The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1878-10-31
The Power OF the Patent.

During the first ten years of the exist
eEce OF the patent law, says the American
Cultivator, only about 200 patents were
granted At the present time something
ike $4,000 are granted in year. They
embrace every branch OF human industry.
They cover the entire field OF agriculture,
as well As Of manufacture 1t would not
be possible to-day to raise a bushel of
wheat in this country without taking adj
vantage Of modern inventions. If the
plow itself was not a patented plow, it yet
would be plow, which embraced in the
iron or steel, used in its constr ;ction, pa
tented productions or the result of patent
. ed machinery. five discarded the plow
for the primitive spade, we should still
find ourselves in the use Of patented in
ventions. So rapid and wonderful has
/ been the progress in agricultural machine
ry that the very words that were used in
agriculture III our boyhood now no longer
. have their original meaning. Reaping
and thresling are not what they used to
/ be. A thresher is not man using fail,
but machine driven by a steam engine,
dcvOuring TIE grain on the western fields
faster than two teams can bring it from
the field within their reach The farm
ers who raise the grain, the millers who
grind it and the railroads which transport
it. are equally interested in patent agricul-
tural machinery; and yet, of the classes
Of men to-day, who are most hostile to
patents! 1t is those three classes of men
whom we have named as being most espe-
cially interested in this great branch of
national industry.
Few people have perfect idea of the
amount OF labor and money that is ex-
pended in producing and perfecting in
ventions. For instance, Holden spent six
teen years and $3.50, ,00G, and his partner,
: Lister, as much more, on their wool-comb-
ing machine, and altogether there was ex-
pended on the invention, before final sue
cess, not less than ten million of dollars. /!
Again, a Mr.. Howard and his partner eX-
pended S300,0 ,00U on their steam plow, and
it was not done as "a work of philanthro-
py, but from tie hope of gain" Besse-
mer, the inventor of Bessemer steel. spent
hundreds of thousands of dollars IN per
fecting his process: and the result of that
invention was that the production of steel
III Great BrIala was raised from $1,000
tons, in 1851, TO 100000 tons, in 1871. At
the same time the price was reduced per
ton, making d saving OF $a3, ,23I 800 ia
that twenty years, to say nothing Of the
benefits to all the world for all time TO
come.
The relations Of the patent system to-
wards the growth Of the industries of the
country, present some interesting facts.
BY figures taken iToIn the census, il ap-
pears that we are not only growing in
iIllc:tc -. t.,c;.76s as we grow as nation, but
We are also fast becoming a great manu-
featuring nation, or the manufactures of
tbs country are throwing the agricultural
interests into the shade, notwithstanding
the phenomenal progress Of the latter In
1870, the agricultural industries Of Ohio.
Indiana, 1liinein, afiaenII1i Iowa WiscOn
sin and Minnesota, gave pfo,ruee- e
&2er an0 000 and tho manufacturing In
jlusIIIes S931 100000. Ii 1870, the me
chanical industries Of the Western States
were ninety-one per cent, or $914,000,0 900
against S109,000000 for New England;
and at the present time there is reason TO
believe that they exceed the industries of
the New England States. In Illinois,
which has been looked on as a great agri-
cultural State, the agricultural product in
1870 Yves $210 SG0.0 coo, and the manufac-
tured product $205, 100000. Truly, the
inventive faculty Of the average American,
especially in the line of agricultural ma
chimes. has been wonderfully productive sc
in the manipulation of the fruits Of mother
earth.