The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-06-17
Trial of the Reapers.

formed last week by advertisements that
a trial of harvesting machines would
take place on Tuesday the 18th inst, on
the old Flippin farm, now cultivated by
! Mr.. r. l.. Porter, about three miles and
and half from Columbia, in the
direction of Bear Creek. The trial came
off under the management of the follow
| ing named gentlemen, all of whom are
experienced and successful farmers: DIR.
A. L. Pillow, Daniel j. Estes, Pitts Per-
ry, Capt. l.. w. Black, Pleasant J. Akin.
Tuesday morning was glorious in sum
shine and exhilarating atmosphere
a grand June morning, musical and all
| aglow with live nature,-and the farm
| erS from many portions of the county
were there. Even Bigbyville was rep
resented, in the person of our well dress
ed friend, Pitts Perry, who has notion
of throwing away his old buckeye"
machine and bachelor ideas, and getting
| himself a new improved reaper and a
young wife. G. p. Whitaker, J. p, ].
| Nicholson, +. Fuller, the North Carolina
scientific farmer, and +. Speed, the RATS
| man, all came from the Rock Spring
| country, VERY few reapers are in the
| Rock Spring county, and the farmers
are looking around for the best, with a
view of purchasing.) Mr.. Brazier, the
fisher of Huey's Mill, and Mr.. Geo. NJ.
Cannon, the great strawberry raiser of
the Smizer Bend, could be seen coming
up on well fed horses. We also saw on
the ground, p. J. Akin, great stock
raiser in times past; Daniel J. Estes, one
of the most successful and at the same
time unfortunate farmers in the county,
(whO CAME with the intention of buying
reaper, if suited; Major ]. b. Anderson,
of Rutherford Creek; A. J. Akin, who
claims to be from Bear Creek; r. 4. Nc
Kay, French Johnston, ID. Sheriff Mich
OILS, of Carter Creek; Mr.. Parker, of Mt
Pleasant; Col. T. w. Keesee. Major Will
son, and several other gentlemen from
Columbia ID. G. Gregory, joe Irvine,
neighbors; Deputy Sheriff Harris. Be-
side these, there was large number of
other representative men Of the county,
whose names have escaped our memory.
1t was thought by the crowd assembled
that the celebrated harvesters, 'Clipper,"
Buck Eye" and Excelsior" would
be on han d also, and make the trial eXcit-
ing and interesting. but neither Of them
came, and the trial was between the
Wood and the Champion machines. The
fiel contained about sixty acres, and
was prepared in such manner as one
would naturally expect in such thor
ough, energetic old Virginia farmer like
Mr.. Porter. The ground was smooth
and utterly devoid of clods, bushes, ETC.,
the result of long and careful culture,
and has been in wheat three years in
succession. No. 2, the self-raker, was
not ready for service until after twelve. |
The accommodating Agent for the Cham
pion had brought q capital dinner of |
boiled ham, light-bread and pickles, OF |
which the large crowd partook freely. |
After dinner the largest machine, being |
new, Gid not work with entire Satisfac- |
ton at first, but finally it performed its |
work very well. 1t cuts the wheat very
cleanly, scarcely leaving a stalk. Its |
only drawbacks are, heavy draught, and |
too much duty gwen the driver. Cham |
pion No. 3, a dropper, soon became the |
general favorlte, and several were sold,
Parker for Mr.. Ingram. A number of
other gentlemen will doubtless purchase |
one apiece soon, judging from the favora- |
BILE tone of their conversation. Cham
pion No. 4, also dropper, came into |
the action very late, but it soon gained
favor with the people, notwithstanding |
it was leit-handed. 1t is also Dropper,
and throws the wheat into punches, just
the size for tying. The main, if not the
only objection found by the farmers
against the Droppers is, that theydrop
the wheat across the swath, so that the
binders are compelled to follow imme-
diately after the reaper. This is great
inconvenience to the farmer in damp
weather, especially in utting oats, as
t-ey are usually reaped Wien they are
partially gree Il, and require to lie in the
sun short time. The only machine of
a different name in the tield was an old
one owned by Mr.. Porter, Wood"
reaper. Mr.. Porter has used it for two
years, and during that time it has not
been out of fix two hours. It's machine
ry approximates perfection as nearly as
has yet been attained. To use tho ex-
pressive language of one of the Judges,
''it works like it had sense" Alas, how
ever, for human perfection, which may
approach tut never attains perfection,
the Wood Reaper is very heavy. The
opinion of the most intelligent farmers is
that for very large farms the Wood is
and scarcely equalled, end
that the Champion is the best for the
small farms of Maury County,
The wheat is the Rev. Green Irvine
variety, small white wheat, and was
free from the various dis
cases CON. fhr~-A- xrhaof |