted
when cutting grain or other crops which it is desired to deliver
from the machine in bundles ready to tie into sheaves; as fast as
the grain is cut, it falls back upon this platform, where it is allowed
to accumulate until a sufficient quantity to form a sheaf has been
deposited, when it is swept off by an attendant with a stroke of his
rake. The outer end of this platform or bottom is inclined upwards
and extends over the crank, and beyond the side of the frame and driving
wheel, so that when the raker discharges the grain it will clear the
machine, and be at a sufficient height to drop in a heap, instead of being
scattered, as it would be if pushed off the end of a low platform, which
would allow the lower portion of the bundle to strike the ground before
the upper portion had left the machine; when mowing grass or other
crops which it is desirable to spread over the surface of the ground, the

page_text: platform, or raking bottom of the frame, is removed, and the cut stalks
fall back over the cutter and finger bar directly upon the ground.
Whenever the platform is thus removed, a board or scraper should
be hinged near the inner end of the finger bar in such manner that its
lower edge will drag upon the ground, and be free to rise and fall, to
accommodate itself to the inequalities thereof. This board stands
obliquely to the direction in which the machine is moving. The forward
extremity of the board runs between the standing and cut grass, while
its hinder extremity extends laterally over the ground which the cut
grass occupies, a distance at least equal to the width of the track of the
driving wheel, in order that, like the mould board of a plough, it may,
in moving forward, turn aside the grass, and leave a strip of uncovered
stubble for the driving wheel to run on, instead of running on the cut
grass. A platform is placed upon the the central part of the axle of
the running wheels, for the raker or attendant to stand upon, to perform
his duty.
The motion for actuating the sickle or cutter, is transmitted thereto
from one of the running wheels, through the intervention of suitable
gearing, a crank and connecting rod. The sickle is composed of a
strong straight bar and a series of lozenge-shaped teeth, secured thereto
by rivets or screws, the edges of which are bevelled off, in the manner
of a joiner's chisel, and "sickled:" the teeth are affixed to the lower side
of the sickle bar.
The points and cutting edges of the teeth project beyond the front
and back of the bar, but most on the front side, and thus form a double-
edged cutter, the cutting edges in front of the bar being designed to
cut the stalks of the standing grain or grass, and those behind it being
for the purpose of cutting off wire grass, or other fibrous matters that
get lapped about the cutter bar, or entangled in the fingers, and which
tend so much to retard and clog the operation of the single-edged cutter.
If preferred, the cutter may be made in a single piece, and the teeth
formed by forging, filing, or otherwise, at the option of the constructor.
The sickle or cutter thus formed runs through and acts in concert with
a series of guard fingers, secured to and projecting forward into the
standing grain or grass. To facilitate the rising of the fingers over

page_text: inequalities of the surface of the ground, their front ends turn
upwards. Where the flat side of the teeth of the sickle pass over the
edges of the fingers, the latter have sharp corners, so that the combined
action of the sickle and fingers will be to sever the stalks by a shearing
cut. These fingers may be made of cast or malleable iron, and they
consist of two parts or halves, the uppermost of which is an open frame,
to facilitate the discharge of obstructions that always work in between
the top of the sickle and the opening of the finger; the underpart of the
finger is a strong pointed bar. The finger has a long narrow horizontal
opening, or slot, through it, with a recess or notch in the upper side of the
opening, and towards the rear of the same, to admit the cutter bar; and
a narrower portion of the slot before and behind this recess or enlarge-
ment is for the teeth or blade to play in. The corners of the lower
portion of the finger are made smooth and sharp, to act in connection
with the flat side of the teeth, to cut or sever the stalks. When the cutter
is placed in the fingers and moved back and forth by the crank before
mentioned, each of its teeth will pass from the middle of one finger to
the middle of the adjacent finger, and back again, alternately, so that
the teeth will press the stalks alternately towards and from each side
of the fin ers.
When mowing grass, or grain which is required to be cut very close
to the ground, the pin by which the adjusting lever is held up to its
standard is withdrawn, and the fingers and the bars which connect the
draught bar with the frame are suffered to bear on the surface of the
ground, to whose inequalities they will conform, by rising and falling; in
this way grass can be cut closer and more evenly than is usually done
by hand. On the grain or swath side of the machine, an arm or guard
is provided, for separating that part of the crop which is to be brought
under the immediate action of the cutter from the rest of the standing
crop. A reel, for lashing the corn between the fingers, may be used in
conjunction with the parts above described, if thought desirable.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton, in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 30th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Thirtieth day of October in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence,
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CORN AND OTHER STANDING CROPS," being a com-
mission from John H
Manny, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, (that is
to say):
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,

page_text: is thus described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,
in which Fig. 1, represents, in perspective view, the improved machine,
fitted with a raking platform, to adapt it to the mowing of grain.
Fig. 2, represents a plan of the same, fitted for mowing grass, the
raking platform being removed, and a scraper inserted at the end of
the machine that runs next the standing grass, to remove the cut grass
from a narrow strip for the driving wheel to run on while cutting the
succeeding swath. Fig. 3, represents a view in perspective of a
fragment of the finger bar, with its fingers and sickle detached from the
machine. Fig. 4, represents a similar view of the finger bar and
fingers turned bottom side uppermost. Fig. 5, represents a vertical
section of the finger bar and finger, at the line x x of Figure 3.
Fig. 6, represents a view in perspective of one of the fingers detached.
Fig. 7, a like view of the under part; and Fig. 8, of the upper
part of the same. Fig. 9, is a view in perspective of a fragment of
the finger bar, seen on the under side, the fingers being removed.
Fig. 10, represents a plan of the under side of the sickle. Fig. 11,
represents a view of the removeable bottom, or raking platform, detached
from the frame. Fig. 12, is a view in perspective of the scrapor.
The improvements constituting the subject of the present Invention
relate to the frame of the machine, to the truck by which it is drawn,
to the mode of regulating the height of the cut from the ground, to the
construction of the cutting apparatus, and to the arrangement of the wheel
which carries the outer end of the platform and drives the cutter, with
respect to a scraper for clearing the cut grass off a track next the
standing grass, in such manner that the track cleared by the scraper
during the cutting of one swath shall be run upon by the driving
wheel while the next is being cut. The frame A, A', A2, which carries the
cutting apparatus, is in the form of a triangle supported horizontally
upon a pair of wheels, B, whose axle, B', is placed beneath those sides
of the frame which correspond to the perpendicular, A', and hypo-
thenuse, A3, of the triangle, at about the middle of the perpendicular,
and parallel to the side A, corresponding to the base, which goes forward,
and either constitutes the finger bar, or supports the same. The
advantage of this arrangement of the frame is, that neither end of the

page_text: finger bar is liable to sag, or drop below the other, beyond what is due
to the flexibility of the materials of the frame, even if the latter be
raised, lowered, and drawn by one corner. A strong bar of iron, C, is
firmly attached to the forward extremity of the side A', of the triangular
frame; it projects forward of the same, and bends upward, in the
manner of a sleigh runner. A second bar of iron, C', similar to that
just mentioned, is firmly secured to the front side, A, of the frame, at a
short distance within its outer end. This second bar of iron is parallel
to the first, and projects forward, and bends upward to the same extent,
at the inner end of the frame, where the sides A, and A², meet. A third
bar of metal, C, Fig. 1, is firmly secured to the side, A; it is similar
in form to the bars C, C', and stands parallel therewith; its forward
extremity is connected with the corner of the frame by a cap, d, which
tapers to a point, in order to enter freely among the standing grain or
grass, and divide that which is to be cut in the swath in which the
machine is advancing from that which is to be left standing, to be cut
in the next swath. The front extremities of the bars C, C', have eyes
made through them, to receive a horizontal rod, b, which passes through
the rear or forked extremities of the draught bar, or reach, D, and forms
a hinge on which the same turns, to allow the front of the frame, A, to
rise and fall. The front extremity of this draught bar is connected to
the truck by means of a king-bolt, which passes through and secures it
in the usual manner. The iron bar, C', has a long lever rigidly attached
to it, which extends forward to a standard, F, erected upon the
platform of the truck. A staple on the side of the forward end
of the lever E, embraces the standard F, which has a vertical row of
holes through it, in any one of which a pin, c, may be placed, to hold
the lever at the required elevation. The office of this lever is to hold
the cutter at the proper distance from the ground to cut grain or grass
at the proper height.
It is obvious that the lever E, may be attached to any convenient
part of the frame A, and thence extend to the truck, but it is pre-
ferred to attach it to either the bar C', or to the front part of the outer
end of the frame A. A fence board, H, extends across the frame A,
parallel to the base, and at a distance therefrom equal to the length of

page_text: the longest stalks to be cut. This fence board is supported by
standards, 9, behind it. A second fence board, H', is secured to the
diagonal side, A, of the frame, to prevent the cut grain from falling
over the inner end of the machine. The space between the fenco
board and the front bar of the frame is fitted with a removeable bottom,
or raking platform, I, which is inserted when cutting grain or other
crops which it is desired to deliver from the machino in bundles ready
to tie into sheaves. As fast as the grain is cut it falls back upon
this platform, where it is allowed to accumulate until a sufficient
quantity to form a sheaf has been deposited, when it is swept off by an
attendant, with a stroke of his rake. The outer end, f, of this platform
or bottom is inclined upwards, and extends over the crank, and beyond
the side of the frame and driving wheel, so that when the attendant
discharges the grain, it will clear the machine, and be at a sufficient
height to drop in a heap, instead of being scattered, as it would be if
pushed off the end of a low platform which would allow the lower
portion of the bundle to strike the ground before the upper portion
had left the machine. This platform is held in place by hanging its
inner end to the diagonal bar of the frame, by means of a hook, hasp,
button, or other device that will admit of its being readily unfastened
for removal; and its outer end is fitted into the frame in such manner
that it will lay steadily in place, and simply requires to be raised up,
to remove it. The outer end of this platform should be made of sheet
metal, and secured to the other part, as represented in Fig. 11. The
sheet metal, being smooth, and not liable to be roughened by the teeth
of the rake, is preferable to wood. When mowing grass, or other
crops which it is desirable to spread over the surface of the ground, the
platform, or raking bottom, I, of the frame is removed, and the cut
stalks fall back over the cutter and finger bar directly upon the ground,
instead of being received upon the platform, as in the former casc.
Whenever the platform is thus removed, a board or scraper, J, should
be hinged, as represented in Fig. 2, near the inner end of the finger
bar A, in such manner that its lower edge will drag upon
the ground,
and be free to rise and fall, to accommodate itself to the inequalities
thereof. This board stands parallel to the diagonal bar of the frame,

page_text: and therefore obliquely to the direction in which the machine is
moving. The forward extremity of the board runs between the
standing and cut grass, while its hinder extremity extends laterally
over the ground which the cut grass occupies, a distance at least equal
to the width of the track of the driving wheel, in order that, like the
mould board of a plough, it may in moving forward turn aside the
grass and leave a strip of uncovered stubble for the driving wheel to
run on, instead of running on the cut grass, which it would have to
do if a track were not cleared for it by the scraper J, and it were
not placed in such a position as to run in the track thus cleared. A
further advantage which results from this arrangement of the wheel
and scraper is, that the track cleared for the wheel to run on will
leave the outer end of the cutter, and the connecting rod and crank N¹,
free from danger of becoming entangled in the cut grass. A platform K,
is placed upon the central part of the axle B', of the supporting
wheels B, for the raker or attendant to stand upon to perform his duty.
The wheel B, next the side A', of the frame supports the greater part
of the weight of the latter, and is made to actuate the sickle through
the intervention of suitable gearing and a crank and connecting rod.
The first wheel L, of this gearing is secured to the outside of the
driving wheel, and concentric with the axle of the same.
This gear
wheel L, takes into and drives a pinion L', on the countershaft M, to
rotate the same. On the shaft M, is a bevel wheel M', which drives a
bevel pinion M2, mounted on the crank shaft N, to which it com-
municates a rapid rotary motion. The countershaft M, rests in
bearings on the two sides of the framed beam which forms the side A', of
the triangular frame; and the crank shaft N, is supported in bearings
formed in the cross pieces that unite the sides of this beam. The
crank N', is either formed in one piece with the shaft N, that carries it,
or is made separate and keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft; but
the former mode is preferable, as then the crank is in no danger of being
jarred loose. The connecting rod N, should have a strong and well
fitted eye at each end, the one to receive a crank pin, and the other
for the joint pin that connects it with the sickle bar e, to pass through.
The sickle is composed of a strong straight bar or back e, and a series

page_text: of lozenge-shaped tecth s, secured thereto by rivets or screws: cach
tooth should be made of a plate of good and well tempered steel,
about one cighth of an inch in thickness and four inches long, with
its four edges sharpened by bevelling them off in the manner of a
joiner's chisel and sickling the bevelled side as represented in Fig. 8.
These lozenge cutters &, are of a form that would be produced by
placing two isosceles triangles, of equal base and unequal height, base
to base, the triangles being so proportioned that the diagonal of the
lozenge which corresponds to the bases of the triangles is the longest.
The teeth thus formed are arranged on the lower side of the bar e,
with their longest diagonals coinciding with its front edge, and their
bevelled edges uppermost, and in this position they are secured to the
bar by two rivets or screws passing through holes in each of them, and
through corresponding holes in the bar. The points and cutting edges
of the teeth, formed and arranged in this manner, will project on both
sides of the bar c, but most on the front side, and will thus form a
double-edged cutter, the teeth in front of the bar being designed to cut
the stalks of the standing grain or grass, and the teeth behind it being
for the purpose of cutting off wire grass or other fibrous matters that
get lapped about the cutter bar, or entangled in the fingers, and which
tend so much to retard and clog the operation of the single-edged
cutter. The form and proportions of the cutter above given are
those which have been essayed with success, and which, I believe,
to be the best; but I do not confine myself to those proportions, nor
to the precise arrangement or construction of the parts, as they
may be greatly varied within the principle of the Invention; and,
although it is a matter of convenience in making, and affords great
facilities for repairs, to make the serrated blade of separate teeth, yet,
if preferred, the blade may be made in a single piece, and the teeth
formed by forging, filing, or otherwise, at the option of the constructor.
The sickle or cutter thus formed runs through and acts in concert
with a series of guard fingers O, secured to and projecting forward
into the standing grain or grass from the front side of the finger bar a.
These fingers range in a line with the runners C, C, C, so that when
running on the ground they may rise more freely over obstructions.

page_text: To facilitate the rising of the fingers over inequalities of the surface
of the ground their front ends turn upwards. Where the flat side of
the teeth of the sickle pass over the edges of the fingers, the latter
have sharp corners, so that the combined action of the sickle and
fingers will be to sever the stalks by a shearing cut. These
fingers may be made of cast or malleable iron, and they consist of two
parts or halves, the uppermost of which, m, is an open frame to
facilitate the discharge of obstructions that always work in between the
top of the sickle and the opening of the finger; the under part n, of
the finger is a strong pointed bar: these two parts are united at their
front, and by fitting them together and passing a screw or rivet through
them, and at the rear end they are united by letting the upper half m,
into a notch, (Fig. 9,) in the finger har a, and clamping the
under piece n, firmly upon it, and to the bar, by screws passing
through the shank of the said under part n. A piece of leather or
other packing i, is placed between the two parts of each finger in
such manner that it can be removed to bring the two parts nearer
together to compensate for their wear and that of the knife. The upper
surface of the front extremity of the lower part n, of the finger has
raised flanges u, on its edges, or a depression sunk in its surface,
by which means the two parts are united without making a horizontal
joint in front, that would catch fine grass, &c., the accumulation of which
would greatly obstruct the action of the finger, whose duty can only be
performed properly when it is clear of obstructions of this kind, so as
to enter freely between the stalks of grain or grass, and divide without
over-riding or breaking them down. The finger has a long narrow
horizontal opening or slot through it, with a recess or notch 2, in the
upper side of the opening, and towards the rear of the same, to admit
the cutter bar e; the narrower portion of the slot before and behind this
recess or enlargement is for the teeth or blade s, to play in. The corners
8, of the lower portion of the finger are made smooth and sharp to act
in connexion with the flat side of the teeth to cut or sever the stalks.
The notch or recess 4, in each side of the lower part n, of the finger, is
to assist the working out of gum, grit, and fibres or other obstructions

page_text: that may get under the blade. The inner corners of the side bars 5, of
the upper part of the finger are chamfered off so as to make their lower
edges 6, overhang the outer or cutting edges 3, of the lower part n, of
the finger, to facilitate the discharge of any obstruction that may get
into the opening between the bars 5. This chamfering or bevelling of
the inside of the side bars 5, of the finger stops short of the notch 2,
that receives the cutter bar c, so as to leave a boss or stud 7, that tends
to prevent the fibres that lap round the bars 5, from working into the
joint, between the bar e, and sides of the notch 2. The fingers thus con-
structed, when seen from above, appear to consist of a stout central bar
n, and a more slender one 5, on each side of it; the three springing from
the finger bar a, and meeting in front of it in a point. The finger bar
in this instance is simply a stout bar of wood rounded on the upper
and flat on the under side, with a series of notches x, in the front edge
of its flat side to receive the inner extremities of the upper part of the
finger, to steady and assist in holding the same. When the cutter is
placed in the fingers, and moved back and forth by the crank, each of
its teeth s, will pass from the middle of one finger to the middle of the
adjacent finger and back again alternately, so that the teeth will press
the stalks alternately towards and from each side of the fingers. If it
were deemed advisable cach stroke of the sickle might be long enough
to cause each of its teeth to pass and repass through two or more of the
fingers.
A revolving reel may be used to press the grain or grass against the
cutter, and turn it over upon the platform or the ground, as the case
may be. As the construction and mode of operating the reel are well
known, and as it is not proposed to make or use it differently from
others, a particular description of it is here unnecessary.
The truck by which the triangular frame with its cutting mechanism
is drawn, consists of a pair of wheels P, and an axle Q, that support a
platform a footboard, R. The front end of the draught bar or reach D,
by which the truck and the triangular frame A, are united, is fastened
to the platform R, by a kingbolt r, which also forms the pivot on which
the axle Q, of the truck turns. The platform R, is fitted with a seat

page_text: T, for the director of the machine. A pole V, to which the horses are
harnessed for propelling the machine, extends from the front of the
truck, to which it is connected in the usual manner.
When mowing grass or grain which is required to be cut very close
to the ground, the pin c, by which the lever E, is held up, is with-
drawn from the standard, and the fingers O, and the runners C, C³, C³,
are suffered to bear on the surface of the ground, to whose inequalities
they will conform by rising and falling; in this way grass can be cut
closer and more evenly than is usually done by hand. It is safe thus
to allow the cutter to run near the ground, because the director, being
on the truck so far in advance, can see any obstruction in time to raise
the cutter until it is passed; and if he should not happen to see it, and
it should come in the line of either of the runners, it could not do any
harm; and if it should meet the fingers, the chance of injury is greatly
diminished, because the machine is free to rise and fall. The hinge by
which the triangular frame is raised and lowered, being in this instance
the horizontal bolt b, that connects the front of the runners to the
reach D, is far enough elevated above the surface of the ground to
free it from danger of entanglement with the cut grain or grass.
The person whose duty it is to rake the cut grain off the bottom, I,
stands, as has been stated, upon the platform, K, with his face
towards the front of the machine, and holding a rake or fork in his
hand, with a single sweep from the inner to the outer end of the
bottom, I, he pushes the cut grain off in a bundle, and this operation
he repeats as often as the requisite quantity of grain has been gathered
upon the platform.
A common clutch may be used to connect and disconnect the train
of gearing for operating the sickle from the driving wheel, so that while
the machine is drawn to and from its work, the sickle and gearing may
remain at rest.
The modifications of which any part of the machine is susceptible
are very numerous indeed, in order to adapt it to special circumstances,
or to make it conform to the views of different constructors; but these
changes I deem it unnecessary to specify, as such of them as are
important will naturally occur to every intelligent constructor.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the Invention as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim,―
First, the combination of a triangular frame with the axle of the
supporting wheels, whereby the cutting apparatus is so supported that
neither end is liable to sag or drop below the other, whether the frame
be raised, lowered, and drawn by one corner, or otherwise substantially
as herein set forth.
Second, the combination of the track scraper and driving wheel in
such manner that the latter, while the machine is cutting one swath,
will run in the track cleared by the former when the machine was
cutting the previous swath as herein set forth.
Third, I claim the construction and use of the double-edged cutter,
when arranged in such manner that the front cutting edge shall sever
the stalks of the grain or grass to be mown, and the rear cutting edge
shall sever fine grass and other obstacles that get behind the cutter bar
and clog it if not thus cut.
Fourth, I claim a treble-bar guard finger constructed substantially as
herein described, so that the two upper bars shall overhang the lower
bar to support the grain properly while under the action of the cutter,
and to facilitate the clearing of obstacles that accumulate between the
finger and cutter.
Fifth, the projection 7, on the under side of the upper bars, 5, of the
top m, of the finger in combination with the chamfer on the lower inside
corners of the said bars to counteract the tendency of wire grass and
other fibrous obstructions to pass in between the cutter bar e, and the
sides of the recess in the upper part of the finger in which it is guided.
Sixth, the recess 4, in each side of the lower bar n, of the finger
in combination with the projecting cutting edges 3, whereby gum, grit,
and other obstructions that work in between the cutter and upper side
of the lower part 1, of the fingers are readily discharged.
Seventh, forming the guard fingers O, of two parts m, and n,
united behind, and interlocked at the point, substantially as herein set
forth.
Eighth, the removeable raking bottom. extending over the frame

page_text: to the outside of the machine, so as to receive the cut grain and
discharge it beyond the cleared track in which the driving wheel
runs.
Ninth, the combination of a regulating lever E, extending to the
truck, and rigidly connected with the frame A, with a draught bar D,
hinged at one end to the front of the frame, and the other connected
to the truck, the connection and arrangement being such, that the
fingers may run on the ground, and can rise and fall to conform to tho
inequalities thereof, or may be held at any required distance above the
ground, to cut the grain at any desired height, substantially as herein
set forth.
Tenth, I claim the method herein described, or any mere modifica-
tion thereof, for regulating the height of the cut of the sickle, so that
the fingers can either be left free to run on the ground, and rise or fall
to conform to the irregularities thereof, or when desired be rigidly held
at any given mean height from the ground.
In witness, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Thirtieth day of April One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness, J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)