Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-09
ASIERICA's INVENTIVE GENIus.
Pnients Issued ina Ninety Ycnrs-wOn-
derflIl AchievcmeI,t- il, Agricultural
implcmn ntI, Wearing Apparel, and
la Other I;frcctlUns,

1T IS m undeniabie fact that WIS. al
Jrdicious patent laws stimulate the invcn
tive genius OF the country III which they
exist, and thereby add to it wealth and
! prosperity. The United States and Great
Britain have the most comprehensive
patent laws, aiiording the greatest pro.
lection to inventors, and, rs Il consc-
duence, the most remarkable improve
ments III labor-saving machiues and
contr1vances arc noticeable in those
countries Switzerland, on the contrary,
winch is without n patent law, has been
for generations almost n nation of watch
makers But as no protection ia afforded
to the Inventive genius Of it's mechanics.
nono.ot any consequence have been forth
coming The result has been that within
tho past twenty years the inventive
genius of this country has enabled our
manufacturers to produce by machinery a
better watch than oan be made in that
country, and for less money, thereby
driving the Swiss watches ont OF the
markets OF this country. So great has
been the revolution IN this business that
the Swiss have been compelled not only
to copy them, but have also copied the
trade marks upon American watches in or
der to find sale for their inferior wares.
The first patent law enacted i'll this
country was in 1870. From 1890 to 1896,
forty-six years, 10,020 patents We're
granted. From 1886 to present date,
over 2oO,OO patents have been
granted. During the earlier stages
of the patent laws the New England
States received more patents than ali
the other states combined, except New
York. This is now al changed In 1870,
for the first tinio, the six states of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and
Missouri, took more pntents than the six
New England States. In 1877 the three
states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois took
out more patents than the six New Eng
land States-2, 80 against 2,479 and the
proportion in favor Of these Western
Stntes has since largely increased. New
York is the largest state for patents,
Pennsylvania next, South Carolina the
smallest number. For the past twenty
five years New York has received more
patents than the New England Slates
combined.
The frs, patent taken ont for pillow
wns by Charles Newbold in 1897. His
plow was made Of cast iron, and he had
great difficulty in Introducing 1.-THE
farmers entertaining an idea that n cast
iron pillow would poison tho land. 1t was
not till after 1886 that iron plows came
into general use. In 1870, after years of
trials and failures and the expenditure of
thousands of dollars, Mr.. Oliver, of South
Bend, Ind, perfected and patented his
'chilled plow." His patent was on
chilled iron mold-hoard
Over $50 patents have been issued on
machines for making horscshoes, the first
being issued i'll 1913. II wns some fifteen
years before satisfactory horseshoe could
be made by machinery.
Tho first horseshoe nail machine was
patented in 1851, nnd since that time over
ono hundred patents have been issued
Before the invention OF machines for
making horseshoe nails handmade nails
cost 10 ceHts per pound. Mschinenade
nails, which are coming into universal
use, are now sold from II to 20 cents per
pound. Over eight years time and $780,
oOO IN money were expended in perfect
ing the Globe and Putnam machine. for
making horssshss nails.
In old times it took u woman about two
days to knit pair Of stockings, or three
pair week, and she had to be industri-
GUS to accomplish that much. BY the
Nelson Knitting Machine, now in opera
ton at Rockford, Ill, seventy pairs day
on four hundred and twenty pairs II week,
are made by boy attending the machine
who Is paid 81 week, making tho coat
about one-Sixth Of mill per pair.
Spinning, as every one knows, WAS orig
inally done by hand The first spinning
wheel was invented by Frenclmuu in
i5io' An expert hand spinner could pro.
badly, IN ten hours, spin twelve sksins,
or e-lO0 miles OF thread. BY the latest
improved spinning machines one girl at
tends frsm 800 to SOY spipdlss, each Of