The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-08-08
Ottaba fret Gtaatr .
ADay among the Harvesters.

week among the harvesters- We nave zee"
n.ne or ten miles north and as many miles
south Of Ottawa, and in either direction nave
looked with something akin to amazemeht
on almost illirnitabls fields Of growing corn
and rioencd wheat. Immensely beyond any
former year appears to be the breadth OF
yround sown with wheat and planted with
corn in every direction, and never was the
Weld of the former or promise OF the latter
better.
We have seen Riggs famous reaper, the
Atkins self raker, and the Green reaper,
manufactured by Gridley, Cogswell 4 Co.,
Ottawa,) at work, and so perfectly did each
perform its allotted part, that, if placed on
an agricultural committee to decide between
their several merits, we should have been
the most sadly puzzled man in the world
We are not "going off," however, in a
rhapsody on " green fields and waving corn"
Our main purpose, at present, is to speak OF
q new reaper which we saw in operation on
the farm of Messrs. Murray & Van Doren,
in the town of Farm Ridge. Hitherto our
reaper inventors and manufacturers have at
best been able to produce a machine that
could cut and rake the grain ready for the
binders. While the machines have thus en-
abied the farmer to overcome the crushing
labor of the cradle, and to dispense with a
large number Of hands, always at this sea-
son next to impossible to procure) the bar-
vester has been Of no other advantage to
him. In point Of expense, reaper with
two men and four horses, cutting IL to II
acres a day, is no cheaper than half dozen
Of Graders would be, who could cut the
same amount Of grain.
The reaper of Messrs. Murray & Van Do
zen, whose first start in the great race for
pre-eminence and public favor We witnessed
on Tuesday, takes therefore an immense
stride ahead Of any reaper now in use. 1t
the farmer, but it delivers it over to him also
bound and sucked Thus the labor of at
least eight men, which is required to bind
and place in shocks the wheat cut by an or
binary harvester, is entirely dispensed with,
and the farmer saves the cost Of just so many
hands.
We shall not attempt description of this
machine. Suffice it to say, the main driving
wheel, the mode of giving motion to the
sickle, and of propelling all the machinery
about it, is entirely different in principle
from any other machine we have witnessed.
An advantage about its peculiar construction
also is, that all the weight of its gearing is
in the centre, so that it is evenly balanced,
and there is no side draught, although the
horses 60 in front.
All the essential parts of the machine, we
believe, have already been patent-d. Two
or three experimental ones have been made,
in . rough way merely for present trial
As the machine goes into the field, the in
ventors follow its motions, noting every If
regularity or imperfection, and devising
means to overcome every difficulty. In this
way they are quite confident they will, by
the end Of the present harvest, have brought
their reaper to such perfection, that by the
next season they can challenge the world tc
an open competition.
The machine we saw in use was placed IL
ten acre lot of poor winter wheat, although
it had worked well the day before in stout
spring 1t was in company and competition
with ono of Haynes It Hawley's headers
keeping even pace with it handsomely, cut
ting about the same width, (between and
feet, y and while the "heaier" tumbled the
grain into an awkward and ungainly wagon
box or tender that must be kept at its side
to catch the grain and then carry it off and
stack it, the NJ. & V. d. machine, (dispens
ing with the two extra teams and half q
dozen Of hands required by the former a:
carefully and rapidly cut the grain, bound it
and placed it in stacks. The stacking appa
ratus being placed On the opposite side o.
the machine from the sickle, balances the
weight and draught SO perfectly, that it re-
quircs no extra power to propel it. The
stacks are small, amounting to about as much
as half dozen Of ordinary shocks, but arc
s, proportioned and symmetrically shaped
as not only to allow the grain to season per
fectly, but also to be secure from the wea
ther without further care or handling.
rough outlines Of this machine belongs, VIC
believe, conformity to Messrs. Murray & Van
Doren, although they have not refused to
take many useful hints from others. The
boldness and originality Of the conception,
however, is such, that if it succeeds as they
anticipate, no Mccormick, Haynes, or Hus-
sey, We imagine, will have the hardihood to
claim that their own patents have been in
friDged.
We confess, from what we have seen Of it,
We have confidence in the success Of this
reaper; and in that event, we are equally
confident, it will make noise in the world.
Messrs. NJ. & V. d. are men of intelligence
and abundant means, and when they enter
the list will either win the race or kill the
horse"
SCARCITY OF HANDs.-This has been the
universal complaint of our farmers during
the present week. Those who took time by
the " fire-lock," as Mrs. Darlington would
say, and engaged their hands ahead at $1.75
to $2.OO day and found, made money
many nave oeeu CoihpeHeu " pay d. hi6u d.
IS day for their harvest hands and board
them.
NORM AMERICAN TEMPERANCE CONVEX
IONA joint committee of the various
temperance organizations in the city of Chi
cago have issued call for North Amer
lean Temperance Convention at Metropol-
itan Hall in that city, on the tenth OF No
-tmber merit. The call says "The
neceeSitv of this Convention cannot he ,,.