reaping machine (reʻpingmashen")

A reapportionment (re-a-por's hon-ment), n. harvesting-machine for grain-crops; a mechanical reaper drawn over a field of standing grain by horses. The reaping-machine is a modified mow. ing-machine or mower, both mower and reaper being harvesters; the two machines are identical in their IMG:content-1707.png:[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small] a, driving-wheel; b, pole; c, whiffletrees; d, driver's seat; e, cutter bar, arranged at front edge of platform and carried by the latter; g, supporting wheel for outside extremity of the plat forın; h, tilting fever, by which the front edge of the platform may be depre ed for cutting grain that is lodged; i, i ', i", i '', rakes; j, cam-mechanism for operating rakes; k, outside divider, which separates the standing grain; t ', inside divider, which separates the cut grain on the ground from that on the platform. The grain as cut falls on the platform, and is formed into gavels by the rakes i, i ', etc., which move from the front to the rear of the plat for in after reaching the position shown at i. mechanism for cutting down the standing grain, of which mechanism the e ential feature is the reciprocating knife moving within the fingers of a finger-bar. The reaper is distinguished from the mower by the addition of a reel bending the grain down upon the knives, and by a IMG:content-1708.png:[blocks in formation] or dropper (by which the gavels or sheaves are thrown out of the machine), and a binding mechanism; of these devices any or all may be present in one machine. Reaping machines are often distinguished according to their attachments: thus, a dropper is a reaping-machine that automatically throws out the cut grain at intervals; a self raker or a self - binder, sometimes called a harvester and binder, is one with a raking or a binding attachment. The discharging mechanism or dropper is a device for causing the platform upon which the grain falls when cut to throw off its load. The raking attachment consists of a series of rakes moving over the platform to gather the grain into gavels and sweep it off upon the ground. The binding attachment consists e entially of an endle -belt elevator for lifting the cut grain, and a pair of curved arms for gathering and compre ing it into a bundle and holding it while the binding mechanism proper draws wire or twine around it, twists the wire or loops and knots the twine, cuts the bundle from the wire or twine, and discharges the bound sheaf. reapportion + -ment.] A renewed apportionment; a new proportional distribution or r range ment: as the United States), the reapportionment of members of Congre or of Congre ional districts under a new census. reapproach (re-a-prōch'), v. [ II. trans. To bring near together again. We were able to produce a lovely purple, which we can destroy or recompose at pleasure, by severing and re - ap pro aching the edges of the two irises. Boyle , Works, I. 738. reap-silvert (rēp's ilver), n. [ME. rep silver ; reap , n ., + silver .] Money paid by feudal serfs or tenants to their lord as a commutation for their services in reaping his crops.