Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-11-19

From tic Monroe AdrOcatc.
Mr.. EDITOR Having been the first, | believe,
TO test the operations of McCormick's Wheat
Reaping Machine in this State it has SO far ex-
ceeded any anticipations that could have had in
relation TO it, that feel it to be due to the public
as well as 10 the invenloro OF valuable an article
of husbandry, to give, through the medium oi
your valuable journal, a short account Of the re-
suit OF my experiment.
This Machine was brought 10 this county
amo>, two months ago, from Virginia, Ohe re-
silencc of It's inventory BY Mr.. Jacob Bender
then from the State OF Maryland, and stranger
among us-who had purchased the patent right, Ia
s. pply the county with it, MIR. Bender request d
us 10 MAKE a hiai OF the Machine, which readily
consented 10 do from his representations Of its
success in Iireiaia. rs well as from The numer-
Gus testimonials in his possession 10 that effect !;
tat sill confess, with little confidence, that il
cNoldf n practice. answer a valuable purpose, as
/ LAX considered the thing impraclcahle. J.,
,teref.re take the more pleasure in bearing testi
niopy TO lis admirable performance, after having
cut INV harvest of ichc0t OF almost so acres whit
The only difficulty which have met with in
the usr of the machine was al the commence
mcnt, in the delivery Of the Wheat. Without
some practice il was titiicult-ndecd impossible
for The hand attending the machine to rake tho
whea, from il either with case 10 himself, or so
as to be in good situation for binding; but with
day or two's practice this difficulty was entirely
removed; the wheat was raked of with great ease
and SO completely deposited in heaps for binding
that at least one-,hird The labor OF ordinary bind
ing after cradle was saved. | cut my crop in
less than -four days and the work done was So SUI
periort to common grading, that am satisfied at
least bushel OF wheat 10 the acre was saved-no
sickle can rival the neatness of its operation
The machine is simple, strong and durable; not
1,oll e rlo - ;s ir aft
for two horses; and is attended by 4 man 10 rake
and boy 10 ride.
MY land was Of course not prepared for such
machine; and on portion of ii, found that no
roughness ofsurface grass, weeds, tangled wheat
or even small sprouts. INSTRUCTED its operations.
1t passes over any thing that is below the blade,
(Which was IL inches high, and may be more or
less and leaves all smooth behind it, A consi-
derable number of farmers came to see the opera
ton OF the Reaper during my harvest, and were
uniformly delighted with il; many expressed de-
sire TO get machines for the next harvest.
Ii is hardly necessary to add that | purchased
the machine, and feel no hesitation in recon-
mendng it TO the public, believing it 10 be to The
agricultural community, and particularly 10 The
Northwestern country, one of the most important
inventions of the age
THOMAS CALDWELL.
Raisinville Monroe county, Michigan, 29th
July, 1874.
Mr. MORTON.
From, the Soahport Wisconsin american.
McCOR MlCK'S REAPING MACHINE
Our fellow citizen John w Mccoy, Esq du-
ring his stay at Was hington the past winter, be-
came acquainted with Mr.. Mccormick the inven-
tor of machine for cutting wheat by horse pow
err At the solicitation OF MIR. McCormick, Mr.
Mccoy consented 10 have one OF the machines
forwarded 10 him, for the purpose testing il du-
ring the present season, and, if it answered ex-
pcctations, introducing its use among the farmers
Of the Territory.
Since the commencement ofthe harvest this ma
chine has been used in several wheat fields in the
Southern part of this County, and with such en-
tire success that no one who has seen il can doubt
of its fully answering the purpose, and Gifts rapidly
superseding every other means now in Use for
cutting grain.
We took an opportunity, on Thursday last, Of
witnessing the operation OF The Reaper in the
field of Mr. Stevens, ofPleasant Prairie; and we
must say, that we never saw machine oil any
kind that so fully answered all that was promised
hy the inventor as this. II isdrawn by two horses
aud moves as rapidly as the horses will walk-re-
quires one man TO rake off the grain which is de-
posted in punches suitable Tor forming single
bundle-another man or boy TO drive the team
cuts six or seven feet in width, and takes up the
grain, whether it be straight, lodged or crincled,
with far greater cleanness and evenness than can
be done with the cradle or sickle.
This Machine will cut from ID to 20 acres per
day. and has, in some cases of experiment. no.
ticed in our exchanges done even more than the
last number mentioned The price which is
usually demanded for cutting by the Machine, is
is cents per acre. leaving the wheat ready for the
binder which is assumed to save one.lhlrd The
labor OF raking and binding after cradle
Cost of Cutting and Raking l6 acres by Cradle:
8 men, cutting 2acres each, ~ OU
! labor of men rakng and binding. 66
One bushel per acre, lost grain saved BY :,
machine, reckoned at Is. per bushel, 0o
Board of men, w