The Republican journal., 1876-03-30
Farm, Garden and Household.
From Gregg's Monthly.
History of Moving Machines.

Cutting grain and grass by machinery
is not a recent invention by any means
in tact, was not an invention at all, for the
principle has long been known and used;
and it may not be uninteresting to briefly
trace a portion of It's history, OF such por-
tions OF it as are authentic.
Pliny, who wrote about A d. 60, de-
scrbes a machine in use in some parts of
Gaul, a sort of cart, pushed instead of be-
ug drawn by oxen. The cart carried
Box, across the forward end of which was
attached a series of fingers probably be-
inc sharpened on the edges, and closely
resembling comb This, being pushed
INTO the standing grain, stripped off the
heads, which We're caught i'll the box. The
celebrated heading machines of the " est
are simply reproductions OF this, substitut-
ing reciprocating for stationary knives.
1t is somewhat strange that this idea
should have lain dormant for seventeen
hundred years, for it was in 1856 that Mr..
PITT suggested a machine with revolving
Knives pushed against the grain, and sew
cral reaping machines were built upon
this plan with but slight notifications;
and it was not until 1922 that the recpro-
eating knife was invented by a Mr.. Ogle,
ot England This machine had the cut
ling apparatus at the side. reel to gather
the grain, and a platform on which it fell,
which also tilted to drop the gayel Thus
1t viii be seen that "a years ago Il machine
was in use having all the essentials of our
modern reapers
Up to this time experiments had been
confined to England. but in 1926 Samuel
Love, OF Maine, built combined reaper
lsl Il. ! ..
several Others VINO severally claimed to be
the inventors OF valuable improvements,
the most important of which was that of
Ilussev. who patented the open guard III
s47 Hussey built reaping machines rs
early as 1888, and was successful
McCormac followed in 1884 and pushed
iis inventions with such yIgor and success
tbat he was almost universally accepted
rs the first inventor, which the records
show was not the fact.
Improvement followed improvement in
rapid succession, and, up to 1871, over
5000 patents had beer granted for various
attachments and device, very few OF
hiuh. however. were Of any practical
use In 1893 a patent wa granted for
hinged cuttcf-bar, which allowed the bar
fa he elevated 10 a limited extent and it
is under this patent and its subsequent re-
issues that most of the flexible bar $50
ra.ledJ moving machines are built. From
1866 10 1870 a series Of patents We're is
Jed which bid fair to rey0luti0niZe the
Whole flexible ban system, and it is under
these patents that the Meadow King Now
at alone is manufactured. This invention
IS a- watched with Jealous eyes by owners
~ other patents. who saw III this an evad-
.uce Of point which thpy had considered
4mpregnable and they attacked the Mead
uW King with prOmptness and yigor
worthy OF better cause
The manufacturers, (Gregg 4 Co) of
The Meadow King, fought them single
handed and alone. and Notwithstanding
lhe opposition were wealthy combinations.
they succeeded, and to-day the Meadow
King is independent of amy monopoly,
3uilt upon its own patents, paying tribute
iU NO one.
The Works OF Gregg n Co. are located
LII the beautiful village of lrunansburg
on the g. a l. r. r., and We're built in
500 They We're at that time on a COM
plratiyely small scale, but by additions
from year to year, necessitated by a rapid
In increasing trade, they now, with the
etore-houses, &c, attached. cover about
three acres of ground.
The work shops proper comprise 4 Ma
cline Shop 100 10, Moulding Room 100
20, Paint Shop lG0x 30, Wood Shop 100
No, Pattern Room 90 80. Black ksmith
Shop 90 40, Roller Room Iron Room,
store Rooms, sc, in the rear, not shown
n the cut.
The office built last year is the finest in
lhis section OF the country, being finished
polished walnut and ash and furnished
with aIl the modern conyenences for do
ug business with accuracy and dispatch.
and has telegraph connections with all
principal lines and stations. / he private
Office Immediately in the rear Of the busi-
ness Office is a model of convenience and
comfort.
he Company have a store house at the
K T. station where machines for shipment
are stored also one at the lake for canal
shipments TO all points east and west, at
cow rates
They have branch offices in New York
City, Chicago, san Francisco and Sacra-
mento Madison, Wis, St Paul, MINI,
Bellows Falls. Vt, and Winterport Maine.
The Maine office is under the supervi-
ion OF Hon. Fred Atwood, of waterproof,
ate state Senator. and one of the best
business men Of New England, He has
been identified with the Meadow King
several years, and under his mana cement
the mower has achieved reputation
second to none, in fact it is to-day the
eading machine OF the State