Boat scythe

1908. The boat-scythe, for mowing weeds in ponds, is a machine invented by General Betancourt, of St. Petersburg, consisting of a boat with a system of wheels and pinions placed in the head, which gives motion to a vertical shaft, on the lower end (which passes through the bottom of the boat into the water), on which are fixed three scythes: two men work the machinery, and one man rows the boat; the upright shafts, on which the scythes are placed, can be raised or lowered according to the depth of the weeds, &c. This machine has been improved by General Betancourt, but it is capable of being further simplified.