The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-28
Implements for Harvesting.

Up to 1894 the sickle was the only i'm
plement used for harvesting small grain.
During that year the grain cradle WIS
used in Scotland, and was considered the
most wonderful improvement of the age,
because it enabled one man to do as much
reaping as seven had previously done
with the sickle.
Until a patent was granted by the
United States to one Hussey, in 1888, Tor
reaper, no improvement had been made
upon the cradle. In 1884 Mccormick
received his first patent, and by 1845 he
had only made and sold three hundred.
In 1866 the first two-wheeled reaper was
made, and up to that time ten thousand
had been made with but single wheel.
In 1853 Hussey tried to sell his patent
for $4,000. He has made over $400, 900
by it. Prior to 1858 every reaper made
had to back the team to get up speed be-
fore it reached the grain, and not one
could start to cut right at the grain.
Over two million reapers have been
made in the United States; one hundred
fifcy-si1 thousand were manufactured
during the year 1876. Over two thou
sand five hundred patents have been
issued on reapers and mowers since Hus-
sey received his patent. Mccormick has
spent over $1,00O,000 on patents, and
from their success he is supposed to have
made enough money to buy out an ordi-
nary State. He now has hundreds of
thousands of acres Of lands, and an i'm
mense amount invested in his manufac-
tories.
Harvesters are machines upon which
three men ride, one to drive and two to
bind the grain that is by machinery
thrown into their laps as fast as the
blades cut it. There were 26, 900 harves-
tiers manufactured in 1876. There are
now $30,000,000 invested in the manu-
facture of reapers and harvesters, and
this amount is divided among twenty
eight factories. In 1866 there were 18S
manufactures of these machines, 160 of
them have been closed out by failure,
bankruptcy, competition, or some other
cause, chiefly because of the great amount
of capital necessary to make a success OF
the manufacture, and the losses incurred
by investing in one kind, which before it
could be proven to be just the thing the
farmers needed was superseded by an
other patent of more improved ma
chine. The reaper of 1866 would not be
used by the farmer of to-day if it were
given him, because the Improvements
have been so great.
The latest improvement is the self
binding harvester, which cuts the grain,
throws it on platform, where it is picked
up by machinery and bound with wire
and dropped to one side, no human hand
touching it at all. In 1876 there were
fifty of these machines made. In 1877
there were one thousand, and to-day one
firm has an order for four thousand for
the growing wheat crop. In 1877 q SIN
gle farmer in Dakotah Territory en-
ployed twenty men to drive his twenty
self-binding harvesters, and cut hive
thousand acres of wheat, which threshed
out 100000 bushels of grain, and no hui
man hand touched thing except the
bound bundles, which they carried to the
thrcsher; and they sewed up the bags
into which the thresher poured the grain
at the rate of twelve hundred bushels
per day. Each harvester cuts twenty
acres per day.
Sixteen hundred and 6fty-eight patents
have been issued for seed planters, and
600 for seed drills. With the latest pat
ent of corn planter one man with two
horses can plant and cover twenty acres
of corn in one day.
Three hundred and scyenty-eight pat
ents have been issued for corn shelters.
A man by steady work can shell about a
bushel of corn in an hour. The latest
patent enables one man, aided by two
horses, to shell and sack 1900 bushels of
corn in one day.
The corn crop of 1877, as reported by
the Agricultural Department, was 1900
100000 bushels. The wheat crop was
nearly 4O0,OOO,0O0 bushels.
These are startling figures. Who can
grasp themi-Ne,o, and Cdurie'.