Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-19

dropper. 1t is generally conceded that
the English are entitled to the credit for
perfecting the self-rake reaper.
But the vital principle OF the modern
harvester, the cutter-bar with the lecipro-
eating sickle, is the product Of American
sen.us, and the partisans OF Mccormick
md Obed Hussey claim for each of them
he honor Of the idea. The patent records
ne principle. his patent having been
ssued In December, 1888, while McCor-
.ick's was issued six months later. but
he records Of the time show that Nc
cormick had been using his machine and
perfecting it two o.. three years before
Hussey's patent was issued.
= ::
The world generally has conceded to
Mccormick the honor Of inventing the
modern har-
Honor for Harvester vester. and
Accorded Mccormick. hsve far
better claim to it than Fulton has to the
invention Of the steamboat. With Jeffer-
son making the first scientific moldboard
to pillow. Rumsey pioneering with the
steamboat, and Mccormick perfecting the
.epresented in the field OF invention as IL
was in war and statecraft. Innumerable
patents followed McCormick's and after
1850 the seif-binder. using Irvine for bind
ing. became the princil al ann Of the in
ventors.
The problem. continued to grow one
step nearer to solution with each patent,
until Appleby appeared with device
which has since been ad.plcd by al
binder makers. w. II. Payne hrst
brought out the bundle carrier. and many
small boy on the farm who useo to
gather sheaves' has offered up his
prayer of thanksgiving to Payne. Nov
the self-shocker Is beng developed and
1t is probable that soon two men VIII be
doing the work formerly done by five.
The story OF the mower is nearly as
long as that OF the binder, but, like the
binder, tho American type OF mower Is
acknowledged by the whole world to be
superior to that of any other country. Il
is said that three-fourths of the worlds
farming machinery IS modelled after the
American designs, and this includes the
mower The buggy rake. hay tedder and
the hay fork are all American Inventions
The thraching machine is Of Scotch origin,
but its principal improvement is due to
American inventors Corn harvesters are,
of course, of American origin. the first
one being sled with Oblique knives,
which was dragged between two corn
rows BY q horse Two men stood on the
sled and gathered the corn as they
passed
~
No invention in American history has af-
fected the destinies OF the nation as much
as the cotton gin. 1t
War Brought ON probably holds the
60 ~. distinction of being
that ever brought on a great war. When
Whitney invented the gin he gave an in
creased value to the labor Of the negro
slave. The outcome was that the north
and the south split on the slave issue. and
fought the greatest war of modern times.
II may be possible that it would have
been an 'irrepressible conflict" If the cot
ton gin had not been invented. but many
students OF history think not.
And what of the future Of the Ameri-
can farmer in the matter of inventions?
1t is predicted by the big implement.
makers that there will be wonderful
progress In the next score of years. II
iong has been realized that the gasoline
engine, the petrol tractor and like mach
merry, make for wonderful economy in
farm affairs. But the farmer is con-
sentative fellow. He would much rather
feed q horse bushel of corn than to
spend the price of that bushel Of corn for
yaeotlne or Otnef Ierm OF power. But the
latest departure Is calcula ed to overcome
this conservatism. The use of denatnred
alcohol is admirably suited for the iarm,
and the farmer now can raise his own
motive power as well as he can raise
horses. Potatoes are about the castles.
ming 10 raise. and they make large guam
.ities of alcohol suited to tractor pur-
poses. A still has been introduced which
will permit the farmer to make his own
alcohol.
Win this presage the passing Of the
horse. It was said that the cable and
the electric car sounded his death knell,
put there were more horses in the United
States afterward than before. Then 1t
was thought the automobile spelled his
doom, but he Is today greater In number
and value than In the. day when the auto
mobile challenged his prestige.
TomOrrow-AMERICA INVENTIONS,
ENTHUSIASTICALLY.