The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-21
A VERY SATISFACTORY TEST.

Yesterday the firm of Z. g. Smythe 81
Son invited the public generally to visit
the farm of Mr.. Mitchell about mile west
OF the Whitaker PACKING house to wit
ness the test ofthe Mccormick bindlochine.
the latest invention in harvest machinery
and probably the most important OF recnnt
years. Those who attended enjoyed
much finer treat than they expected for
| the bindlochine is really very novel aud
q very interesting machine. 1t bids fair
to supplant the old style and the probabll-
ity is that in five years the low down" as
it is called will have a monopoly in the
market if something still better Is not in
vented which is very remote possibility.
The machine is the invention OF an old
German who can neither read or write. 1t
represents the study of years. but he was
we'll repaid for his time for the Mccormick
people bought his patent for $175, 600 and
contracted 10 engage his services in their
factory at the handsome sum OF So, 600 per
year. The test come of on
schedule time in the farm OF
Mr. Mitchell. He was cutting oats with
the old machine which requires four and
five horses to pull when the ''low down"
arrived in the field. At first the gathering
seemed prejudiced against the new ma
chine, for it is very small, correspondingly
light and bad not that majestic and inn
posing look that the old machine had. The
people changed their minds soon, however,
and agreed with the old saying that after
all the best goods are put up in small
packages. Two horses were hitched to the
bindlochine, Mr.. Mitchell sat in the seat
for the first time, and away went the
horses stepping as high as if they were on
dress parade at country fair. Tue oats
was unusually short, rather uneven as TO
thickness, and little trouble was feared
by the spectators, who are naturally skep
tic of new things, but the bundles came
out in the most excellent shape, and what
seemed first strange, every bundle struck
on the butt. This was regarded as a CO.
incident, but Charlie Smythe informed the
now delighted spectators that the machln-
cry made the bundles fall on the butts eX-
clusively, presumably for the purpose of
not disturbing the grain and therefore saw
ing every kernel. Three rounds OF the
field were made and Mr.. Mitchell, who
never handled one OF the machines before,
was now fully competent to manage it.
Another peculiarly of the machine is that
it cuts every blade and the machinery
that binds it is SO perfect that not a
solitary blade is lost How it can accom-
plish this is really a wonder in itself. A
description of the machinery would make
a column of excellent reading matter, for
it represents principle in mechanics
that is entirely new. 1t Is impossible,
however. to describe it here on such
necessarily short notice. There Is nothing
really intricate or hard to understand
about it, and when man sees it he in
variably asks the question, well, why
didn't | think of that and make a
fortunei" The machinery is 10y far
simpler than the machinery of the old
style. all OF it is right under your eye and
within the reach OF your finger, and man
who never saw machine can see at
glance that the German inventors prime
ideas were simplicity coupled with dura-
bility and lightness Nj. Smyth is au-
thority for the statement that six
foot machine of this kind will cut and
bind fifteen or sixteen acres day, and not
miss a sheaf, and. from yesterday expert
ment, there is no reason to doubt his state
ment. Two horses will pull the machine
all day, and pull it easier than five horses
pull the old elevator styles of machines
The test was very satisfactory, and at its
conclusion Mir. Smythe sent telegram to
the company, which was signed by every
farmer present, bearing testimony to its
merits. This is the first "low down"
brought west of the Mississippi, and natu-
rally for that reason good deal of impor-
tauce is attached TO the test here. Mr..
Smythe says that the company are making
preparations to manufacture 100000 of
them next year, and thinks he will sell
from $50 to 200 of them here.