Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the speed of a rotary cutter driven by an electro-hydraulic pulse motor for cutting to length a sheet material continuously supplied to the rotary cutter. Means are provided for applying to the electro-hydraulic pulse motor a pulse train synchronous with the feed rate of the sheet material when the blades of the rotary cutter pass the cutting position, means for progressively decreasing the number of pulses applied to the electro-hydraulic pulse motor, the decrease in the number of pulses beginning at a predetermined position beyond the cutting position and being effected at a rate following a first pattern, means for progressively lowering the rate of the decrease in accordance with a second pattern when the number by which the pulses are decreased reaches a first predetermined value, and means for suspending the decrease when the number by which the pulses are decreased reaches a second predetermined value.