Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-08-08
AGRICULTURE.
yo TIE EDIyoss or TIE ETsrikEK

yo 7AE EDITORS or TIE ETstihkA
Messrs. Edtofs From ;he great interest Sh'en too
take IN Agricultural pursuits, ] an o'spo'eo 70 a,s"
myeeIf 0! your pspsr, 10 gre soma accoon' o. va
McCormick's whett-rescing r1sca'ne FROM fceVuus
which had sean of ,sti rscn'ne, pstiieutsfif or
written by nv y.lueo freHd, Doctor B'szioo, 81 hhs
William, va. iacgceo 70 p~vtcbsse ons, snc DOW hsf-
ing ,psiec lie use, II my lac harvest. ! "n! csno'oi.
state the name, OF Is psrfofmsnct
NV first effort with tie machine, ats % { SINAI he'o
Of wheat Of ten serss, eelcoging 10 ny neigaeo', OF
neral Richardson. Tae mos. Of ine wbea, was ve'i
rank, some Of /, very rngcb tangled. BY . porn9n q
j, lying IA, on The ground. /. had also rpeneo are
yularIy, So that :" hIlSi some 1ss quite !lpe, requiring
immediate cutting, another portion was green, sbo'
consequently, very bea,y In ADDITION 10 tnis, Inc
rider., the fakers, the ~p,op,ieto, Of the msehine, sno All
concerned IN the opersIon, were pe'iec! nevicss ID
the business Mr.. NcCo;mick, on delivering ihe ms-
chine, had promised 10 coGse 70 my house, sue instruct
me 10 lie parts and use. But, before hrs cou'ng- !!
was called on 10 d. me io5 mentioned shove. Ano Il
gives me pleasure TO state, ,hs, notwithstanding o1'
entire ignorance Of the machine, and our to,si want Of
experience 10 It's use, u performed not only 10 me sd
tisfac,ion, but 10 the admiration OF some twenty or more
gentle men, who we're drawn thefe On NAL occasion
In all instances, except ~heret the "hea, vas n! on ihs
ground, II did remarkably clean work, leaving scarcely
d straw behind. | dd not know tIl VAS done, oni
was then informed that had been working against
time, and ths, had finished my job N seven hours
and a half, which d. JUS, forty Eye minutes 10 the acre
The ne II efTort Of the machine, was on q field BE-
longing TO another %neIghbor, MIR Ambrose Hutchinson
Here, also. a considerable portion Of The ~bes, was
rank, and, although much tangled, bot littla Of II wa
Fat on the ground. Mr. Mccormick was himself pre-
sent on this occasion, and toak the direction Of the
machine. And here must, 10 cancor state, that II the
machine did we'll al General Ricbs.oson s, II dd much
better at Mr. Hctch,scnis On this occasion, there
were present, during the day, some thirty or forty gen
tie men, who were attracted there by d contest with
MIR Hussey's rnschine, all Of whom. as IA, as Lesfc,
expressed themselves, IN terms OF decided approbn-
ton, in favor Of Mr. Mccormick : machine. On the
day, having a good team, end expert managers, the
machine cut, with great ease, seventeen acres, and
was returned 10 my house soine Tune before sunset
Here, too, The work was cnne With great neatness, az
an evidence Of which, Will state, that II was The con-
current opinion Of the farmers present, that al least
th,rty bushels Of wheat had been saved, which would
have been lost had II been cot by the cradle. think
IL eIso bu, Just 10 state. that such was the favorable I'M
preston made, that, on this cay, vas offered by two
gentlemen $40 d day for the use Of the machine, IN
cutting their crops Of wheat: bn. having got The ma
chine for nv OWE u-e, aud not beng able 70 accompany
it myself, l was constrained TO decline these tempting
offers.
Ny machine was mex, called into requisition. to
compete with Mr.. Husseys machine, at Tree HUI
the splendid farm belonging TO VIM. II. Roane, Esq
Here, too, It was under the personal direction Of Mr.
Mccormick. | was present but a short time, and can
only cay, that willis, there, u did its work with It's
usual neatness and expedition. Much time was lost in
starting it in the morning, and again al dinner, 50 that
IL cut, lQS i was lUIu.J only rue nc OU III Ody.
Thus far, my machine bad mostly been engaged in
competition with a machine invented by Mr. Hussey,
Of Baltimore. As 10 the merits Of these two machines,
or which, in fact, u, the best machine, does not become
me TO Say a word. Bn, must, IT justice TO Mr.. Mc.
Cormick say, that on one occasion where was pre-
sent-v,z at ir. Hutchison's $, there vas appointed a
COMMITTEE, consisting Of five Of our mos, respectable
and perfectly disInterested citizens, who, after care.
fully inspecting the operations OF the two machines
on the same field, did give the preference 10 Mr.. Nc
Cormicks.
This contest being now over, and my oats ripe, ]
next applied The machine to the purpose for which j
had bought II, VIZ IN cutting my own crop. ana
here will remark, that ! raise no wheat. The only
small gram crop that | cultivate is of outs, which |
dispose of in The sheaf al the neighborIng market OF
Richmond. il IL, therefore, an object with me TO save
rs much straao as possible. THIS year | had about Gu
acres in oats, but owing 10 their having been seeded
very late, and the season a bad one, they were uncom-
monty short. MIR. Mccormick had The kindness te
apply n small wheel 10 the machine, and 10 arrange
il 10 other respects go az TO fl II for cutting at least
two inches lower than It's ordinary height. Thus ar.
ranged, | proceeded to take down my crop, which was
done 10 nv entire satisfaction. My object being TO Sc.
cure The crop as il was cut, ! did on no day lax the
machine TO the full amount of It's powers, but stopped
il until the binders nearly caught it. On the first day,
] employed SIX active young men TO follow the ma.
chine, but | found that 1t constantly and rapidly gain
ed upon them. | then increased the number To ten.
These kept pace with 1t in binding, but then ! bad TO
stop IL when II became necessary to shock the gram
How many men the machine will keep employed IN
the whole process of binding and shocking, depends
OF course upon the thinness or rankness OF the gram,
but | think that even IN my short oats, 1t would have
given ample employment 10 fifteen.
Upon the whole, am much pleased with my ma.
chine, and can confidently recommend it az a most
valuable appendage 10 The labor saving department OF
the farmer. am pleased with II, on account, of The
great expedition with winch 1t operates. On no day,
save one, has my machine been fully employed; aud
even then there was a loss OF two hours or more al
I---- ..L .t.ll - at a. $50 al1a.Au ,,ntoA
II acres, finishing ,ts work some time before night
Now, | need not tell the farmer how inporlant-l may
say, how invaluable speed IS, during the busy sea
son Of harvest. | have often seen my crop suffering,
and yet was AFRAID to urge on my Graders, lest from
the heat and excessive %draughts ofcold water, ! should
endanger their health, or even life itself. But here Is
q machine which requires no cold water, nor does II
even utter a whisper of complaint on the score of heat or
fatigue, and yet 1t does the work OF at least seven men.
| am pleased with the machine, further, because OF
che superior ntatneSS with which IL does its work
Here the adsge, "haste makes waste, does not hold
good. Where the grain stands erect, or where IL IL
tangled, but still erect enough for the reel 10 get hold
OF Il, It cuts the lohoie, rarely leaving a stalk behind.
In isct, the field, after the machine has passed over
it, presents The Singular and beautiful appearance oil
having been not only raked, but srept. | like the ma
chine, further, because II depos,tes the gram, not in
hanos iull, alter the manner Of the cradle, but IN large
masses OF from four TO SIX bundles in q ~place-thus
greatly facilitating that tedious process of reducing the
grain TO bundles.
Again.-The Temperance Society has done much
towards supPressing The use of ardent spirits, but |
really think that McCorm'ck is entitled 10 great Gre
dit on the snme score; for, has machine IS as much a
Teetotaller as Delavan himself; but then / is some
what Of a Lnplander, for when properly attended 10,
it consumes a good deal of train OIL.
In fine, here IS q machine which works with great
expedition, dispatching It's business with great ra pidily,
and a, the same time dong It's work with a nea,ness
and cleanness with which the cradle pretends no com
parison-saving, as many think, grain enough in one
crop, to pay for i,self-and all this al comparatively
little expense. 1t must, therefore, be a valuable ma
chine. J. II. TURNER.