Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1875-04-29
Communicated.

Some twcnty-tnur years ago, in the early
days of Reaping Machines, IN implement
Was devised to cut grain and carry the bind
ers. An experimental machine was tested
near Cincinnati; over seventy acres were
cut and successfully bound, the binders do
ingtteir work on the machine; but the idea
was far in advance Of the wants Of the age.
Grain farms were principally new, the land
rough the grain heavy. The era was
transition one from the use of cradles: and
the single step Of cutting down the grain
with machine drawn By horses, was il
long one 10 take from the use Of the cradle.
The inventor of this implement was me-
chanic in the then modest Reaper Works
of c. II. Mccormick. Years afterwards the
idea was taken up by others, and in 1865
assumed Il definite shape before the public
in the Harsh Harvester. There was very
little modification Of the original machine,
except in details; even then the implement
was in advance Of the age, and large por-
ton Of the number tested that season was
thrown aside. The most urgent profession
al efforts of Mr.. Marsh failed to introduce
them with any rapidi,y, and the writer of
this saw him in 1865, at the end of IN I'LL
successful trial, pretty thoroughly dis!lcart-
ened and discouraged. A great obstacle
to their Introduction was the shabby man
ner in which they were built. Still they
gradually grew in favor in some localities,
and have now become very popular in d
section Of conn,ry representing about one
third of the grain-g growing part Of the Uni
ted States. in much the larger part of the
country their use is yet unknown This is
indicated by the relative number of ma
chimes built last season, in round numbers,
something less than twenty thousand Har-
yesters as against over sixty thousand
Reapers.
The large manufacturers have but Just
seen the need of building them, and now
that their attention is being given to the
matter, we may expect d great deal better
implement to be sold for less money. More
especially is this the fact, as there are no
patents on the essential feature of the Har.
vester that any one need to respect IfMr.
Marsll's claim to priority of invention was
we'll founded, the Edward, the Massillon,
the Low, Adams s. French, the Wood, the
Werner, the Galnhart, and the Usage would
not all of them have been built and sold
with impunity last season, and some of
them for four or five years ba. k; be assur-
cd that If there was royalty in it Mr..
Marsh would have had it long ago The
fact is, the old invention covers the whole
ground, and any one has right to build a
Harvester that chooses. The consequence
of this is, the purchaser will have no pat
ent fee or royalty to pay for, in buying a
machine, while brisk competition will
drive the poorly made ones out of the
market. 5 80 I'LL q, 40. -
Last year tile Mcssrs. cCormick in.
structcd the inventor Of the old Cincinnati
machine to unite all the valuable features
used IN the leading Harvesters into one
machine. fall the men in the country,
lie WAS the most eminentlY fitted to do this
work, and the sample machine now on ex.
hibitiOn at Mr.. Van Valkenburgh's Imple.
ment Store, is ample evidence Of the;c on.
sctentious and painstaking manner In
which he carried out his Instructions, a