The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-08

MONSTER HARVESTERS,
ORIGIN Of THE GREAT LABOR
SAVING MACHINES OF THE WEST.
How Grain is Harvested on tho Pacific
Coast-Iron Titans Which Wade
Through Grain Fields, Cutting,
ThrashIng and BngsIng all ut Oncc.
The constantly changing manner of har-
vcsting grain i'll the last quarter of q century
is worth recording. While the east has becn
making great strides in improvements the far
west has not been behind in modes adapted to
its wants In the last three or four years q
class of monster harvesting machines has
appeared They cut, thrash and sack tho
grain ns they move over the field, dropping
the filled sacks upon the ground, the grain
being cleaned ready for market. The real
origin Of these great labor-saving machines
has been known to very few. Even the pres
ent manufacturers are most of them in the
dark on the subject
In q reaent extended tour over Oregon,
Washington territory and Idaho I have de-
voted considerable time and expense TO
gathering facts, md can now locate the first
invention i'll Oregon. AS long ago as 1853
one Luper, residing near Lebanon, Ore,
built and used a machine which pushed ahead
of the horses and ran tho cut grain of in q
swath on the ground at tho loft of the
machine, leaving it to be gathered and car
ried to the stack or thrashcr From this
spranS the header and elevator now so well
known on the Pacific coast. 1t is suEstanti-
ally the same machine, but with spout that
carries the grain to large header beds on
wagons by which it is transported to the
stack.
CONFINED HEADER AND THRASHER
While tho Luper machine was in operation
Mcddcrs Vanderpoel, also residing hear Leba-
non, conceived the idea of attaching some
sort of thrasher to it. He built combined
machine in 1855, using it through one harvest.
1t was run almost entirely by belt, and tho
thrashing was done by friction, the thrnshed
grain falling into box and being winnowed
afterward. The machine did fair work, hut
was not durable. 1t gave out after cutting
700 or 500 acres Of grain. In 1860 Mr.. VAN
derpocl made improvements and changed tho
manner of handling the grain. After sea-
sons run, however, he was not pleased with
his improvements. In 1868 and 1864 he went
back to very nearly his first invention Hav-
ing obtained patents he constructed another
machine At the age of 81 years ho takes
great pleasure in exhibiting the model at his
farmhouse near Lebanon. Tho machine re-
quired ten good horses or mules and three
men to operate it. When properly handled
it would cut from twelve to eighteen acres Of
grain per day Nothing was ever done with
it in business way. It ran three or four
years, cutting large acreage, when it was
thrown aside. But it tattracted attention, and
others began to experiment in search Of a
good combined harvester and thrashcr
Tho first to go to work in earnest and c1-
pend money were w. G. and L. T. Davis, of
McAlilTvillc, Ore. They began work i'll 1866
and obtained patents in 1867. These patents
are il part the basis Of the present numerous
successful machines Of this class The Davis
brothers first made two machines. These
were used, one five years ard the other six
years They cut many thousands of acres of
grain III the great Willamette valley. At the
farm residence Ct L. II. Davis I saw an old
photograph of the machine. A few facts rc-
lating to the enterprise may interest your
readers.
CUTTING A BROAD SwATH.
Ten animals and three mcn were ,rsed to
run these machines. The average cut was
eighteen acres Of grain per day. The con-
trivance was pull-ant-p,lsh machine. Three
animals were on the left and three OH the
right of the separator, and four III tho lead
The operator stood Oh the left of the sclura-
tor III the rear, tue sackcr platform being OH
the right. The thrasher was OH ordinary Gelt
machine, and the patents covered the pecu-
liar ant novel connections between it and the
cutting apparatus.
The trials, troubles and losses of the Davis
boys would make good-sizcd volume. The
worst Of it is that they could not shape mat
tclS to carry OH the business and retrieve
their losses. About this time William II.
Parish had been operating with a similar
machine with limited success, rs had also j.
FL. Robbins e. Bro, all residing near the
scene of tho first Invention. The Davis
boys, being naable to go oil, sold their pat
ents to Mr. Parish and ono j. Z. Aikinr who
again sold to California parties at Stockton.
Since then several different kinds of the ma
chimes have been built there, as well rs one
at Bcncia.
Nearly all the California machines Of mark
require from eighteen to twcnty-eiGht ami
mails and three or four men. They cut from,
twcntyto forty acres of grain per day. The
swath cut is from twelve to twcnty-eight feet
in width. The cost to put tho grain in the
sack with these lnashincs is from 80 to ~
cents per acre, NIL told. They leave tho straw
and chaff scattered over the ground, unless
in cases where "bunchcs" are used for carry
ing tue straw and leaving it in piles SO that
the farmer can gather it.
These machines are row running i'll the
great San Joaquin valley. saw twenty il,
a two days trip. The grain was down and
tangled some, but they got through it easily.
The yield Is about ninc sacks of two and a
quarter bushels per acre for very larc acre
age in the middle district Of tho valley, Tho
quality IS fair and the price at railroad
stations is cent a pound.
These machines are not ut all adapted to
moist countries. They much resemble O
travelling caravan as they rumble through
tho vast fields of ripc waving grain. The
eastern tourist will not find i'll ull tho ramble
O g1andcr sight than the California travelling
caravan harvesting outfit.-Oallland (Cal.>
Cor. New York Sum-
Talking Over Their Indebtedness.
ay>o,% tLo ,,oor 1S,- I bop to hn i,,