The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-11-13
From The New York Tribune
The Rival Reapers.


pursuits above the level OF drudgey and mindless
iteration is public benefit whereof the value is notully
measured by its pecunlay advantages Intends TO elevate
and dignity laboTlo render its processes mere lnele
tual and ennobngio improve education ana ulnuse NJ
teligence by rendering them indispensable 10 eeiency
in industry Invention which at first sight would seem
purely physical, is in It's ultimate fesul'S profoundly
moral
A very great stride in agricultural Improvement has
been made during the last few years IN The invention OF
adaptation OF machinery for cutting gram and grass by
By the best machines grass is now cut al
the rate OF over per hour and wheat al some
thing over an acre and half per hourhe grass being
evenly spread for drying and the grain delivered in bun
dies ready for binding The labor required in grain
ting is that OF a man. boy, Ito drive and two horses
in cutting believe hand will answer with
the best machines One extensive farmer in this State
informed us that he saved The Sl2O) OF his
the first yearn fact he not confident that he could
have cut his grass at all in any fair season without H.
In England learn that the cost of harvesting grain has
been reduced from $3 so TO 81 so per acre by the use OF
the best machines Ike saving throughout this coun-
try would amount 10 many millions OF dollars per an
mum.
We have published reports of several trials, both in
this country and in Eng land, of rival reapers and now
by various agricultural associations during the present
year. The Economist, London journal OF high char
acter. up the important tests Of the respective
merits OF the rival machines which have been made during
he late harvest in England, as follows:
REAPISG MAcHINEs.-We have purposey absained
from commenting upon The various accounts oil the pro-
gress made in reaping corn by machine, until the erm
nation of The harvest should enable 10 form some
estimate OF the OF this class OF Instruments
and 10 ascertain which Of The several competing reapng
machines has proved the most effective Enough has
been done by the use oil the reapng machine TO prove
that long it will in great measure supersede hand
reaping on large farms Even great economy is OBJ
tanned by using the machine, and there 10
believe that gea, mpov will be made in the diff
ierent machines now before the public The following
are reports on comparave trials made between rival
reaping machines The first was trial between Hus
seys American machine manufactured by Cross
kill, and Mr. Bells original Scotch machine The trial
took place on the farm OF Mr. Watson, of Keillo in the
presence of party OF distinguished landowners
and agrculturss The award OF the judges strongly
in favor of Bells machine The following is the practi-
cal portion OF the report:
'sThe other machines then work SINH
lar lots Of ground; and Huseys, under the superinend
of Mr. Love- about two thirds OF the prescribed
quantity within the forty five minutes, whe for some
xpIaned, the other did complete its As
these 5wo machines were nearly sma win the
ess cloth revolving directly in the track OF the machine and
line behind il, the work performed by them nearly
alike. We found, nation, that the breadth
subbe well NJ hin, and when the machine worked
against the inclination Of The barley yet it quite the
and left uncut Indeed, strongly did the director of
Husseys machine feel this difficulty, that after The first
round he avoided cutting down hill all, and confined
himself TO working up nil exclusively by which nearly
one hall OF the Tune was lost Tue stops Of these two ma
arising from stones and other impedmen well from
the cutters driving grouhd which not onIy caused
great delay, bar also ran much risk damsg ng the
chimes reparaby From The shorness and peculiar
strucon OF the cutters appeared that they were
liable choke clog, particularly when they
in contact with anything green, or lying angle
from them which rendered il often necessary stop the
machines In order 10 have the teeth cleared and the i'm
pedimens otherwise removed.
'When the Trial at the barley completed, the parties
adjourned the wheat field, and Bells machine first
self upward BREADTH laying the wheat which
was exceedingly heavy CROP in perfectly straight
ing Of this heavy crop appeared be comparatively easy
the barley the easy mastery way which
gave general satisfaction. Three quarters were
cut within the half hour OF at The rate of an acre within
the while the subbe appeared beautifully
clean and well and delays whatsoever took place
The performance by Bells lane having thus cleared
other machines work, and peted half
EACH in shorter time and with greater than with
The barley and the srubbe exhibited Of those Unequal
tiles which a,ked the downhilt wok the other crop
With regard the relative merits OF the different
not improvements OF MIR. Belts original and with The
exception OF their being somewhat lighter and porta
Bile, when not actually at work. and more en'iy turned,
they do retain what consider the leading and i'm.
Portsnt ieatutes Of his while, though doing only TWO
thirds Of the work. they appear 10 b. distressing the
and horses that wotk them.
In the fret place, then, consider Bells cutting shears
much superior to the knives ehise OF Husseys that
they do the work in much easier and effective manner
they calculated Tighten the horses
toned to then Hussey's noisy ring choppers apt
around it, TO work the cutting shears in Belle,
genious Improvement and adds greatly 10 the easy and e
In the place, Bell does by sim pie and ingenious
machinery what Hussey attempts do by manual labor
Wis gather the with the revolving IAN incline
the proper angle 10 the CATERS, and also deliver
from The machine by tis endless web 10 place Il la
a convenient potUn Tor the binders Another advantage
incident tie original machine H. hat horses prope
II before them and charge all
the heaviest CROP and clear lane Tor themselves without
rampng the corn, nd the endless web works both
ways delivers The uniformly by shifting gear
every while the Others way first cleared
for them by reapers before they their work"
The next extract is from a report Of a committee of
the Drifeld farmers Club in Yorkshire in a trial be.
tween Husseys and McCormcks machine, in which the
decision in favor OF the latter and the following
contains their reasons for that decision:
"MoCormick's machine six feet wide and Hussev,s
five but as 1t would be impossible always to Keep un
cutting exactly these widths, they conceive tbat sx
inches less all that De calculated upon and al those
widths vizi five aud hall and four and half feet and
the horses moving at average speed OF and hal
miles hour-a speed which your committee would
ommendHutseys machine would in Eve and a halt hours
and with full as little horse power, McComicks would
do nine and twenty six poles Another
thy OF consideration Is that only needed drive
the HOSES in Mccormick machine, the horses being
yoked abreast while i've in Husscy's, lie
horses having TO draw IN line. Nc Cormicks machine
also possesses another advantage 10 having wooden
which, without irjuY the corn materially assists
the man who pulls away the 'heaves, and gives him
better opportunity OF adjusting their But the greatest
superiority Of McCormiek's machine Husseys which
pulled OIL, laid in su0h way to mpede its
working. that two aud two horses may move unn
teuuptedy leaving the OF the aboers Otherwise
employed; while in Husseys the thesves bshind
and sufficient number ofworkmen is consequently equ
site TO remove them, that the machine This
your poln ont il n oI,ia