The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-09-25
Evolution of the "Harvester.'

world for the manufacture of a great va
riety of Harvesting Machines and Agri-
cultural Implements in that line. A
writer in Hdrper's Weekly has followed
the Evolution of the Harvester from
the first period of the first man down to
the present time in q most interesting
paper on that subject, from which we
collate some very suggestive and enter
tanning statements. This writer says
that the original cave-dweller harvested
his wheat crop by going out to his field
and gnawing off the heads of the grain
with his active jaws. But our able pro-
genitor longed for something better.
Then there arose a thoughtful paleozoic
inventor who pointed out that the grain
could be pulled up 10y the roots and the
heads thrashed out in the palm of the
hand. This satisfied our esteemed an
cestor. and matters ran along thus for a
few hundred thousand years. Coming
along down to modern times let us begin
with the sickle, for instance. You may
still find old men who will tell you that
thew can remember when farmers in this
country had nothing but the sickle with
which to harvest their wheat and rye
A dozen men worked in single file, and
cut the grain with one hand and gathered
it on the other arm, stopping every
'round'' to drink earnestly out of big
Jug of New England rum or Pennsyl-
vania whiskey. Then came the cradle
a scythe with fingers on (which
made the grain lie straight Many
farmers have a cradle yet for corners and
old hooks. With it one man cut down
the grain and another bound it into
sheaves. Then arose direct descend
ant of the paleoZoic genius, and invented
a reaper drawn by horses. This was in
the '3O's, say. A man drove and small
boy sat on low seat and raked off the
grain in gayels. He was practically the
same small boy who used to pull the
strings that worked the cutoff valve in
the first steam engine. He soon lost his
occupation in both instances-in the case
of the reaper they invented mechanical
rake. 1t took five men to follow on foot
and bind up what the reaper cut down.
Still the farmer wasn't satisfied. So
they made him the harvester. Two men
besides the driver rode on this, and
bound the grain as it was brought up on
an endless apron to where they stood.
They had an awning over them, and
were very comfortably situated. This
was in the '70's. Still the agriculturis
fretted. Then he got the self-binder,
which he has yet-though he is begin
ming to find fault with it and talk about
electricity. At first they tried to tie up
the grain with wire, but it did not work
very well, and the machines were aban-
doned, and others using manila or hemp
Irvine were tried with better results.
The Harper'S Weekly writer contends
that the binder invented by man named
Appleby has perhaps been the most sue
cessful, though we think Walter A.
Wood could successfully contest that
claim. The Irvine or cord is very strong,
and is a little larger than round shoe
string. 1t seldom breaks; and the
sheaves are tied up firmer and better
than by hand. The self-binder is some
what complicated, but it seems simple
when we consider what it does. 1t is the
most intelligent machine used on the
farm. 1t would make the paleozoic man
dizzy to watch it. All it asks is that the
hired man shall keep his fingers out of
it and furnish it plenty of grain to bind
up. 1t does not tie square or "hard"
knot, nor yet a bow-knot. Bring the
two ends of string together for two or
three inches from their ends then con-
sidering the two strings as one, tie one
single plain school-bOy knot in 1T, and
you have the knot made by self-bin-
der. 1t is the hardest knot in the world
to unite, and it never gives a particle.
In the machine it is made by a funny,
crafty, little thingumbOb which turns
around half way. opens its mouth and
seizes the cord, turns on around and lets
go sullenly, as if it had half mind not
to. A knife cuts the cord, another
thingumbob holds the ends. two arms
sweep the sheaf off on to the ground,
and the binder waits for enough grain to
accumulate for another sheaf, when 1t
starts itself and repeats the operation.
1t works with the precision of fine
steam engine, if the hired man will only
let it alone. When our whilom Trojan,
the late William H. Merriam, was in the
flesh he was in the habit of writing pam
phlets for the Walter A. Wood Harvest
ing Machines, and in one of these he told
us of the workings of these machines on
the ancient historical wheat fields of the
world-on the plains of Abraham, in
Egypt, in India, Russia, and elsewhere
in famous localities spoken of in the
Bible or in History. He also told us of
the various animals throughout the
world that drew the Wood Harvesting
Machines when they gathered in the
harvest. These included elephants,
buffaloes, reindeer, camels, mules,
horses, jackasses, zebras, gnus, elk,
oxen, bovines, dogs, and we can't re-
member how many more animals that
have been domesticated for mans use. A
notwithstanding chapter could be written
on this branch of the Harvester Evolu-
tion," and we hope the Harper's Weekly
writer will turn his attention to this
field.-Sunday Budget. .--,