Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-09-11
From the Southern Planter 70! Angus
MORRISOS'S REAPER.


ton TO actual field work that holiday drill does TO
real battIs. But Of this more hereafter, when w
come TO comment, as We suppose We shall 90, on tn
account of the trial OF reapsrs held by the United
States Agricultural Society.
The test to which machine of this kind ia sub
United in going through proracted harvest, wouit
be, wa presume. innca more satisfactory to pracsica
men: and for that class We propose to notice very
briefly the trial. to which Morrison's Reaper sub
jectei under our personal inspection, upon our owl
estate and at his request.
As we have before stated in our account of Cald
wells Reaper, which VS. tried last summer, the farm
occupy ia very level the inequalities in its surface
consisting OF very slight and in some cases. scarcely
percepiible knobs, disposed with greairregulsri:y
distribution and outline over series uf fats which
until drained, were shallow ponds during the winter
To drain such lands. which are bed Of iInpervou.
clay of from - 10 80 feet in thickness requires ditch
es grps, cross drains, and deep bed turrowa, ar
ranged generally, with View TO the natural fall but
sometimes by deeper cuts, through slight elevations
where particular considerations render il advisable
In addition to these catc-drans somewhat after the
style Of hlsidt bitches, but damned on The lower
side of each intersecns bed furrow serve to direct
the descending carrent aud the Of the water ia
| BILE, from the fiat below.
Somu of thu land is ploughed in beds twenty feet;
some in beds Of thirty feet; and the depth OF the
ter f,rrow as compared with the Of the ridge
is in the - foot beds II inches; in the 81 foot beds
Is inches by actual measurement. The depth OF the
cross drains is 81 inches. But as the sides OF the
cross-drains have been graded of by plough and
scrap-r or by the hoe and each bed iurrow emptles
directly into ths cross drain without the Intervention
of tho barbarous head bed, it follows, that at each
point of such entrance, the bed furrow itself mast
have the depth of the cross-graln. Ii WAS on such
land, thus infinitely described, that each may under
stand the thOruughness OF t0st-that We operated or
risons Reaper.
Ii is our principle to cut with. and not across the
bed burrows, up ON one side of bed and down ano.
ther crossing the beds at the end of The PARALLEL
gram, without cutting. But IN very short lands,
where too much lime would be Lost, do sometimes
cut around and, OF course, across the beds. In this
way. aud ia crossing the various drains of all kinds
which Cut into the paralelograms in all possible
ways. a reaper must repeatedly cross every depres
sion in its progress through the field.
II is obvious, that in crossing them where the
depth varies from II to 20 inches. there must be
tremendous strain OH the whole machinery and that
many reaper cannot stand it for two days,
whilst from the very construction of soms Of them,
they will bs racked to pieces in a few hours.
Ii 10 further obvious, that if there be no means Of
shifting the balance Of the reaper that the dead pull
unavoidably incurred it chucks into the drains,
will bs terrible to The horses. and very painful TO the
raker arring every muscle Of the one and jong eve.
~ iOre Of the other, and CALLING boh though in diff
ferrnt places. We know il because have tried it.
Now we have to aay we subjected Mr.. MoRKisoSs
Reaper To this kind Of test, and that il stood it well.
On The ninth day the crank. which drives the knife,
broke-just the accident which occurred 10 CaIdw-rs
to our Encouragement in not inspecting tn. machiIe
rs closely rs we should have done, but mainly to the
fact that the iron Of the crank was not good m-tdl
had flaw in it. Putting in the other knlfs az once
il went another round, aud bent that at the place
that the other broke at when, on examining, we
found that three small at bottom had been bro
ken off, letting the crank down below the plane offs
motion. and splitting oil n small part OF the machine.
With two butt hinges aud few screws, we repaired
the machine Strengthened the crank, and got i; TO
hpurs frpry, x,,f
accident, when the journal box in which the crank
works land which costs ~ cent?, broks from wesr.
Substituting another for that the crank again broke
from defective iron, at the point where il was screw
ed to the Journal and We laid the machine aside, be
cause We were nearly done harvest and finished with
HUssEY's reaper.
This was ali the accident it me. with in nine days;
and not until the ninth day.
We believe the average duration Of harvest il ten
days and we think it safe aud fair to that the
and tear OF reaper, rs W. Use it, may be- estl-
mated at the double Of what it would be on other
lands RI this bs so, then this reaper would have
gone without accident through very nearly two other
haryests OIL other lands, feat which mons OF them ID
believed to have yet accomplished. In our own ex-
periencs with HUssEY's Redpsr, which We deem one
of the very best we have, in less time Of cutting,
broke two bolts, and 80 strained the reaper that we
had TO send II To the shop and We do not regard the
accidents to MorrisOns as At all material We men,
ton them. bound 10 fairness to do even at the risk
OF injuring the reputation OF the maker; but We re.
peat do moi regard them material: aud We will
give our reasons The great point in reaper !s that
its principles OF construction shall be right aud that
accidents shall not in consequence OF faults III
that particular. But the accident in queaton did
not occur from any such defect Another point liz,
that rs "n0 machine q stronger than as rfaftSt
Part," that part shall bs easily reparabe, and shnli
not, in breakage, involve any great delay or ex.
panss IN repair renewal. In this case the boxes.
which subject TO mud tear, ccst only twenty
five c=ns, that the coat of two during harvest
will not involve any expense. The crank, 1t made
uf moro ducfe iron, il apt 10 break, but only
To- bend which can be easily remedied or il il shall
break it can be repaired without stopping the ma
chine. the sxra blade being substituted whilst that
is undergoing repair. The whole strain of reaper
comes on the crank, which il yet necessarily the
weakest part, il the whole is properly constructed
Ii WELL therefore, tina: if it does give way, it shall
involve serious loss or delay Still we do not an.
tcipsts accident necessarily TO this reaper; aud
think that by The use OF better IRON, and the subs;i
taton of extra journal box at tho right time, it
may and will, ii properly constructed, 20 through
harvest without liability To any accident TINT may
not with rs much probability stop any other reaper.
In other points of is construction, except the
knives, this machine is all that We could desire. The
castings wore remarkably we'll, and not a bolt WAS
broken or strained. The wood work ws thought
particularly strong. The joints ars AZ close a.
they were the day We took il Ia the tald, and
seemed entirely insensbe to the Earring they under.
went. This point We deem particularly important.
Castings can bs replaced more easily than timber III
reaper; aud ought, therefore, TO bs stronger in this
point than in any other. We think this reaper has
that merit.
1t works more easily to the horse than any reaper
we have tried, seen tried, except Caldw-lPs, and
il ia beyond all question III. easiest to the raier. a
very simple cun:rivance, which We cannot explain
without diagram shifted the balance Tor ballHst) of
the reaper adjusting it insantausousiy 20 the gr-at
Irregularities of surface over which il passed, there
by relieving the horses of good deal OF jar aud dea
pull relieving the machine Of much strain, and max
ing the raS-rs seat comparatively sasy. Ii is only
necessary in proof nf this To state that raker
jected all offers spell him. and kept his place. with
but little fatigue, through the whole hsrvest.
We are sorry that the machine was provided with
cutters ui 50 soft temper, that we had To sharpen
them with mill saw file, and alternate them a
day This WAS shameful oversight ar defect in tho
manufacturer, who, il he knows his business. must
have known that lie had right TO send such cutters
out with reaper In other respects they were IN.
exceptonable and are SD constructed as to cut With
out clogsing in damp or heavy wheat. We tried il
once after q rain, and frequently in heavy dews-
commencing generally At about o'clock in the morn.
ing-And do not see how it can clog When the cutters
ars sufficiently sharp.
In cutting over the burrows, or along them On wei
land, We found NO stoppage 10 occur from cloggng
the wheels with dirt or mud il the case with Illus.
sey's and several others.
There wes slight defect in delivering the grain,
which gathered TOO much at the outside end Of The
knife. but this can be easily remedied.
As TO Inc principles On which this machine is con
strLcted we deem it unnecessary to say anything
Unless reaper be made on the simplest plan ii ~
possible 10 describe il accurately except by tagram.
which we cannot give. It ID somewhat complicated,
Though not more than several other popular ma.
cines,) but not the less valuable that account
IL the snnplest machine breaks in an important part
it ID useless for that harvest and that is all that
can be said Of more complex If the com.
pcGtion amounts to n gain of power ease,
strength durability, well afford study it
md md Va niutu anil
secured by Mr.. Morrison. who, To natural mechani.
cal genius adds thorough theoretical and scientific
knowledge Of mechanical principles. The main point
with the farmer is, not is the thing simple but raj II
do
The machine itself will be exhibited at the mex,
Fair Of thu Virginia State Agricultural Society, jIst
~ il lett the .ld, aud every one can then see not
only the condition Of q reaper which has bten