,illustration3 ,hussey's ,american      
,reaper    ,,obed ,,hussey  ,,who1 ,,of 
,,all ,,inventors1 ,,made ,,bread       
,,cheap   ,being a true record of his   
life and struggles to introduce his     
greatest invention1 the reaper1 and its 
success1 as gathered from pamphlets     
published heretofore by some of his     
friends and associates1 and reprinted in
 this volume1 together with some        
additional facts and testimonials from  
other sources4    ,,edited ,,by         
,,follett ,l4 ,,greeno  #aiab           
,,copyrighted #aiab ,,by ,,follett ,l4  
,,greeno     ,,preface   ,every step in 
the progress of modern achievement has  
been met with strong resistance and     
hostile contest4 ,there is in business  
an actual firing line where continuous  
conflict wages1 and so fierce does the  
struggle become that it requires a      
certain class of men possessing         
qualities1 not only of energy and       
perseverance1 but of tenacity and       
combativeness1 aggressive and determined

 to fight to the last ditch for         
commercial supremacy4 ,such men do not  
always rely upon the merits of their    
cause1 nor do they stop to question the 
justice or injustice of their methods4  
,they have but one goal1 commercial     
supremacy1 and every effort is bent and 
every man and method utilized to attain 
that end4  ,men of inventive genius are 
rarely of that type4 ,they are more     
often unassuming and averse to anything 
like a personal combat4 ,such a man was 
,obed ,hussey1 inventor of the reaper4  
,honest and conscientious1 enured to    
hard and unremitting toil1 with the     
inspiration of a new idea for the       
benefit of mankind burning in his brain1
 he applied himself in the face of      
immense difficulties to the production  
and perfection of the great gift which  
he gave to the world4 ,he was a man at  
once so humble and so broad in his      
kindness1 so loyal to his ,quaker ideals
 of righteousness and justice1 that he  
offered no protests1 or arguments       

against his rivals and opponents other  
than the superiority of his own machine4
 ,only his great genius which produced  
the superior machine 7a fact which no   
one could possibly contradict7 could    
have saved him from the fierce          
opposition of his more powerful rivals4 
,one has only to read from some of his  
own letters reproduced in this          
narrative1 to witness the fairness of   
his attitude1 or to gain a knowledge of 
his scruples4  ,yet it was just this    
which has operated to deprive ,obed     
,hussey of his well deserved fame as    
inventor of the reaper4 ,moreover1 a    
great industry1 fostered by his         
opponents in the patent controversy1 has
 grown up1 the basis and life of which  
is ,obed ,hussey's invention of the     
reaper4 ,it would seem that the vast    
fortunes made from this industry should 
be ample reward for those who are       
receiving the benefits of a man's life  
work without whose genius it would never
 have been4  ,in #ahig there was        

published in ,chicago a booklet entitled
 ,a ,brief ,narrative of the ,invention 
of ,reaping ,machines1 a large part of  
which is reproduced in this book4 ,the  
pamphlets of which the narrative was a  
republication were from the pen of      
,edward ,stabler1 an able man and a     
mechanic of great skill and ability1 a  
close friend of ,mr4 ,hussey and one    
familiar with his reaper and with all   
the facts which he set forth in these   
articles4 ,such other facts and         
information as are published herein were
 furnished by ,martha ,hussey1 daughter 
of ,mr4 ,hussey1 now living and by my   
uncle1 ,hon4 ,alexander ,b4 ,lamberton1 
who married ,mr4 ,hussey's widow4 ,mr4  
,lamberton is a man of high standing1   
having for many years taken an active   
part in the affairs of ,rochester4 ,he  
was ,president of the ,rochester        
,chamber of ,commerce1 #aija-aijd 7three
 successive terms71 and has been        
,president of the ,rochester ,park      
,board for the past eleven years4 ,he   

also won national fame as a hunter and  
naturalist and was ,president of the    
,national ,association for the          
,protection of ,fish and ,game4 ,his    
relation to the ,hussey family has made 
him conversant with the whole history of
 the invention of the reaper and of ,mr4
 ,hussey's early struggles4  ,the facts 
as set forth in this volume are well    
known to the reaper men of the ,united  
,states1 men high up in the industry4   
,had ,mr4 ,hussey lived1 he would have  
been able to establish his claim to the 
invention of the reaper beyond the      
shadow of a doubt4 ,this humble man1    
who1 against tremendous odds and        
powerful opposition1 proved his         
contentions before ,congress and the    
,united ,states ,patent ,office could   
certainly have won deserved fame with   
the public4  ,his tragic death1 which   
came just at the time when his          
,congressional victory was certain and  
the future of his reaper seemed bright  
with promise1 occurred while he was en  

route from ,boston to ,portland1 ,maine1
 on ,august #d1 #ahfj4 ,in those days   
there was often no water in the cars4   
,the train had stopped at a station when
 a little child asked for a drink of    
water and ,mr4 ,hussey stepped out to   
get it for her4 ,on his return1 as he   
attempted to re-enter1 the cars started2
 he was thrown beneath the wheels and   
instantly killed4 ,the last act of his  
life was one of kindness and compassion4
  ,obed ,hussey is dead1 but his machine
 still lives1 an article of measureless 
value to the great world of agriculture4
 ,his life was one of long suffering and
 faithful service and he justly deserves
 the proper credit and honor for his    
great invention4 ,to ,obed ,hussey      
belongs the fame of ,inventor of the    
,reaper as these pages will show1 to    
which purpose these facts are published 
by those who knew him and his works1 and
 these facts1 like his works1 stand     
squarely on their own merits4  ,,follett
 ,l4 ,,greeno4 ,rochester1 ,n4 ,y41     

,april #ba1 #aiab4   ,illustration3     
,obed ,hussey1 ,inventor of the ,reaper 
,,obed ,,hussey1 ,,the ,,inventor ,,of  
,,the ,,reaper   ,sidenote3 ,a ,natural 
,inventor  ,obed ,hussey was of ,quaker 
stock1 born in ,maine in #agib and early
 removed to ,nantucket1 ,mass4 ,when    
young1 like all ,nantucket boys1 he had 
a desire to go to sea1 and made one or  
two whaling voyages4 ,he was of quiet   
and retiring disposition1 studious1     
thoughtful1 with a strong bent for      
studying intricate mechanical           
contrivances4 ,little is known of his   
early life and there is none living who 
knew him at that time4 ,he was a        
skillful draftsman and incessant worker 
at different inventions all his life4   
,he invented a successful steam plow1   
for which he obtained a medal in the    
,west4 ,he also invented a machine for  
grinding out hooks and eyes1 a mill for 
grinding corn and cobs1 a husking       
machine run by horse power1 the iron    
finger bar1 a machine for crushing sugar

 cane1 a machine for making artificial  
ice1 and other devices of more or less  
note4  ,his chief characteristic seems  
to have been an extremely sensitive1    
modest and unassuming personality4 ,it  
was this reticence which has served to  
keep him in the background as the       
inventor of the reaper4 ,he was         
unwilling to push himself forward1 and  
his claim to distinction has had to rest
 solely upon the merits of his greatest 
invention4  ,mr4 ,hussey first began    
work on his reaper in a room at the     
factory of ,richard ,b4 ,chenoweth1 a   
manufacturer of agricultural implements1
 and the story of those early efforts is
 told by ,sarah ,a4 ,chenoweth1 a       
granddaughter of the latter3  ,sidenote3
 ,early ,efforts  ,as a child1 it seemed
 that ,i had always known ,mr4 ,hussey4 
,i saw him every day of my life1 for he 
lived in a room1 the use of which my    
grandfather1 ,richard ,b4 ,chenoweth1 a 
manufacturer of agricultural implements 
in ,baltimore ,city1 had given him at   

his factory4 ,no grown person was       
allowed to enter1 for in this room he   
spent most of his time making patterns  
for the perfecting of his reaper4 ,i1   
unforbidden1 was his constant visitor1  
and asked him numberless questions1 one 
of which1 ,i remember1 was why he washed
 and dried his dishes with shavings4    
,his reply was characteristic of        
himself1 ',shavings are clean4'         
,sidenote3 ,first ,trial  ,at this time 
,i was about seven years of age1 having 
been born in #ahbd4 ,although very poor 
at the time1 he was a man of education1 
upright and honorable1 and so very      
gentle in both speech and manner that ,i
 never knew fear or awe of him4 ,i do   
not know for a certainty how long he    
remained there1--several years1 at the  
least1 ,i think1 but of his connection  
with the reaper1 ,i am positive1 for it 
was talked of morning1 noon and night4  
,to this day1 my brother bears on his   
finger a scar1 made by receiving a cut  
from one of the teeth of the machine4   

,when1 finally1 the model was completed1
 it was brought out into the yard of the
 factory for trial4 ,this trial was made
 on a board1 drilled with holes1 and    
stuck full of rye straws4 ,i helped to  
put those very straws in place4 ,mr4    
,hussey1 with repressed excitement1     
stood watching1 and when he saw the     
perfect success of his invention1 he    
hastened to his room too moved and      
agitated to speak4 ,this scene is       
vividly impressed on my mind1 as is also
 a remark made by a workman1 that ,mr4  
,hussey did not wish us to see the tears
 in his eyes4  ,the story of ,mr4       
,hussey's efforts at that time is also  
told by a brother of the little         
granddaughter3      ,chicago1 ,nov4 #be1
 #ahic4      ,clark ,lane1 ,esq41       
,elkhart1 ,ind4      ,my ,dear ,sir3--  
,i notice in this morning's ',inter     
,ocean' your letter of #bbnd in         
regard to the ,first ,reaper and ,obed  
,hussey2 now ,i can say that the        
name of ,obed ,hussey called to my mind 

the best friend of my     boyhood days1 
as he was in the habit of keeping me    
supplied with     pennies when ,i was   
short1 and taught me how to put iron on 
a wood     sled1 and helped me to make  
my first wagon as he turned the wheel   
for me4 ,you are right with regard to   
the date of the fingers and     shaped  
cutters for ,reapers1 as ,i saw and     
handled it1 to my sorrow     in #ahcc or
 '#cd before the machine was finished   
and nearly cut my     fingers off4 ,i   
have the whole thing photographed in my 
mind and     can show the spot or within
 #aj feet of it where ,i lay on the     
floor4 ,it was not possible to try it in
 ,maryland1 owing to the     hilly      
nature of the ground1 and was afterwards
 taken to ,ohio for     trial and was   
rebuilt there1 or at least a part of it1
 but of that     part 7the rebuilding7  
,i do not know for a certainty1 but the 
bars1     fingers and knives ,i do most 
positively remember1 as ,i was a lad    
of some eight or nine years old with a  

mechanical turn of mind and     was     
looking into what seemed strange to me1 
hence ,i cut my finger     so bad that  
,i carried the scar for a number of     
years4 ,i very     distinctly remember  
the incomplete reaper made by my old    
friend1     ,obed ,hussey1 as it was    
made in my grandfather's shop in        
,baltimore1     ,maryland1 who was at   
that time the leading plow-maker of the 
,u4 ,s4     and that it was made either 
in #ahcc or '#cd1 as ,i would not have  
had a chance to see it if later than    
'#cd as ,i was not at home     until    
'#ch1 when it had been sent1 as ,i was  
told1 to ,ohio for trial     and some   
parts had to be rebuilt4      ,please   
excuse the liberty ,i have taken in     
writing to you1 but ,i     could not    
resist the temptation to give my tribute
 to my old     friend1 ,o4 ,hussey4     
,very respectfully yours1      7,signed7
 ,w4 ,h4 ,,chenoweth4  ,the machine     
referred to was1 no doubt1 the reaper   
completed and tested near ,cincinnati in

 the harvest of #ahcc4  ,sidenote3 ,the 
,first ,reaper  ,it is not known when   
,mr4 ,hussey left the ,chenoweth        
factory1 but during the winter of       
#ahcb-cc he was at ,cincinnati working  
upon the reaper that1 more than else1   
won him lasting fame during the harvest 
of #ahcc4 ,the ,mechanics ,magazine for 
,april1 #ahcd1 contains an illustration 
of ,hussey's ,grain ,cutter4 ,the       
picture does not represent the model    
deposited in the ,patent ,office with   
his application1 for it differs in many 
essentials from the drawing of the      
patent1 which1 of course1 corresponded  
with the model there filed4 ,it has     
neither divider nor outer wheel1 and the
 construction of the platform differs   
from that of his regular machine4 ,it is
 thought that the picture represents the
 small working model made at the        
,chenoweth factory1 mentioned by the    
little girl4  ,sidenote3 ,financing the 
,first ,reaper  ,mr4 ,hussey found one  
who took an interest in his invention   

and became so confident of its value    
that he provided the necessary funds and
 mechanical facilities for manufacturing
 a reaper to be tested in the field4    
,this was ,jarvis ,reynolds of          
,cincinnati4 ,drawings were made of the 
cutting apparatus and a description of  
it was sent by the inventor to a friend1
 ,edwin ,g4 ,pratt1 early in #ahcc4     
,sidenote3 ,the ,reaper ,historian      
,another personal friend of ,obed       
,hussey was ,edward ,stabler1 who lived 
at ,sandy ,hill1 ,maryland1 and was1 as 
he termed himself1 a farmer and a       
mechanic4 ,that he was a mechanic of    
ability is evidenced by government seals
 which were cut by him1 that for the    
,smithsonian ,institute being worthy of 
mention as an example of his skill4 ,he 
was a postmaster from ,president        
,jackson's time until his own death4 ,he
 is the only one who may be said to have
 acted as ,hussey's historian1 and has  
left very much valuable information in  
the form of letters1 legal papers1 et   

cetera4 ,in #ahed and '#ee he published 
,a ,brief ,narrative of the ,invention  
of ,reaping ,machines1 ,hussey's        
,reaping ,machine in ,england1 and ,a   
,review of the ,pamphlet of ,w4 ,n4 ,p4 
,fitzgerald in ,opposition to the       
,extension of the ,patent of ,obed      
,hussey2 and also of the ,defense1 of   
,evidence in ,favor of ,said ,extention1
 etc4 ,there is sufficient data         
obtainable from ,mr4 ,stabler's various 
publications and material in the        
,congressional ,library to enable one to
 judge for himself whether the honors   
placed upon this inventor by the ,patent
 ,office1 the ,courts1 by ,congress1 and
 by the farmer were earned4  ,it was at 
the time ,mr4 ,hussey was residing in   
,baltimore that he turned his attention 
to the idea of a reaping machine and    
spent his leisure hours in working out  
his model4 ,this satisfied him that the 
thing was practical1 and he undertook an
 operating machine1 which1 although     
lightly made1 was fully sufficient to   

test the great principle4 ,at this time 
he had no knowledge whether any others  
had undertaken anything in this         
direction and there was nothing in his  
own mechanical occupation which would   
make him familiar with the subject4     
,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick ,claims          
,invention  ,as the only other claimant 
for the honor of inventing the reaper   
was ,cyrus ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 reference is
 here made to a book entitled ,memorial 
of ,robert ,mc,cormick1 the father of   
,cyrus ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 ,leander ,j4    
,mc,cormick and ,william ,s4            
,mc,cormick1 published by the said      
,leander ,j4 ,mc,cormick in #ahhe1 pages
 #dd to the bottom of page #ea1 also    
pages #eh to #fa inclusive1 from which  
,i extract3  ,sidenote3 ,denial by      
,members of ,mc,cormick ,family  ,now1  
while we have no disposition to question
 the merits of the so-called ,mc,cormick
 harvester and binder1 which1 without   
doubt1 is a good machine1--though the   
judgment of foreigners as to its value  

is of no consequence1--we do assert that
 ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick was not entitled to
 any of the honors showered upon him as 
its inventor4 ,to be more explicit1 he  
not only did not invent the said        
machine1 nor mechanically assist in the 
combinations of the inventions of others
 which produced it1 but he never        
invented or produced any essential      
elementary part in any reaping or       
harvesting machine from the first to    
last4 ,these assertions are broad1 but  
absolutely true4 ,they stand squarely   
upon the records and the history and    
state of the art4 ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick1  
or any one for him1 cannot deny them    
with proofs1 therefore he is not        
entitled to recognition as the man who  
'has done more to elevate agriculture   
than any man the world has produced1'   
because of his supposed inventions in   
this line2 but on the contrary1 that the
 development of ,western agriculture has
 elevated him1 and that he has more     
money1 and received more honors1 'than  

any man the world has produced1' by     
appropriating the brains of others1 and 
the credit due them as inventors1 are   
propositions much more defensible4      
,sidenote3 ,their ,affirmation of       
,hussey's ,claim  ,but the man who is   
entitled to the most credit1 as inventor
 and pioneer in this business1 is ,obed 
,hussey1 who1 ,december #cast1 #ahcc1   
patented the machine 7successfully      
operated in previous harvest1 well known
 and in use since to this day71 which   
combined all the main features--except  
the reel1 which was then an old         
device--of practical reapers down to the
 time1 at least1 when 'harvesters1'     
so-called1 came into the field4         
,illustration3 7,from ,an ,old ,print7  
,sidenote3 ,the ,first ,machine  ,the   
following is also copied from ,memorial 
of ,robert ,mc,cormick1 published by    
,leander ,j4 ,mc,cormick in #ahhe3  ,,to
 ,,the ,,congress ,,of ,,the ,,united   
,,states  ,,remonstrance  ,of the       
,citizens of ,new ,york against the     

renewal of ,letters ,patent granted to  
,cyrus ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 ,june #ba1      
#ahcd1 for improvements in the ,reaping 
,machine4  ,among the early reaper      
inventors of this country1 ,mr4 ,obed   
,hussey1 now of ,baltimore1 stood for   
many years deservedly the most          
prominent1 and he has doubtless by his  
genius and indefatigable exertions      
7although in a modest way7 contributed  
more to the advancement of this         
invention than any other man4 ,he first 
tested his machine in #ahcc1 and took   
out a patent for it the #cast of        
,december of that year4  ,he first      
constructed his machine with a reel to  
gather the grain up to the cutters1 and 
throw it upon the platform2 but on      
trial1 with his cutter1 he thought it   
unnecessary and only an incumbrance1    
and1 therefore1 threw it aside and has  
never used it since4 ,the main          
frame-work containing the gearing was   
suspended on two wheels about three feet
 four inches in diameter4 ,the platform 

was attached to the rear of this frame1 
and extended out one side of it say six 
feet4 ,the team was attached to the     
front end of the frame and traveled at  
the side of the standing grain as in    
,randall's machine4 ,the cutting        
apparatus was pretty much the same as   
now used in ,hussey's machine4 ,the     
knife is constructed of steel plates1   
riveted to a flat bar of iron4 ,these   
plates are three inches broad at the end
 where they are riveted to the bar1 and 
four and a half inches long1 projecting 
in front1 and tapering nearly to a      
point1 forming what is described as a   
saw with very coarse teeth1 which are   
sharp on both edges4 ,this cutter is    
supported on what he terms guards1 which
 are attached to the front edge of the  
platform or cutter-bar 7as termed by    
,hussey71 one every three inches the    
whole width of the machine1 projecting  
horizontally in front about six or eight
 inches4 ,these guards have long slots  
through them horizontally through which 

the cutter vibrates1 and thus form a    
support for the grain whilst it is cut1 
and protect the cutter from liability to
 injury from large stones and other     
obstructions4 ,the cutter is attached by
 means of a pitman rod to a crank1 which
 is put in motion by gearing connecting 
with one or both of the ground wheels as
 may be desired1 according to           
circumstances1 which gives to the cutter
 as the machine advances1 a quick       
vibrating motion2 and each point of the 
cutter vibrates from the centre of one  
guard1 through the space between1 to the
 centre of the next1 thus cutting       
equally both ways4 ,as the machine      
advances1 the grain is readily cut1 and 
the butts are carried along with the    
machine which causes the tops to fall   
back upon the platform without the aid  
of the reel4 ,the grain to be cut was   
separated from that to be left standing 
by means of a point projecting in front 
of the cutter1 in the form of a wedge1  
bearing the grain both inwards and      

outwards1 with a board set edgewise upon
 it1 sloping downwards1 to a point in   
front4 ,the grain was raked from the    
machine by a man riding upon it1 in rear
 of the frame1 at the side of the       
cutter1 nearly in range with the guards1
 with his back towards the team1        
sometimes at the side and sometimes     
behind the platform4 ,soon after this   
date ,mr4 ,hussey changed the           
construction of his machine somewhat1   
used one large ground wheel instead of  
two1 placed the platform alongside the  
frame1 and placed his raker on a seat by
 the side of the large ground wheel1    
facing the team1 and raked the grain off
 in rear of the platform4  ,sidenote3   
,the ,most ,practical  ,this was for    
many years doubtless the most practical 
reaping machine known1 and1 with the    
improvements that have been made upon   
it1 from time to time1 it is now        
preferred to any other in many wheat    
growing sections of the country4        
,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hussey's ,plea  ,the   

fact and intensity of ,mr4 ,hussey's    
struggles may1 in part1 be gathered from
 his letter to ,edward ,stabler1 dated  
,march #ab1 #ahed3      ,baltimore1     
,march #ab1 #ahed4      ,my ,esteemed   
,friend1 ,edward ,stabler3--      ,i    
think the work goes bravely on4 ,i am   
unable to express my     estimation of  
thy disinterested efforts2 ,i never     
before     experienced anything of the  
kind2 it seems entirely new to me to    
have any one go out of their way so     
much1 to do so much for me4 ,i     am   
not so much surprised at the progress   
thee makes considering     the man1 as  
,i am that any man could be found to do 
me such a     service4 ,i hope thee will
 not get weary2 ,i am sure thee will    
not4     ,i hope the ,committee will not
 act so unjustly as to turn their       
backs on all cases because there is     
'rascality' in some2 because     there  
is rascality in some cases1 why should a
 just cause suffer8     ,the facts in my
 case can be easily proved4 ,i made no  

money during     the existence of my    
patent1 or ,i might say ,i made less    
than ,i     would have made if ,i had   
held an under-clerk's position in the   
,patent ,office2 ,i would have been     
better off at the end of the #ad        
years if ,i had filled exactly such     
station as my foreman holds1     and got
 his pay1 and would not have had half   
the hard work1 nor a     hundredth part 
of the heart-aching4 ,i never           
experienced half the     fatigue in     
rowing after a whale in the ,pacific    
,ocean 7which ,i have     often done7 as
 ,i experienced year after year for     
eighteen years in     the harvest field1
 ,i might say twenty years1 for ,i      
worked as hard     in ,england as ,i do 
at home1 for in the harvest1 wherever ,i
 am     there is no rest for me4 ,if ,i 
am guilty of no rascality why should    
,i not be compensated for toiling to    
introduce an invention which ,i         
thought to be of so much advantage to   
the ,world4 ,i know ,i was the     first

 one who successfully accomplished the  
cutting of     grain and grass by       
machinery4 ,if others tried to do it    
before me it was not doing it2 being the
 first who ever did     it1 why should  
,i be obliged to suffer and toil most1  
and get the     least by it8 ,no man    
knows how much ,i have suffered in body 
and     mind since #ahcc1 on account of 
this thing1 the first year ,i           
operated it in ,balto4 ,three years     
after ,i cut the first crop1 ,i         
could not go to meeting for many weeks  
for want of a decent     coat1 while for
 economy ,i made my own coffee and eat1 
slept in     my shop1 until ,i had sold 
machines enough to be able to do better2
     there was no rascality in all that4
 ,my machines then cost me     nearly   
all ,i got for them when counting       
moderate wages for my own     labour4   
,the ,quaker who lent me the ninety     
dollars ten years     afterward would   
not then 7ten years before7 trust me for
 iron1 one     who was not a ,quaker    

did4 ,there is one thing not generally  
understood2 thou will remember the trial
 at ,lloyd's1 thou     remembers also   
that ,i received the purse of #ajj      
dollars2 now what     would the world   
suppose ,i would do8 ,why that ,i would 
do like the     flour holders1 keep the 
price up6 ,but it is a fact and can     
be proved1 that after it was announced  
to me that the verdict was     in my    
favor ,i said to a gentleman now ,i will
 reduce my price #aj     dollars1 on    
each machine1 and ,i did it1 from that  
hour     and did not breathe my         
intention until after that decision was 
announced to me6 ,where is the man who  
has done the like under     similar     
circumstances8 ,there is no 'rascality' 
in that4 ,now ,i do     not believe that
 there is a reaper in the country 7which
 is good     for anything7 at so low a  
price as mine1 and not one on which so  
little profit is made4      ,i will     
inclose a pamphlet which ,i suppose thee
 has already     seen--it may be useful4

      ,thy friend1      7,signed7 ,,obed
 ,,hussey4  ,mr4 ,william ,n4 ,whitely1 
an early inventor and manufacturer of   
harvesting machinery1 who was for many  
years the king of the reaper business1  
and who fought the ,hussey extension    
tooth and nail1 on ,january #h1 #ahig1  
wrote to the ,farm ,implement ,news upon
 the subject of ,mc,cormick's portrait  
on the silver certificates1 then about  
to be issued1 in which he refers also to
 ,mr4 ,hussey1 as follows3  ,sidenote3  
,from the ,pen of a ,hussey ,opponent   
,editor ',farm ,implement ,news'3       
,having been informed that the bureau of
 engraving and printing was preparing   
new #aj silver certificates to be       
ornamented by the busts of ,whitney1 the
 inventor of the cotton gin1 and ,c4 ,h4
 ,mc,cormick1 'inventor of the reaper1' 
,i write you to say that it would       
manifestly be unjust to credit the      
invention of the reaper to any one man4 
,mr4 ,mc,cormick does deserve great     
credit for his enterprise and business  

skill in the many years he was engaged  
in manufacturing harvesting machinery   
and we are pleased to honor his memory2 
yet so much has been done in bringing   
the reaper to its present state of      
perfection by the many thousands of     
inventors that our government would make
 a mistake in singling out ,mr4         
,mc,cormick from the many meritorious   
ones who have contributed so much to the
 reaper of the past and of the present  
day4 ,we well understand that no effort 
has been spared for many years past in  
keeping ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick before the  
,american people as the inventor of the 
reaper by his immediate relatives and   
friends1 and we have no right to find   
fault with such a course upon their     
part2 but when the great government of  
the ,united ,states of ,america proposes
 to certify by the above mentioned      
course to the correctness of the claims 
made for ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick as the     
inventor of the reaper1 to the          
disparagement of so many other worthy   

inventors and co-workers upon the       
reaper1 then those who know better      
should raise their voices against such  
an attempted recognition for any one    
man1 of whom the best that can be said  
is that he was only one of the many4    
,sidenote3 ,the ,reaper ,itself ,mr4    
,hussey's ,contribution  ,from #ahca to 
#ahcd1 and for several years thereafter1
 two persons1 i4e41 ,obed ,hussey and   
,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 were striving to   
produce a successful reaping machine for
 cutting grain and grass1 as were many  
others1 before and since4 ,these two men
 were contemporaneously in the field1   
and no doubt they both labored          
faithfully to accomplish the desired    
result4 ,the invention of ,obed ,hussey1
 the features of which were embraced in 
his first machine in #ahcb and #ahcc1   
included all the principles of a        
practical reaper4 ,it was a side draft  
or side cut machine2 that is1 the       
cutting apparatus extended out to one   
side1 the animals drawing the machine   

moving along by the side of the grain or
 grass to be cut4 ,it had two driving   
and supporting wheels1 gearing extending
 rearward with a crank and pitman       
therefrom to reciprocate the cutters1   
which were scalloped or projecting      
blades from a bar and vibrated through  
slotted guard fingers which held the    
stalks to be cut4 ,the cutting apparatus
 was hinged to the side of the frame of 
the machine to enable it to follow the  
surface of the ground over which the    
machine was passing4 ,a platform was    
supported by an outer and inner wheel4  
,the operator was seated upon the       
machine and raked the grain into sheaves
 from the platform as it was cut4 ,over 
sixty years have come and gone1 yet all 
the essential features of the first     
,hussey machine and all ,hussey machines
 made thereafter 7which were large      
numbers7 employed substantially these   
devices4 ,the machine was successful the
 first time it was completed1 and ever  
after were the ,hussey machines         

successful in harvesting grain and      
grass4 ,the fundamental principles of   
all harvesting machinery of the world   
to-day were furnished by ,obed ,hussey's
 invention and patent of #ahcc2 and     
while very many and valuable            
improvements have been made thereon for 
harvesting grain and grass1 for which   
credit should be given to the worthy    
inventors who followed after ,hussey1   
yet we must not ignore his valuable     
contribution1 'the reaper4'  ,cyrus ,h4 
,mc,cormick's first patent was dated in 
#ahcd4 ,this was known as a push machine
 with a straight cutter1 the operator   
walking by the side of the machine and  
raking the grain from the platform4     
,other modifications in after years were
 made on this machine by ,mr4           
,mc,cormick2 and it may be said that the
 inventive genius of ,obed ,hussey and  
the business tact and skill of ,c4 ,h4  
,mc,cormick produced and brought into   
practical use the first successful      
reaping machine of this or any other    

country4  ,sidenote3 ,whose ,machine    
,still ,lives8  ,whatever might have    
been embodied in the first ,mc,cormick  
machine or in his experiments or        
machines for the first fifteen years of 
his efforts1 the reaper of the present  
day does not disclose any principles    
contained in these early efforts of ,c4 
,h4 ,mc,cormick2 but that cannot be said
 of ,hussey4 ,all reaping machines of   
the present day embody substantially all
 of the vital principles given by ,obed 
,hussey in #ahcc and at different       
periods thereafter4 ,the ,patent        
,office1 as well as other sources of    
information1 make good these statements4
  ,passing1 however1 from the early     
history up to the present time1 when the
 present mowing machines and grain      
binding machines are seen in operation1 
and taking into account the thousands of
 patents that have been issued to       
,american inventors for various features
 that they have brought out1 it would be
 but simple justice that all be         

recognized as contributors to the       
building up of such valuable and        
important pieces of machinery2 and ,i   
cannot but repeat that it would be very 
unjust1 unfair and un-,american to      
single out one person1 and that one ,mr4
 ,mc,cormick1 as a representative to be 
used by the government printing bureau1 
when it is so well known what he did and
 what he did not do in the invention of 
the reaper4 ,it would be a false        
monument2 it would only be respected by 
persons who are ignorant of the facts4  
,if this should succeed1 it would not be
 the first time1 as likely it will not  
be the last time1 in the history of     
mankind where those who did the work    
were soon forgotten and those who were  
more fortunate in being held up and     
prominently kept before the public by   
their friends or powerful allies        
received unjustly the credit4           
,sidenote3 ,early ,ventures in          
,manufacture  ,sidenote3 ,an            
,unfortunate ,delay  ,it will be seen   

from the foregoing extracts that ,mr4   
,hussey's machines went early into the  
field in such quantities as he and other
 little manufacturers throughout the    
country1 some of whom ignored the       
exclusive rights granted him1 could put 
them out4 ,they were simple1 and a few  
castings were all that was necessary1   
except lumber1 which was plenty in the  
forests of the ,east and in the groves  
of the ,west1 to enable a country wagon 
maker and blacksmith to put machines    
into the field4 ,many of the earlier    
inventors1 who began the manufacture of 
reapers of their own invention1 followed
 that course and castings were sometimes
 brought from great distances4 ,mr4     
,hussey applied for an extension of his 
#ahcc patent1 but1 not knowing the exact
 requirements1 his application was      
offered too late1 sixty days before the 
expiration of the patent being the time 
allotted4 ,knowing1 we presume1 but     
little about law1 and still less about  
the rules and regulations of the ,patent

 ,office--for all his time1 and constant
 labor with his own hands1 were required
 in the workshop to earn a bare         
support1--but being very desirous to    
obtain an extension of his ,patent      
before it should expire1 and also having
 some personal acquaintance with        
,commissioner ,ellsworth1 ,hussey's     
first application was made to him in    
#ahde1 a short time previous to his     
going out of office2 certainly not less 
than twelve months before the           
expiration4 ,this is proved by the      
annexed letter3      ,la ,fayette1 ,ia41
 ,july #c1 #ahed4      ,dear ,sir3--    
,your letter of some weeks since1       
referring to a conversation ,i     had  
with you while ,i was ,commissioner of  
,patents1 relative to the     extention 
of your patent for a ,reaper1 would have
 been answered     earlier1 but for     
absence and extreme pressure of         
business4      ,if my recollection will 
aid you1 ,i most cheerfully state1 that 
before your patent expired1 you         

consulted me as to the extension     of 
the same4 ,i replied that it was better 
to postpone an     application until    
near the time the patent would run out1 
for the     ,office must estimate the   
profits of the invention during the     
whole     term2 and you accordingly     
postponed it4 ,i regret you postponed it
     too long4 ,the publication of      
thirty days before the patent           
expired1 was a rule as published by     
myself4 ,if you have lost your          
opportunity for relief through 7the7    
,patent ,office1 you must of     course 
go to ,congress4 ,i have always regarded
 your improvement as     valuable1 and  
that the country is greatly indebted to 
your     persevering efforts1           
notwithstanding the obstacles presented4
      ,yours respectfully1      ,,henry 
,l4 ,,ellsworth4      ,mr4 ,obed        
,hussey1 ,balto41 ,md4  ,hussey acted on
 this official advice1 and did postpone 
an application until near the time the  
patent would run out--literally so1 for 

he was not advised of even the thirty   
days' rule4  ,sidenote3 ,why ,mr4       
,hussey's ,application ,was ,late  ,when
 he again applied1 and not until near   
the time the patent would run out1      
,edmund ,burke was ,commissioner of     
,patents4 ,he states in a letter to     
,senators ,douglas and ,shields1 under  
date ,march #dth1 #ahej1 as follows3    
,in relation to the patent of ,hussey1  
if my memory serves me1 his patent      
expired some time within the latter part
 of ,december1 #ahdg4 ,during that      
month1 and within some ten or twelve    
days before the expiration of his       
patent1 he applied to me as             
,commissioner of ,patents for an        
extension4 ,i informed him1 that        
inasmuch as the act of ,congress        
prescribed the mode in which patents    
should be extended2 required a          
reasonable notice to be given to the    
public in sundry newspapers1 published  
in those parts of the country most      
interested against such extension2 and  

as the board had decided that           
'reasonable' notice should be a         
publication of the application for      
extension three weeks prior to the day  
appointed for the hearing1 there was not
 time to give the required notice in his
 case2 and ,i advised ,mr4 ,hussey not  
to make his application1 and thus lose  
the fee of #dj required in such cases1  
as he inevitably would1 without the     
least prospect of succeeding in his     
application--but to petition ,congress  
for an extension1 which body had the    
power to grant it4  ,sidenote3 ,an ,able
 and ,unanswerable ,report              
,washington1 #eth ,sept41 #ahed4        
,obed ,hussey1 ,esq41 ,baltimore3--     
,my ,dear ,sir3 ,i have recently        
learned1 with surprise and indignation1 
that certain speculating harpies who    
fill their coffers with the     products
 of other men's brains1 and who1 in your
 case1 seek to 'reap     where they sow 
not' are basely and unjustly endeavoring
 to prevent     a renewal of your patent

 for your ,reaping and ,mowing          
,machine1' upon     the ground among    
others that you and your agents have    
neglected to     press your ,claim      
properly before ,congress4      ,i have 
been your ,agent from the time the claim
 was first presented     to ,congress1  
and know that the ,charge is entirely   
unfounded4      ,the facts according to 
the best of my recollection and belief1 
are     as follows3 ,your ,claim for a  
renewal was presented to ,congress at   
the     very first ,session1 after you  
ascertained that your application to the
     ,commissioner could not be acted   
upon under the rules of the ,patent     
,office4 ,every paper and proof         
necessary to establish your right to a  
renewal of your patent1 under the       
existing laws1 was procured1 and        
promptly placed with your memorial1     
before ,congress4 ,no further proof     
was required by the ,committee on       
,patents1 in the ,senate1 and your      
right to a renewal was fully established

 by an able and unanswerable     report 
of that ,committee1 accompanied by a    
bill for a renewal4 ,this     report and
 bill were printed by order of the      
,senate1 and were noticed     as a part 
of the proceedings of ,congress1 by the 
press throughout the     ,united        
,states1 and every body thus notified of
 your application4  ,sidenote3 ,mr4     
,hussey's ,methods      ,from that      
period to the present time1 ,i do not   
think there has been     a single       
,congress at which all proper efforts   
were not made to     obtain the action  
of that ,body4 ,members were not annoyed
 with     indecent importunity2 nor were
 any powerful combinations of           
interested individuals resorted to1 to  
force your ,claim upon the              
consideration of ,congress4 ,this was   
not in accordance with your     taste1  
or your means4 ,i well remember1        
however1 that you frequently     visited
 this ,city on that business2 and that  
at almost every     session1 you either 

brought or sent to me1 to be laid before
     ,congress1 some new evidence of the
 triumph of your great invention4       
,these documents were faithfully laid   
before that body1 or sent to     the    
senators from ,maryland for that        
purpose4 ,on one occasion1 as     your  
agent1 ,i addressed a somewhat extended 
communication to the     ,senators from 
,maryland1 attempting to show the vast  
importance of     your invention to the 
,agricultural interests of the ,united  
,states1     and the strong claims you  
had to a renewal of your patent1 and    
requested them as the ,representatives  
of your ,state in the ,senate1     to   
give their attention and influence to   
accomplish that end4      ,at a         
subsequent ,session1 this request was   
repeated1 to one or both     of the     
,senators from that ,state4      ,i can 
also state with certainty that hardly a 
,session of ,congress     has passed    
since your memorial was first presented1
 at which     prominent and ,scientific 

,agriculturalists1 in different parts of
 the     ,country1 who were acquainted  
with the merits of your invention1 have 
not used their influence with ,members  
of ,congress to obtain a     renewal of 
your patent4 ,any pretense1 therefore1  
that your ,claim has     not been duly  
presented1 notified to the public1 and  
urged with all     proper care and      
diligence upon the attention of         
,congress1 ,i repeat     is totally     
unfounded4      ,it will be a stain upon
 the justice of the ,country1 if one    
whom     truth and time must rank among 
its greatest ,benefactors1 shall be     
stricken down and permitted to die in   
indigence by the interested     and     
unworthy efforts thus made to defeat    
you4      ,you are at liberty to use    
this statement in any manner you may    
desire4      ,very truly and            
respectfully1      ,your ,ob't ,ser'vt1 
,,cha',s ,e4 ,,sherman4  ,although not  
coming in the natural order of events1  
,i quote from an enclosure found in a   

letter written to ,hon4 ,h4 ,may1       
evidently a member of ,congress4 ,mr4   
,hussey having failed to apply for an   
extension of his #ahcc patent early     
enough1 a bill was introduced in        
,congress with an extension in view4 ,in
 some correspondence between ,mr4       
,hussey and the ,hon4 ,h4 ,may an       
enclosure is found reading as follows3  
,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hussey's ,defense      
,during the examination of my case in   
the ,committee-room on the #bast inst4  
you asked me a question1 and accompanied
 it with a remark to the effect ',why   
could ,i not raise a company in         
,baltimore with sufficient capital and  
make as many machines as ,howard  ,co4  
and compete with them on equal ground8  
,the excitement of the occasion         
disqualified me for giving a full reply 
to your question and remarks4 ,i was at 
the time so impressed with the injustice
 and the great hardship of being        
compelled to compete with the world for 
what of right belonged to myself        

exclusively that ,i had not the words to
 express my feelings4 ,could any        
gentleman look back twenty-one years and
 see me combating the prejudices of the 
farmers1 and exerting the most intense  
labor of body and mind1 and continuing  
to do so from year to year1 at the very 
door of poverty1 and also look back on  
those ,new ,york parties through the    
same period1 accumulating wealth by the 
usual course of business1 and perhaps   
watching my progress1 and waiting for   
the proper moment to step in with their 
money power and grasp the lion's share  
of the prize which justly belongs to    
myself4 ,if they could look back on the 
circumstances and comprehend the case in
 all its reality and truth ,i should    
have no fear of a just decision by the  
,committee in the ,house of             
,representatives4 ,the ,government which
 can tolerate and uphold such a state of
 things would appear to me to be a hard 
,government4  ,the end and design of the
 ,patent ,laws was to reward the        

inventor for a valuable invention by    
giving him the exclusive right to make  
and vend the article which he had       
invented and fourteen years was deemed a
 sufficient time in which to secure that
 reward4 ,the telegraph was perfect on  
its first trial4 ,it required no        
improvement4 ,on the contrary1 half the 
wire was dispensed with4 ,the           
,government was at the cost of trying   
the experiment and has since heaped     
wealth on the inventor4 ,my fourteen    
years were required in perfecting my    
invention without any return for time   
and labor4 7,the finishing touch to his 
cutting apparatus is1 no doubt here     
referred to1 and shown in his patent of 
#ahdg47  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hussey's      
,protest  ,public opinion on the subject
 of valuable inventions is liberal until
 an obscure individual appears in the   
community claiming the reward for a     
valuable invention2 the disposition then
 seems to be to let him shrink into a   
corner4 ,the world has got the advantage

 of his labors and has no further use   
for him2 every unreasonable man in the  
community will at once claim an equal   
right with the inventor of the device   
and one not content to urge their claims
 by misrepresentation but must heap     
abuses on the poor inventor who they    
have in a great measure pushed out of   
their way4 ,the idea that a wise        
,government1 of an enlightened country1 
can not only look on and suffer such    
injustice but will actually encourage it
 by disregarding the prayers of the poor
 inventor is a mystery to those who     
build their hopes on the dogma that     
',truth is mighty and will prevail4' ,i 
hope the ,committee will not pass       
lightly over my case but duly consider1 
as ,i believe they will1 to whom the    
advantages of this invention belongs1   
whether to me or to the parties in ,new 
,york4 ,my chief aim in addressing this 
to you is to endeavor to draw a parallel
 between myself and the parties in ,new 
,york1 and thereby secure your good     

opinion in my favor4  ,sidenote3        
,farmers ,using ,hussey ,reaper  ,edward
 ,stabler1 on ,january #aa1 #ahed1 wrote
 to ,hon4 ,henry ,may as follows3  ,as  
requested ,i have examined the petitions
 of the #dej farmers who advocate the   
extension of ,hussey's patent and from a
 personal acquaintance or by character  
with much larger portion in ,delaware1  
,maryland1 ,virginia1 and ,north        
,carolina1 and on reliable information  
of those from ,new ,york--#bcd in       
number--,i am satisfied that they are   
wheat-growers to an amount of not less  
than from four to #ejj1jjj bushels      
annually4 99 99 99 ,they used ,hussey's 
reaper1 and some of them three and four1
 or more of these great labor-saving    
implements4  ,mr4 ,edward ,stabler      
writes to ,henry ,may1 under date ,march
 #ai1 #ahed3  ,the most that ,i fear is 
that ,hussey's interests 7which all     
appear willing to admit is a meritorious
 case7 may suffer in the contests that  
,i am satisfied will take place with    

regard to ,moore  ,haskell's and        
,mc,cormick's extensions4 ,i should be  
greatly pleased1 and have stronger hopes
 if ,hussey's case could be acted on    
promptly and before that contest begins4
  ,on the ground of its having been so  
long and so favorably reported on1 by   
the ,senate's ,committee in '#dh--six   
years next ,may1 possibly it could be   
called up at an earlier date1--the      
sooner the better1 to avoid competition 
from interested parties1 and which ,i   
certainly anticipate if long delayed in 
either ,house of ,congress4 ,honestly   
believing the cause just and right1 for 
no fee1 however large1 could tempt me to
 advocate what ,i thought unjust or     
wrong1 ,i shall persevere as long as    
there is ground for hope4 ,if we fail ,i
 shall have pleasing reflections1 doing 
unto others as you would that they under
 similar circumstances should do unto   
you4  ,mr4 ,edward ,stabler1 on         
,february #e1 #ahed1 wrote to ,j4 ,a4   
,pierce1 member of one of the           

,committees1 a letter from which the    
following is extracted3  ,sidenote3 ,mr4
 ,hussey's ,character and ,service  ,i  
will1 however1 preface my remarks by    
saying that ,i have no connection       
whatever with his business operations   
nor pecuniary interest in his affairs1  
but being well acquainted with him ,i am
 free to say1 that ,i have known no man 
on whose word ,i have placed more       
implicit reliance1 no one more honestly 
entitled to what he asks for4  ,he has  
faithfully devoted the prime of his     
life1 and no small portion of it either1
 in the invention and the perfecting of 
the reaping and mowing machine2 and his 
untiring perseverance has certainly been
 crowned with success so far as to      
confer a signal and lasting benefit on  
his country2 but unfortunately he has   
derived no corresponding advantage for  
himself1 and from no fault on his part4 
,sidenote3 ,opinion of an ,able         
,mechanic  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,stabler's   
,testimony  ,while ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick  

has literally fattened on the           
agricultural public by the sale of his  
inferior and cheaply made machines--for 
such ,i do consider them1 both from my  
own observations and the report to me by
 those who have been induced to purchase
 them--,hussey has been pirated on from 
all quarters1 and others reaping the    
reward of his labors4 ,and ,i perceive  
by the papers on file1 and accompanying 
the printed report 7,no4 #af7 that this 
same ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick has actually   
petitioned against the renewal of       
,hussey's patent4 ,it is really a very  
hard case1 that a poor man and one of   
the most deserving in the community in  
every sense of the term1 should thus    
fail of a just reward when he has done  
so much for the benefit of others4 99 99
 99 ,believing as ,i do that the        
extension is no more than sheer justice 
to ,obed ,hussey1--quite equal in merit 
to any that has been granted1--as one of
 the most meritorious in the language of
 the ,committee1 ,i do most earnestly   

solicit thy kind aid and influence to   
get it through the ,senate4 99 99 99 ,he
 was then 7and still is7 a comparatively
 poor man2 without the means from his   
limited sales to extend his business in 
a profitable manner or to protect his   
known and acknowledged rights from the  
depredations of others4 ,his shops--and 
,i speak from personal knowledge--are   
for the most part dilapidated sheds--too
 confined and cramped up to do any part 
of his work to the best advantage1 and  
from a personal knowledge speaking as a 
practical machinist of some #be years   
experience1 ,i do know that his profits 
are far less than some other machine    
makers--not the half of what is usually 
supposed4  ,sidenote3 ,the ,two         
,machines ,compared  ,take1 for example1
 the machines as usually made by ,obed  
,hussey and ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick--for ,i 
am familiar with both2 owing to the     
quality of the work1 costs of material  
and arrangement of the mechanism1 two of
 ,mc,cormick's can be made by him for   

little or no more than the cost to      
,hussey of one of his4 ,such1 too1 is   
the statement on oath of competent men  
employed by both manufacturers4         
,mc,cormick's foreman and clerk have    
sworn 7see petition from ,new ,york     
against his extension7 that his machines
 are made for some #ce to #dj each4 ,any
 man who will undertake to make and sell
 ,hussey machines as he makes them for  
much less than double this sum1 will    
soon beg his bread if he depends on his 
profits to buy it1 unless he cheats his 
hands out of their part4  ,a postscript 
is added1 which reads3  ,i should have  
made no allusion to ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick 
or to his machines1 had he not          
volunteered by petition to injure his   
rival--in my opinion a most worthy1     
reliable and deserving man--and ,i would
 add that in my estimation the two      
machines differ just about as widely as 
the two men4  ,we may assume that ,mr4  
,hussey must have begun on his large    
machine late in #ahcb1 or early in      

#ahcc1 at latest4 ,during the early part
 of the harvest of #ahcc he was in the  
field4 ,the machine was started1        
,stabler tells us1 but owing to some    
part giving way1 or some slight defect  
not apparent until then1 it at first    
failed to work satisfactorily4 ,one     
burly fellow present picked up a reaping
 cradle and1 swinging it with an air of 
great exultation1 exclaimed1 ',this is  
the machine to cut the wheat6' ,another 
account charges the breakage to a       
fractious team4  ,sidenote3 ,mr4        
,hussey's ,triumph  ,after the jeers and
 merriment of the crowd had somewhat    
subsided1 the inventor remedied the     
defect1 and assisted by the laborers    
present--the horses having been         
removed--pulled the machine to the top  
of an adjacent hill2 when1 alone1 he    
drew the machine down the hill and      
through the standing grain1 when it cut 
every head clean in its track4 ,the same
 machine was directly afterwards        
exhibited before the ,hamilton ,county  

,agricultural ,society near ,carthage1  
on the #bnd day of ,july1 #ahcc4  ,the  
secretary of the ,society wrote an      
exceedingly favorable report4 ,the group
 of spectators present at this trial    
drew up a testimonial that was very     
favorable indeed4 ,on ,july #b1 #ahcc1  
then1 we are warranted in saying1 the   
problem that had so long exercised the  
minds of inventors was solved4          
,sidenote3 ,the ,hussey ,reaper in the  
,field  ,sidenote3 ,public ,tests       
,fortunately ,mr4 ,hussey was not as    
easily discouraged as many4 ,he1 no     
doubt1 felt chagrined that his machine  
had broken down1 but had the pluck then 
and there to make an effort to close the
 hooting mouths1 and fully succeeded4   
,in #ahcd other machines were put out4  
,we learn from the ,genesee ,farmer1    
dated ,december #f1 #ahcd1 that ,mr4    
,hussey1 the inventor of a machine for  
harvesting wheat1 had left in the       
village one of his machines for the     
purpose of giving the farmers an        

opportunity to test its value4 ,during  
the harvest of #ahcd it was operated in 
the presence of hundreds of farmers with
 most satisfactory results4 ,we next    
find ,mr4 ,hussey at ,palmyra1 ,mo41 on 
,july #f1 #ahce1 with two of his        
machines1 at the farm of his old friend1
 ,edwin ,g4 ,pratt4 ,the machine excited
 much attention1 and its performance was
 highly satisfactory4 ,the results of   
the trials were published in the        
,missouri ,courrier in ,august or       
,september of #ahce4 ,the machines were 
sold for #aej each4 ,a ,mr4 ,muldrow    
bought another kind of machine1 however1
 in which the cutting was done by a     
whirling wheel and paid #ejj for it4 ,in
 #ahcf ,mr4 ,hussey was in ,maryland1 at
 the written solicitation of the ,board 
of ,trustees of the ,maryland           
,agricultural ,society4 ,the fame of his
 reaping machines in the state of ,new  
,york1 and the far ,west1 had spread1   
though with something like a snail's    
pace1 as new things did two-thirds of a 

century ago4 ,the machine was operated  
at ,oxford1 ,talbot ,county1 on the #ast
 of ,july1 in the presence of the ,board
 and a considerable number of other     
gentlemen4 ,its performance was perfect1
 as it cut every spear of grain1        
collected it in bunches of the proper   
size for sheaves and laid it straight   
and even for the binder4 ,on the #abth  
of ,july a public exhibition was made at
 ,easton1 under the direction of the    
,board2 several hundred persons1        
principally farmers1 being present4     
,this same machine was sold to ,mr4     
,tench ,tilghman1 for whom it cut #ahj  
acres of wheat1 oats and barley during  
that season4 ,the report of the ,board  
of ,trustees of the ,maryland           
,agricultural ,society stated that three
 mules of medium size worked in it      
constantly with as much ease as in a    
drag harrow4 ,they moved with equal     
facility in a walk or trot4 ,in #ahcg   
the machines were sold in various parts 
of the country4 ,one at ,hornewood1     

,md41 one at ,west ,river1 and several  
others throughout the state4 ,one of the
 machines sold in #ahch to the ,st4     
,george's and ,appoquinomick ,ag4       
,society cut several hundred acres of   
grain1 up to #ahde1 and was then in good
 repair4 ,in all this time the cost for 
repairs was only #a-a_/d;c per acre4    
,the popularity of the machine became so
 pronounced that other inventors were   
given courage1 and those who before had 
failed were prompted to pick up their   
work where they had dropped it or begin 
on newer lines4  ,illustration3 ,silver 
medal awarded to ,mr4 ,hussey for the   
,reaper at ,baltimore in #ahde4         
,sidenote3 ,a ,hussey-,mc,cormick       
,contest  ,in #ahdc we find that        
,hussey's machine was in a field-contest
 with one brought in by ,cyrus ,h4      
,mc,cormick of ,rockbridge ,county1 ,va4
 ,we say brought in1 because the claim  
that it was in fact invented and made by
 ,robert ,mc,cormick seems to be quite  
well founded4 7,memorial of ,robert     

,mc,cormick47 ,the contest took place on
 the farm of a ,mr4 ,hutchinson1 about  
four miles above the city of ,richmond4 
,mr4 ,hussey had1 for a number of years1
 been building two sizes of machines1   
and at the first day's trial was obliged
 to use a small one because his only    
large machine within reach was elsewhere
 occupied4 ,the majority of the         
self-appointed committee of bystanders  
reported in favor of ,mc,cormick's      
machine1 but ,mr4 ,roane1 one of them1  
who signed very reluctantly1 later      
bought a ,hussey machine4 ,a few days   
after1 at ,tree ,hill1 ,mr4 ,hussey was 
present with his large machine4  ,in the
 ,american ,farmer was soon after       
published a letter from ,mr4 ,roane1    
dated ,january #bc1 #ahdd1 to ,mr4      
,hussey1 in which1 among other things1  
he says3  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,roane's      
,letter  ,averse as ,i am to having my  
name in print on this1 or any other     
occasion1 ,i cannot with propriety      
decline a response to your inquiry4 ,i  

had never seen or formed an idea of a   
reaping machine until ,i went to        
,hutchinson's4 ,i was surprised and     
delighted with the performance of each  
of them1 and fully resolved to own one  
of them by the next harvest1 but their  
performance that day left me in a state 
of doubt which ,i should select4 ,the   
report spoke in terms of high praise of 
each machine1 and ,i consented to its   
award1 that on the whole ,mr4           
,mc,cormick's was preferable1 merely    
because being the cheapest1 and         
requiring but two horses1 it would best 
suit the majority of our farmers1 who   
make small crops of wheat on weak land1 
for ,i doubted its capacity in heavy    
grain4 ,after this report was made ,i   
heard your complaint that you did not   
have a fair trial1 because being unable 
to bring into the field your large      
improved reaper1 which was up the river1
 you were compelled to comply with your 
engagement for the day1 with a small and
 inferior machine1 drawn by an          

indifferent and untutored team4 ,mr4    
,hutchinson's wheat was badly rusted1   
and therefore light4 ,i had ready for   
the scythe a low ground field of heavy  
and well matured grain2 partly to       
expedite my harvest work1 and partly to 
renew the trial1 that ,i might solve my 
doubts as to the merits of these        
machines1 ,i succeeded in engaging them 
to be at ,tree ,hill on a named day4    
,they both came agreeable to            
appointment1 ,mr4 ,mc,cormick bringing  
the machine he used at ,hutchinson's1   
and you bringing the one you could not  
on that occasion bring down the river4  
,the day was fine1 and both machines did
 their best1 and had a very fair trial4 
,my doubts were fully removed1 and my   
mind convinced that in the heavy wheat  
we raise on our river low grounds1 rich 
bottoms1 etc4 your machine is superior  
to ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's of which ,i still 
think highly4 ,i accordingly ordered one
 of yours to be made for the approaching
 harvest4  ,i wish you all possible     

success in cutting hemp in the ',great  
,west4' ,it must be very desirable to   
cut that valuable plant instead of      
pulling it up by the roots1 and ,i      
cannot doubt that your reaper has ample 
power for the purpose4 7,records of     
,u4,s4 ,patent ,office47  ,sidenote3    
,mr4 ,hussey ,not a ,business ,man  ,no 
one will claim that ,mr4 ,hussey was    
what may be termed a good business man2 
like most inventors1 his mind was on    
what he sought to accomplish rather than
 on the hoarding of wealth4 ,i have     
already quoted from correspondence that 
passed between him and his friends1 when
 attempting to get his #ahcc patent     
extended4  ,an early manufacturer1 well 
known to ,mr4 ,hussey and who paid      
royalties under ,mr4 ,hussey's patents1 
writes3  ,mr4 ,hussey's early machines  
were made by ,jarvis ,reynolds of       
,cincinnati1 ,ohio1 we are informed by  
,mr4 ,william ,n4 ,whitely1 who early   
became familiar with many of the facts1 
he having opposed ,hussey's extension   

application1 in a shop on the river     
front1 beginning in #ahca or '#cb4      
,after making that operated in #ahcc he 
built several others during two or three
 years or more4 ,some of the early ones 
were taken to ,glendale1 ,ohio1 to the  
farm of ,algernon ,foster4  ,the first  
machine taken there had a reel on it1   
but after using it a short time the reel
 was laid aside4 ,on the same machine   
was an extra platform1 attached to the  
rear1 so that the raker could deliver   
the grain to one side4 ,the machines    
were intended for both reaping and      
mowing4 ,mr4 ,whitely states that he saw
 two of the machines still on ,mr4      
,foster's farm in #ahfj1 that had been  
there since1 probably1 #ahce4  ,the     
machines were at first bought by farmers
 who did cutting for the neighbors and  
under the circumstances were anxious to 
prostrate as many acres of grain per day
 as possible2 in order to accomplish    
this1 they applied four horses and moved
 on a 'jog trot4' ,so moving the reel   

was found of little service because the 
rapidly moving machine caused the       
severed straws to fall backward on the  
platform so that the raker had little to
 do but to remove it1 except where it   
was particularly badly lodged2 in such  
cases he manipulated his rake as it is  
now used on all reelless reaping        
machines4  ,after building the machines 
for ,algernon ,foster1 ,mr4 ,hussey     
undertook the manufacture of two or more
 machines for the harvest of #ahce4     
,from a letter received from ,john      
,lane1 we quote3  ,sidenote3 ,a         
,contract  ',old ,judge ,foster' was a  
well known jurist and judge of court in 
,hamilton ,county1 ,ohio1 having his    
country home 7a farm7 #c-a_/b miles near
 due east from my father's place of     
business1 and it was he who introduced  
,obed ,hussey to ,john ,lane as being a 
mechanic who could and would make for   
him the reaper he was at that time      
seeking to have made in ,cincinnati4    
,also it was agreed between said ,hussey

 and ,foster that when said reaper had  
been made and tested to their           
satisfaction in the standing grains1 his
 sons1 ,algernon and brother 7whose name
 ,i do not remember7 would pay all costs
 of making said reaper and put the same 
in use to best of their ability4  ,i    
quote from the book entitled ,valley of 
the ,upper ,wabash1 ,indiana1 published 
by ,henry ,ellsworth in #ahch3  ,another
 material reduction of the expense      
attending the cultivation of hay and    
other crops will be found in the use of 
some of the mowing and reaping machines 
recently invented4  ,sidenote3          
,editorial ,comment  ,a machine of this 
description1 invented by ,mr4 ,obed     
,hussey1 of ,cambridge1 ,maryland1 has  
of late excited general admiration1 from
 the neatness and rapidity of its       
execution1 and the great amount of labor
 which its use will save4 ,its          
introduction on large farms1 of the     
description we have mentioned1 will     
undoubtedly be followed by remarkable   

results4 ,these machines1 when in good  
order 7and they seldom need repair71 can
 cut from twelve to fifteen acres of    
grass1 and from fifteen to twenty acres 
of wheat1 daily4  ,the following letter 
from ,john ,stonebraker1 ,esq41 of      
,hagerstown1 ,maryland1 will exhibit his
 experience in the use of this machine4 
,he was induced 7as the writer knows    
from personal communication with him on 
the subject7 to try it from the         
representations of others1 and with many
 misgivings as to the result4 ,that     
trial1 however1 has satisfied him and   
with him1 many of his neighbors1 of the 
great utility of the machine4  ,the     
letter is as follows3      ',hagerstown1
 ,august #ae1 #ahcg4      ',dear ,sir3  
,will you please give this a place in   
your paper1     for the benefit of wheat
 growers4 ,as the subject is of public  
interest1 it is hoped that other papers 
will circulate it through     the grain 
growing districts of the country4       
,sidenote3 ,a ,hussey ,testimonial      

',i procured a reaping machine this     
summer of ,mr4 ,hussey1 the             
inventor1 which ,i have used through my 
wheat harvest4 ,it was in     constant  
use every day1 and performed its work to
 my satisfaction1     and far better    
than ,i had any expectation of when ,i  
first engaged     it of ,mr4 ,hussey4   
,when the ground is clear of rocks1     
loose stones1     stumps1 etc41 and the 
grain stands well1 it cuts it perfectly 
clear1 taking every head2 and1 if well  
managed1 scatters none1 but     leaves  
it in neat heaps ready for binding4     
,when the grain is flat     down1 the   
machine will of course pass over it2 but
 if it be     leaning1 or tangled only1 
it is cut nearly as well as if standing1
     excepting when it leans from the   
machine1 and then if the horses     are 
put in a trot it will be very well cut4 
,but in cutting such     grain much     
depends on the expertness of the hand   
who pushes off     the grain1 in making 
clean work and good sheaves4 ,i found   

the     machine capable of going through
 anything growing on my wheat     land1 
such as weeds and grass1 no matter how  
thick4      ',after my harvest was over1
 ,i cut my seed timothy with the same   
neatness and ease that ,i did my grain4 
,as respects the durability     of the  
machine1 ,i can say this much for my    
machine1 that not the     least thing   
has given out yet2 it appears as strong 
as a cart1 and     but little liable to 
get out of order1 if well used4 ,i was  
advised     by ,mr4 ,hussey of the      
necessity of keeping some of the parts  
well     greased2 this ,i have          
punctually attended to1 and no          
perceptible     wear yet appears1 beyond
 the ordinary wear of any other         
machinery4  ,sidenote3 ,durability of   
the ,machine      ',it is immaterial to 
the machine whether the speed be a walk1
 or     trot2 although a walk will make 
the most perfect work4 ,my speed     was
 a common walk1 but a trot is sometimes 
necessary to counteract     the effect  

of a strong wind when blowing from      
behind1 in order to     incline the     
grain backwards1 on to the platform1 to 
make good     bundles4 ,a quick walk is 
required to make good work in very short
     and scattering grain4 ,the machine 
performs well1 up or down hill1         
provided the surface be not too broken4 
,by its compactness and     ease of     
management1 rocks1 and stumps too high  
to be cut over1 can     be easily       
avoided4 ,although a rough surface is   
very objectionable1     yet ,i have cut 
over very rocky ground with no material 
difficulty4     ,i can say one thing    
which to some may appear incredible1 but
 it is     not the less true2 the       
cutters of my machine have not been     
sharpened since ,i have had it2 nor have
 ,i yet seen any appearance     of a    
need of it in the quality of its work4  
,how many harvests a     machine would  
cut without sharpening is hard to say4  
,i propose     sharpening mine once a   
year only4 ,i have used two horses at a 

time     in the machine1 and sometimes  
changed at noon2 they worked it with    
ease1 the draught being light4 ,i took  
no account of what ,i cut in     any one
 day1 with this exception3 in less than 
half a day ,i cut     six acres1 and was
 often detained for want of the         
requisite number     of binders1 by     
which much time was lost4 ,my machine   
being     something narrower than those 
generally made by ,mr4 ,hussey1 ,i      
could cut but about one acre in going   
two miles2 this1 at the     moderate    
gait of two and a half miles per hour1  
would amount to     twelve and a half   
acres in ten hours2 and at four miles   
per hour1     a speed at which the work 
is done in fine style1 the amount would 
be twenty acres in ten hours4 ,i should 
judge my quantity per day     to range  
between ten and fifteen acres1 yet ,i am
 decided in the     opinion that ,i can 
cut twenty acres in a day1 of good      
grain1 on     good ground1 by the usual 
diligence of harvest hands1 with a      

little increase of my usual speed1 and a
 change of horses4 ,two     hands are   
required to work the machine1 a man to  
push off the     grain and a boy to     
drive1 besides a number of binders1     
proportioned to the quantity cut4 ,as   
the machine can be drawn     equally    
fast in heavy or light grain1 the number
 of binders is     necessarily increased
 in heavy grain1 except an additional   
speed     be given in light grain4      
,under every circumstance1 the number of
     binders will vary from four to ten2
 and1 when the usual care is            
practiced by the binders1 there will be 
much less waste than in     any other   
method of cutting4  ,sidenote3 ,a       
,labor-,saving ,machine      ',i speak  
with more confidence of the merits and  
capacity of ,mr4     ,hussey's reaping  
machine1 from the circumstance of having
 pushed     the grain off myself for    
several days1 in order to make myself   
practically and thoroughly acquainted   
with it1 before putting it     into the 

hands of my laboring men4 ,the land in  
this country being     rather rocky and 
uneven1 it is hard to say what may be   
the     ultimate advantage of these     
machines to our farmers2 but from what  
little experience ,i have had1 ,i am    
resolved not to be without one     or   
two of them4 ,i can therefore recommend 
the machine with     confidence1        
especially to those who have a large    
proportion of     smooth ground in      
cultivation4 ,it is undoubtedly a labor 
saving     machine1 and worthy of their 
attention4      ',,john ,,stonebraker4  
',mr4 ,bell1 ,editor of the ,torch      
,light4'  ,to this testimonial from one 
of the best and most practical farmers  
in ,maryland could be added many more1  
should they be needed4 ,farther         
improvements on the part of the         
inventor1 during the past year1 have    
much increased the power of the machine2
 and its adoption1 as a valuable        
agricultural implement1 is becoming very
 general4  ,sidenote3 ,other            

,testimonials  ,one of these machines is
 now in the possession of the writer1   
which arrived too late for use during   
the harvest of the present season4 ,from
 one or two trials1 however1 and those  
under the disadvantageous circumstances 
of arranging a new machine1 and the     
forced selection of a spot little suited
 for experiment1 no doubt remains of the
 result4  ,we add a letter to the       
inventor from ,colonel ,tilghmann1 who  
also resides near ,hagerstown1          
,maryland4      ',september #ae1 #ahcg4 
',sir3 ,your wheat cutting machine was  
used by me in securing my     clover    
seed4 ,with one man1 three boys1 and two
 horses1 we cut     about twelve acres  
per day4 ,the operation was in every    
respect     complete4 ,the clover was   
well cut1 and deposited in proper sized 
heaps1 and no raking required1 further  
than to remove the heaps of     cut     
clover from the track of the machine4   
,the whole operation was     easily     
performed by the hands and the horses4  

',in the operation of cutting wheat1 ,i 
followed the machine for     two hours  
in the field of ,mr4 ,john ,stonebraker1
 during the late     wheat harvest1 and 
can vouch for the operation in securing 
his     wheat in the manner described in
 his publication4 ,the late             
improvements made by you in your machine
 have added greatly to the     beauty   
and facility of its operation4          
',yours respectfully1      ',f4         
,,tilghmann4'      ',mr4 ,hussey4'  ,we 
add the following notice of this        
machine1 from ,messrs4 ,s4 and ,e4 ,p4  
,le ,compte1 enterprising farmers1 of   
,cambridge1 ,maryland1 as follows3      
',cambridge1 ,july #c1 #ahch4      ',we 
have employed ,mr4 ,obed ,hussey's wheat
 cutting machine to cut     for us about
 thirty-four acres2 the greater part of 
which was very     heavy4 ,we were      
remarkably well pleased with the        
performance of     said machine1 and are
 of opinion that1 with proper management
 and     attention1 it will cut twenty  

acres per day1 and save it much better  
than any other mode of cutting we have  
ever tried4      ',s4  ,e4 ,p4 ,,le     
,,compte4'  ,to which is appended the   
following postscript3      ',i have been
 a practical farmer forty years2 and am 
well satisfied1     that1 on a large    
farm1 this machine will save wheat      
enough1 beyond     the scythe and hooks1
 to pay all the expense of cutting and  
binding4      ',,samuel ,,le ,,compte4' 
,i next quoted again from the ,valley of
 the ,upper ,wabash1 ,indiana3          
,,hussey',s ,,grain ,,cutter  ,report of
 the ,board of ,trustees of ',the       
,maryland ,agricultural ,society1' for  
the ,eastern ,shore1 on the machine for 
harvesting small grain1 invented by ,mr4
 ,obed ,hussey1 of ,cincinnati1 ,ohio4  
,sidenote3 ,invitation of ,agricultural 
,board  ,illustration3 ,silver medal won
 by ,mr4 ,hussey with the ,reaper at    
,baltimore in #ahej4  ,sidenote3 ,how   
the ,reaper ,worked  ,the favorable     
accounts of the operation of this       

implement in several of the ,western    
,states1 induced the board to invite    
,mr4 ,hussey to bring it to ,maryland1  
and submit it to their inspection4 ,it  
was accordingly exhibited in ,oxford1   
,talbot county1 on the first of ,july1  
in presence of the board1 and a         
considerable number of other gentlemen4 
,its performance may justly be          
denominated perfect1 as it cuts every   
spear of grain1 collects it in bunches  
of the proper size for sheaves1 and lays
 it straight and even for the binders4  
,on the #abth of ,july a public         
exhibition was made at ,easton1 under   
the direction of the board2 several     
hundred persons1 principally farmers1   
assembled to witness it1 and expressed  
themselves highly satisfied with the    
result4 ,at the ,trappe1 where it was   
shown by the inventor on the following  
,saturday1 an equal degree of           
approbation was evinced4 ,it was        
afterwards used on the farm of ,mr4     
,tench ,tilghman1 where #ahj acres of   

wheat1 oats1 and barley were cut with   
it4 ,three mules of medium size worked  
in it constantly1 with as much ease as  
in a drag harrow4 ,they moved with equal
 facility in a walk or a trot4 ,a       
concise description of this simple      
implement will show that it is admirably
 adapted to the important purpose for   
which it was invented4 ,resting on two  
wheels1 which are permanently attached  
to the machine1 and impart the motion to
 the whole1 the main body of the machine
 is drawn by the horses along the outer 
edge of the standing grain4 ,as the     
horses travel outside of the grain1 it  
is neither knocked down or tangled in   
the slightest degree4 ,behind the wheels
 is a platform 7supported by a roller or
 wheel71 which projects beyond the side 
of the machine five feet into the grain4
 ,on the front of the edge projecting   
part of the platform is the cutter4     
,this is composed of twenty-one teeth1  
resembling large lancet blades1 which   
are placed side by side1 and firmly     

riveted to a rod of iron4 ,a lateral    
motion is imparted to it by a crank1    
causing it to vibrate between two rows  
of iron spikes1 which point forward4 ,as
 the machine advances1 the grain is cut 
and falls backwards on the platform1    
where it collects in a pile4 ,a man is  
placed on the part of the platform      
directly behind the horses1 and with a  
rake of peculiar construction pushes off
 the grain in separate bunches1 each    
bunch making a sheaf4 ,it may appear to 
some that the grain will accumulate too 
rapidly for this man to perform his     
duty4 ,but1 upon considering the        
difference between the space occupied by
 the grain when standing1 and when lying
 in a pile after it is cut1 it will be  
evident that the raker has ample time to
 push off the bunches even in the       
thickest grain4 ,in thin grain he has to
 wait until sufficient has collected to 
form a sheaf4  ,the machine is driven   
around the grain1 which may be sown     
either on a smooth surface or on corn   

ridges4 ,for the first round a way may  
be cleared with a cradle2 but this is   
deemed unnecessary1 for the grain1 when 
driven over1 is left in an inclined     
position1 and by cutting it in the      
opposite direction as much of it is     
saved as with a cradle4 ,fourteen acres 
in corn lands were cut between #aj ,a4  
,m4 and #g-a_/b ,p4 ,m4 ,the hands had  
never worked with the machine before1   
nor was it a trial day's work2 for1     
owing to the shortness of the straw1 the
 machine was not allowed to cut when    
passing over the ridges from one side of
 the ground to the other1 and this time 
was consequently lost4 ,from the        
principle on which the cutting is       
performed1 a keen edge to the cutter is 
by no means essential4 ,the toughest    
weeds1 an occasional corn stalk1 or a   
stick of the thickness of a man's little
 finger1 have been frequently cut       
without at all affecting its operation2 
it can be sharpened1 however1 in a few  
minutes with a file4 ,the width of the  

swath may be increased by having the    
cutter made longer1 and the same machine
 will cut a stubble of several different
 heights4  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hussey      
,awarded ,silver ,cups  ,there is ample 
room to make the different parts of any 
size1 though the strength of every part 
has been fully tested4 ,the machine has 
been often choked by oyster-shells      
getting into the cutter1 in attempting  
to cut too low a stubble4 ,the motion of
 the machinery being checked1 the main  
wheels slide on the ground2 the strain  
on every part being equal to the power  
exerted by the horses4 ,it can be       
managed by any intelligent1 careful     
negro4 ,we deem it a simple1 strong1 and
 effective machine1 and take much       
pleasure in awarding unanimously the    
meritorious inventor of it a handsome   
pair of silver cups4  ,,robert ,h4      
,,goldsborough1 ,,samuel ,,stevens1     
,,samuel ,t4 ,,kennard1 ,,robert        
,,banning1 ,,samuel ,,hambleton1 ,senr41
 ,,nicholas ,,goldsborough1 ,,edward ,n4

 ,,hambleton1 ,,james ,,li4             
,,chamberlain1 ,,martin ,,goldsborough1 
,,horatio ,l4 ,,edmonson1 ,,tench       
,,tilghman4  ,mr4 ,lane goes on to say  
that one of the machines was taken to   
,la ,porte1 ,indiana1 and there put to  
work4 ,another was sent to ,illinois4   
,the turning and fitting for these      
machines was done at the mill of ,henry 
,rogers1 about #ejj yards away from the 
little shop4 ,in the following copy of a
 recent affidavit sent us1 date not     
given1 these last matters are           
sufficiently substantiated4  ,mr4 ,lane 
continues3  ,sidenote3 ,the ,true       
,inventor  ,who invented the ,reaper8   
,the full1 honest answer is that ,obed  
,hussey invented the ,reaper4  ,between 
,april and ,july1 #ahce1 ,john ,lane and
 ,henry ,rogers 7with ,isaac and ,clark 
,lane assisting in the work7 at their   
respective places of business one mile  
north of ,mt4 ,healthy1 ,hamilton       
,county1 ,ohio1 made to order of ,obed  
,hussey one ,reaping machine for ,s4 ,f4

 and ,algernon ,foster1 then of the same
 ,county and ,state4 ,said ,reaper was  
made to conform to or with drawings and 
patterns made and furnished by the said 
,obed ,hussey1 who also superintended   
the work of making the machine1 and     
witnessed its trial in the field near   
the middle of ,june1 #ahce1 in presence 
of many farmers1 mechanics and others   
near by where the same was made2 and    
when and where it was delivered to the  
,messrs4 ,foster's1 who took this same  
reaper to ,la ,porte ,county1 ,indiana1 
for the reaping season of the same year4
  ,for the iron and steel work done as  
aforesaid books in my possession show   
that fifty-three and #fi_/ajj dollars   
was paid by ,messrs4 ,fosters1 ,july    
#fth1 #ahce1 to ,john ,lane and by him  
receipted for in full1 etc41 etc4  ,the 
cutting device we then made for this    
machine evidently was the invention of  
,obed ,hussey2 and it was as near       
exactly the same in all material parts  
to the cutting device now universally in

 use1 as the hand made sickle could then
 or now be made4 ,the sections of sickle
 were forged steel blades ,v shaped1    
having serrated or sickle cut edges1 and
 riveted to vibrating bar passing       
through slotted fingers1 substantially  
riveted to the apron or table upon which
 the cut grain fell in position to be   
raked1 or 'forked off4'  ,this ,obed    
,hussey machine cutting in a good       
average stand of barley1 ,june1 #ahce1  
was light draught for two horses and    
left as clean and as evenly cut stubble 
behind it as the best of machines now do
 the same work4 ,but one fault1 if any1 
with this first reaper was the lack of  
one or more cogs in the driving wheel   
that gave motion to the sickle1 which   
required the team to walk a bit too fast
 for teams of habitual1 or slow motion4 
7,signed7 ,,clark ,,lane4  ,sidenote3   
,mc,cormick ,late in the ,field         
,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick's ,application   
,rejected  ,regarding one who became a  
competitor of ,hussey1 much can be      

gathered from the ,u4,s4 ,patent        
,office4 ,mc,cormick1 who came          
comparatively late in the field1 when   
applying for an extension of his patents
 made many admissions which were        
afterwards shown to dispute that he had 
accomplished a successful machine before
 ,mr4 ,hussey and others4 ,he tells us  
in his petition and brief to the        
,commissioner of ,patents that he had   
operated his machine in some late wheat 
in the harvest of #ahca1 but that1      
although he was sometimes flattered1 he 
was often discouraged2 that he did not  
make sales or sell rights because not   
satisfied that the reaper would succeed 
well4 ,he was not sufficiently satisfied
 of its being a useful machine to patent
 the reaper2 he tells us that its       
construction and proportions were       
imperfect and its cutting apparatus     
defective on account of liability to    
choke4 ,he admits that the cutting      
proved not sufficiently certain to be   
relied upon in all situations until the 

improvement in the fingers and reversed 
angle of the teeth of the sickle shown  
in his patent of #ahde were adopted4 ,a 
farmer ordered a machine to be delivered
 in #ahda1 but ,mc,cormick did not then 
feel that it was safe to warrant its    
performance4 ,these facts are found in  
the records of the ,united ,states      
,patent ,office4 ,referring to ,mr4     
,hussey1 on whose patent1 among others1 
,mc,cormick's application for an        
extension was rejected1 who proved to be
 a factor he must consider1 he said3 ,i 
did not interfere with him because ,i   
did not find him very much in the way1  
calculated to beat him without1 and     
supposed it might be best to do so4 ,mr4
 ,hussey1 no doubt1 took the charitable 
view and supposed ,mr4 ,mc,cormick to   
have meant that his proofs would have   
been sufficient to support him in his   
own rights4 ,mr4 ,hussey1 the ,quaker1  
wrote the ,board to whom ,mc,cormick's  
application for an extension had been   
referred1 and from his letter ,i quote3 

,in view of all these facts1 ,i feel    
justified in asking your ,honorable     
,board a decision1 which1 while it      
adjudges ,mc,cormick's machine according
 to its merits1 will not be prejudicial 
to my interests1 seeing that ,mr4       
,mc,cormick makes no claims to the grand
 principle in my machine1 which makes it
 valuable1 and so much better than his1 
which principle ,i claim as my          
invention4  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hussey's   
,attitude  ,i had no intention1 neither 
had ,i any desire1 to place any obstacle
 in the way of the extension of         
,mc,cormick's patent1 but the course he 
has taken1 before your ,board and before
 ,congress1 has compelled me to act in  
self defense1 by which ,i have given    
your ,honorable ,board much trouble1    
which ,i would have gladly avoided4     
,mr4 ,mc,cormick also said to the       
,board3 ,if my claim be made out as so  
far appears from the evidence presented1
 it will be observed 7as ,i think7 that 
nothing will be left of ,mr4 ,hussey's  

claim to which he is entitled1 and all  
the improvements he has added since his 
patent have1 ,i believe1 been taken from
 mine4 ,reference is no doubt had to the
 effect that ,hussey1 in some of his    
machines1 used only a single drive wheel
 and balanced his machine thereon4 ,he  
confessed that he never received profits
 from his first patent until after      
twelve years of study1 and never should 
have realized anything from the         
invention but for later improvements1   
and he continues as follows3 ,if then it
 shall appear that ,i am the original   
inventor of all the leading and         
important principles of the invention1  
is it wrong that ,i should ask for      
reciprocal benefits for myself1 who     
alone have brought them into being8 ,mr4
 ,hussey's prior patent stood in ,mr4   
,mc,cormick's way1 but its inventor     
raised no voice against the extension of
 ,mc,cormick's rights unless his prior  
rights became endangered4 ,the honors   
due ,mr4 ,hussey were not lessened by   

the ,commissioner of ,patents when      
treating of a competitive claimant to   
have invented the reaper4  ,sidenote3   
,not ,mc,cormick's ,inventions  ,mr4    
,mc,cormick took out a third patent in  
#ahdg covering inventions shown by the  
statement of ,leander and others to have
 been the invention of the father or    
some one else4 ,an application was made 
for the extension of this patent4 ,it   
then became necessary that the applicant
 show that he had not reaped the        
benefits he believed himself entitled to
 through his monopoly for the term of   
the patent4  ,sidenote3 ,neither        
,brilliant nor ,extraordinary  ,the     
value of the second patent that of      
#ahde1 may be gathered from the words of
 the ,commissioner of ,patents3 ,the    
invention of #ahde1 considered in       
itself1 and examined in presence of the 
reaping machine as then in successful   
operation1 both in ,europe and ,america1
 can scarcely be regarded as brilliant  
or in any degree extraordinary4  ,the   

,commissioner further said3  ,sidenote3 
,an ,efficient ,machine  ,it was a      
conviction of the inefficiency of the   
machine that led the applicant to make  
his invention of #ahdg1 which1 by a     
modification of pre-existing elements1  
provided an advantageous location for   
the raker's seat4 ,upon this his fame as
 an inventor rests1 and to this is his  
reaper indebted for the triumphs it has 
achieved4 ,this seat had been previously
 known in at least nine patented        
reapers2 but it had not been well       
placed1 and an appropriate location for 
it was1 up to #ahdg1 an acknowledged    
desideratum4 ,whatever1 however1 may    
have been the value or the success of   
the reaper as improved in #ahdg1 such   
value or success can exert no influence 
in determining the issue under          
discussion4  ,the ,commissioner further 
said1 referring to the #ahdg patent3    
,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick's ,invention     
,valueless  ,without the parts thus     
slowly accumulated and combined1 and    

which have been so unhesitatingly       
appropriated by himself1 his own        
invention would have been as valueless  
as would be a shingle to him who could  
find no house-top on which to nail it4  
,the construction insisted on would     
compel the public to pay again1 and pay 
extravagantly1 for that which is already
 its own1 alike by purchase and by long 
uninterrupted possession4  ,the         
authorities cited make it clear the     
,hussey reaper was successful1 from the 
start1 but the ,patent ,office did not  
seem to think that the machine of his   
opponent for honors was so4  ,the       
,commissioner in his decision refers to 
the testimony of ,william ,s4           
,mc,cormick1 who1 at that time1 was a   
partner of ,cyrus ,mc,cormick as a      
manufacturer and seller of the          
,mc,cormick reaper3  ,sidenote3 ,a      
,worthless ,machine  ,as a farmer ,i    
used the reaper without a seat1 before a
 good one was invented1 and am perfectly
 certain that it was so nearly worthless

 that a machine without one could not be
 sold at any price that would pay in    
competition with one having a raker's   
seat2 this is my experience from my     
intimate connection with the business   
for many years4 7,commissioner's        
,decision1 ,january #bh1 #ahei47  ,i    
further find3  ,in the criticism which  
has been necessarily made upon the      
invention of #ahde1 there has been no   
design to detract from the acknowledged 
value and usefulness of the machine1 as 
constructed under the patent of #ahdg4  
,it has had its brilliant successes in  
,england and ,france1 but it has also   
had its marked discomfitures when       
competing with other machines4 ,though  
enjoying a great and perhaps a still    
expanding popularity1 it is by no means 
a universal favorite4  ,the last words  
of the ,commissioner are3 ,the          
application must therefore be rejected4 
,there were no questions raised as to   
the invention of ,mr4 ,hussey4          
,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick ,had to ,pay for 

,hussey ,improvements  ,sidenote3 ,mr4  
,hussey ,did ,not ,need the             
,improvements of ,others  ,the statement
 that ,mc,cormick's success was founded 
upon the inventions of others and to no 
extent upon his own1 as quoted from     
,memorial of ,robert ,mc,cormick1 is in 
part admitted by ,cyrus ,mc,cormick1    
who1 in his affidavit when applying for 
the extension of his #ahdg patent said3 
,he has1 at the expense of much thought1
 time1 and money1 added many other      
important improvements to it since      
#ahdg1 which have contributed to the    
profits of his manufacture4 ,he then    
refers to other improvements1 saying3   
,among such improvements by others as he
 has had to pay for1 are the inventions 
of his brothers1 of ,obed ,hussey1 of   
,jonathan ,reed1 of ,henry ,green1 of   
,solymon ,bell and of ,joseph ,nesen4   
,it is known that for nearly thirty     
years ,obed ,hussey manufactured and    
sold reaping machines and mowers in his 
limited way and1 infringing no rights of

 others1 had no royalties to pay4 ,to   
such an extent was his mind that of an  
inventor1 that he devoted thought to    
many side lines1 the expense of which   
taxed his abilities until1 when his     
patent of #ahdg had but two years to    
run1 he sold it for #bjj1jjj4jj4        
,,commissioner',s ,,decision  ,in the   
matter of this application of ,eunice   
,b4 ,hussey1 ,administratrix of ,obed   
,hussey1 deceased1 for the extension of 
,reissued ,letters ,patent ,no4 #ddi for
 an improvement in ,reaping ,machines1  
dated the #adth day of ,april1 #aheg1   
being a division and re-issue of        
original ,letters ,patent ,no4 #ebbg1   
dated the #gth day of ,august1 #ahdg1   
for an improvement in ,reaping machines4
  ,sidenote3 ,applications of ,mr4      
,hussey's ,widow for ,patent ,extension 
all ,granted  ,also1 the application of 
the same party for the extension of the 
,reissued ,letters ,patent ,no4 #dea1   
for an improvement in ,reaping          
,machines1 dated the #adth day of ,april

 #ahea1 being a division and ,reissue of
 ,original ,letters ,patent ,no4 #ebbg1 
dated the #gth day of ,august1 #ahdg1   
for an improvement in ,reaping          
,machines4  ,also1 the application of   
the same party for the extension of     
,reissued ,letters ,patent ,no4 #gdb1   
for an improvement in ,reaping          
,machines1 dated the #bast day of ,june1
 #ahei1 being a division of ,reissued   
,letters ,patent ,no4 #dej1 dated the   
#adth of ,april1 #aheg1 being a division
 and ,reissue of original ,letters      
,patent ,no4 #ebbg1 dated the #gth day  
of ,august1 #ahdg1 for an improvement in
 ,reaping ,machines4  ,also the         
application of the same party for the   
extension of ,reissued ,letters ,patent 
,no4 #iag1 dated the #bhth day of       
,february1 #ahfj1 for an improvement in 
,reaping ,machines1 being a reissue of  
reissued ,letters ,patent ,no4 #gdc1    
dated ,june #ba1 #ahei1 the last named  
,patent being a division and reissue of 
reissued ,letters ,patent ,no4 #dej1    

dated the #adth day of ,april1 #aheg1   
which last mentioned patent was a       
division and reissue of original        
,letters ,patent ,no4 #ebbg1 dated the  
#gth of ,august1 #ahdg1 for an          
,improvement in ,reaping ,machines4     
,sidenote3 ,claim of ,opponents         
,overruled  ,these four applications for
 the extension of the said four patents1
 ,nos4 #ddi1 #dea1 #gdb and #iag1 having
 been made in due form on the #cjth day 
of ,november1 #ahfj1 and the            
,commissioner of ,patents having caused 
to be published in due and legal form1  
notice of said applications and of the  
time and place when and where the same  
would be considered4 ,and the applicant1
 the administratrix and widow of the    
patentee1 having duly furnished and     
filed statements in writing under oath  
of the ascertained value of the said    
inventions and improvements claimed in  
said patents1 and of the receipts and   
expenditures of the patentee and his    
legal representatives sufficiently in   

detail to exhibit a true and faithful   
account of loss and profit in any manner
 accruing to the patentee and his legal 
representatives from and by reason of   
said inventions and patents4 ,and the   
testimony in these four cases having    
been duly filed and considered and      
referred to the principal ,examiner     
having charge of the class of inventions
 to which these belong1 and the said    
,examiner having made a full report upon
 the said cases1 and particularly that  
the inventions or improvements1 secured 
by the said four patents1 were new and  
patentable when patented4 ,and the      
printed arguments in these cases having 
been duly filed and considered1 and the 
day of hearing viz4 the #bhth day of    
,feb41 #ahfa1 arrived1 undersigned1 the 
,acting ,commissioner of ,patents1      
sitting at the time and place designated
 in the said published notice to hear   
and decide upon the evidence produced   
before him both for and against the     
extension1 and having heard all persons 

who appeared to show cause why the      
extension should not be granted1 does   
decide as follows1 viz43  ,that the     
applications for extension in these     
cases were made at a proper time1 and   
not prematurely as the opponents have   
contended4 ,the only ground alleged to  
support the allegation that the         
applications were premature is that the 
receipts for the year #ahfa cannot be   
fully ascertained at this time1 but must
 be estimated or guessed at4 ,if this is
 a good reason for not considering the  
applications now it would also be good  
on the #gth of ,august when the patent  
expires1 for the receipts would not then
 be ascertained1 but would still be the 
subject of estimate only4 ,these        
receipts can be as well determined by   
this mode now1 as in ,august4 ,the      
objection on this point is not therefore
 well taken1 and must be overruled4 ,an 
application for extension cannot be     
regarded as premature if made during the
 last year of the term of the patent1   

and the total receipts are known or can 
be estimated with reasonable certainty4 
,in addition to this there seems to be  
no little force in the argument of      
,counsel that the public convenience    
would be promoted by an early decision  
upon these cases before manufacturers   
enter upon their preparations for       
another year's business4  ,besides these
 considerations1 which of themselves are
 sufficient to determine the propriety  
of hearing these cases at the present   
time1 the late ,commissioner of ,patents
 fixed this time for these hearings with
 reference to the public interests      
therein1 and is an additional reason why
 it should be adhered to1 yet ,i should 
have no hesitation in postponing the    
hearing if it were made to appear that  
the public interest were likely in any  
way to be subserved by such             
postponement4  ,sidenote3 ,value and    
,importance of ,hussey ,inventions      
,fully ,established  ,the report of the 
,examiner leaves no doubt in my mind as 

to the novelty of each of the inventions
 which constitute the subject matter of 
the four patents for which the          
extensions are asked4 ,his report is    
equally conclusive as to the utility of 
the inventions1 their value and         
importance to the public1 and as to the 
patentee's diligence in introducing them
 into public use1 and his efforts to    
derive remuneration from their sale4    
,from a careful examination of all these
 points myself1 ,i have arrived at the  
same conclusion as the ,examiner4       
,sidenote3 ,opponents ,contentions ,not 
,proven by ,facts  ,the ,counsel1 ,wm4  
,n4 ,whitely1 the opponent of these     
extensions have urged with great        
pertinacity that the inventions are not 
novel4 ,they allege that the same thing 
existed before in ,hiram ,moore's ,big  
,harvester in ,michigan--the ,ambler    
,machine in ,new ,york--the ,nicholson  
,machine in ,maryland--and the ,white   
and ,hoyle ,machines in ,ohio4 ,they    
also contend that the invention claimed 

in ,patent ,no4 #dea especially1 is of  
no utility or value4 ,on a careful      
review of all these points with the     
light of the ,argument of ,counsel1 ,i  
am quite clear that the ,examiners      
conclusion as to the novelty and utility
 of ,hussey's invention are sound4 ,the 
,moore or ,big ,harvester cutting       
apparatus1 the testimony shows was      
designated for the performance of a     
different duty from ,hussey's and could 
not without essential changes of        
construction1 amounting to changes in   
its principle and mode of operation1 be 
used for the same purposes as that of   
,hussey4  ,the ,ambler machine had a    
straight edge cutter vibrating on arms  
through barbed or open slotted fingers4 
,his ,cutting apparatus lacked an       
essential element found in ,hussey's the
 scalloped cutter1 to say nothing of    
other material differences4 ,this       
machine has nothing to impeach the      
novelty of ,hussey's inventions4 ,the   
,nicholson ,model has no vibrating      

scalloped cutter which is one of the    
specific elements of ,hussey's          
combination4 ,the ,white machine as     
shown in the exhibit produced and which 
the testimony shows has been recently   
fabricated is not substantially the same
 combination claimed in patent ,no4     
#gdb4 ,it has not like ,hussey's a      
cutter with flush edges on both sides of
 the angle of the forks on the same side
 of the blade4 ,the ,hoyle ,machine1    
according to ,hoyle's own deposition1 is
 subsequent in date to ,hussey's        
invention4  ,sidenote3 ,utility of      
,hussey's ,inventions  ,it is contended 
by the opponents that the patent ,no4   
#dea has no utility or value4 ,i am     
inclined to the opinion that the utility
 of the improvement specified in this   
patent is1 of itself1 small1 compared   
with the improvements covered by the    
other patents of ,hussey now before me1 
which are all of very great utility1 and
 two of them indispensable in the       
present state of the art4 ,still since  

the novelty of the improvement claimed  
in ,no4 #dea1 is admitted and is proven 
by the testimony of ,henry ,b4 ,renwick 
to have some utility as one of this     
series of patents1 ,i think it has      
sufficient utility to justify an        
extension4  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hussey ,did
 ,not ,abandon ,his ,invention  ,the    
contestant's counsel have argued from   
the testimony of ,lovegrove1 that       
,hussey abandoned his inventions to the 
public by having them on sale more than 
two years before applying for a patent4 
,the testimony does not sustain this    
point4 ,besides1 an inventor does not   
abandon his invention to the public by  
constructing a machine embracing it1 in 
the same factory where he makes and     
sells other machines4 ,nor by using it  
experimentally in such a factory or     
elsewheres4 ,nor by keeping it in such a
 factory from the autumn of one year to 
the harvest of the next year4 ,nor by   
doing all or any of these things more   
than two years before his application   

for a patent4  ,the statement of        
receipts and expenditures is unusually  
full and in detail1 more so than is     
necessary to fulfill the requirements of
 the law4  ,there are two classes of    
expenditures and two corresponding      
classes of receipts1 viz43  #ast4       
,expenditures and receipts on account of
 the manufacture and sale of ,reapers   
and ,mowing ,machines embracing the     
patentee's improvements4  #bnd4         
,expenditures and receipts on account of
 the sales of ,patent rights and        
licenses1 and compromise of             
infringements4      ,the ,patentee      
manufactured and sold about #b1jjj      
machines1 and a few     other articles  
at a cost of materials and labor        
#aie1bib4hh     ,shop and ,tools        
#ab1ejj4jj     ,one-quarter of          
patentee's time and expenses            
#i1jjh4bb                               
#baf1hja4aj  ,the receipts on account of
 the sale of these manufactures were3   
,cash for ,reapers                      

#baf1fjg4ij     ,cash for parts of      
,reapers                                
#bb1daf4eh     ,notes and ,book         
,accounts                               
#aa1chh4bc     ,cash for ,corn ,crushers
                                        
#a1ace4be     ,discount and ,interest   
#b1cbg4hd                               
#bec1hge4hj  ,the result of the         
manufacturing business is an excess of  
receipts over expenditures of           
#cg1jgd4gj4 ,this statement1 however1   
allows nothing for manufacturer's       
profits4 ,an allowance for such profit  
ought to be made but in this case the   
object is to eliminate from the gross   
receipts such profits as have in any    
manner accrued from or by reason of the 
inventions claimed in the patents4 ,now 
receipts or profits that result from    
business talents or skill in            
manufacturing or in financeering are not
 receipts or profits in any manner      
accruing from or by reason of an        
invention4 ,in the case of ,seymour and 

,morgan vs4 ,mc,cormick-,howards        
,reports ,vol4 #af p4 #dhj1 the ,supreme
 ,court of the ,united ,states held that
 the ruling of ,judge ,nelson that the  
whole profits of the manufacture of     
,reaping machines in which one small    
part of the machines infringed a patent 
was to be considered as accruing from   
the use of the patented part was        
erroneous1 and that a reasonable        
manufacturer's profit for the use of the
 ,capital so1 in addition to the actual 
cost of the machine must first be       
deducted from the gross receipts1 and if
 then there was any excess1 that might  
be assigned to patents4 ,this decision  
,i should deem binding and conclusive   
upon the subject even if ,i did not     
think that the values of business       
capital and talent are as fairly charges
 against the receipts of business as the
 values of a business house or tools4   
,sidenote3 ,an ,inadequate ,profit  ,in 
this case there is only an excess of    
#cg1jgd4gj of the receipts over the     

expenditure or something less than #ad  
per cent upon the gross amount of sales4
 ,this is a very inadequate profit for  
manufacturing and selling1 but it is all
 there is1 and it is all that ,i can    
allow4  ,if the excess of the receipts  
over the expenditures had amounted to   
three times fourteen per cent1 ,i should
 have had no hesitation in allowing the 
whole of it for manufacturer's profit1  
and should not have deemed it more than 
a reasonable allowance in view of the   
testimony of ,long1 which shows that his
 firm have made a profit of over fifty  
per cent after paying patent fees1 on   
their manufacture of reapers4  ,it seems
 to be supposed from the reference which
 has been made to ,commissioner ,holt's 
decision in the case of ,mc,cormick's   
application for the extension of his    
patent of #ahde1 that he entertained    
views at variance with those ,i have    
expressed as to the justice of allowing 
manufacturer's profits as a part of the 
expenditure1 and as an offset against   

the receipts1 but a careful examination 
of that opinion will show clearly that  
,mr4 ,holt was not willing to allow a   
charge for the use of ,capital1 and for 
wear and tear of machines 7which are the
 ,constituent elements of a             
manufacturer's claim to allow for       
profit7 and then1 again allow a second  
or duplicate charge for the same things 
under the name of manufacturer's        
profits4 ,this is the extent to which   
,mr4 ,holt goes1 and ,i fully agree with
 him4  ,the expenditures on account of  
the patents and the sale of rights and  
licenses under the same are3      ,for  
three quarter of patentee's       labor 
and expense                             
#bg1jbd4fh      ,for sundry legal and   
traveling expenses                      
#dd1efb4hh                              
#ga1ehg4ef  ,the receipts on the same   
account are3      ,cash for licenses1   
sale of rights1 etc4                    
#ib1ghh4ch      ,notes and unsettled    
accounts                                

#bc1gdh4hi     ,license fees estimated  
for #ahfa                               
#aj1jjj4jj                              
#abf1ecg4bg  showing that the receipts  
exceed the expenditures by #ed1idi4ga or
 #ac1gcg4db for each of the four        
patents4  ,this ,i can have no          
hesitation in pronouncing to be a       
totally inadequate compensation for     
inventions of such great value and      
importance4  ,after a most laborious    
examination and careful consideration of
 the whole matter1 it appears to my full
 and entire satisfaction1 having due    
regard to the public interest therein1  
that it is just and proper that the term
 of the said reissued patents ,no4 #ddi1
 ,no4 #dea1 ,no4 #gdb1 and ,no4 #iag    
should severally be extended by reason  
of the patentee1 without fault or       
neglect on his part1 having failed to   
obtain from the use and sale of his said
 inventions a reasonable remuneration   
for the time1 ingenuity and expense     
bestowed upon the same and the          

introduction thereof into use4          
,sidenote3 ,hussey's ,inventions the    
,basis of all ,reaper ,manufacturers    
,profits  ,the list of licenses under   
these patents show the acquiescence of  
the principal manufacturers in the      
justice of ,hussey's claims4 ,the list  
shows that the manufacturers of ,reapers
 have made large profits1 and that      
,hussey's improvements are the          
foundation of their success4 ,it is     
certainly just and equitable that       
,hussey's heirs should be allowed to    
participate in the advantages of using  
his own inventions to an extent more    
nearly commensurate with the merits of  
those inventions4  ,sidenote3 ,a        
,merited ,tribute from the ,u4,s4       
,patent ,office  ,the character of the  
opposition to these applications1 in    
which but a single manufacturer has     
entered an appearance is such1 as       
greatly strengthens this view1 and ,i   
feel constrained to regard this tacit   
assent1 of the great body of            

manufacturers to these applications for 
extension1 an additional evidence of the
 soundness of my own conclusions4 ,as it
 is also a fitting and merited tribute  
to ,obed ,hussey1 now in his grave1 for 
the invaluable contributions his genius 
and industry have made to the           
improvements of the age4  ,the said four
 patents1 ,nos4 #ddi1 #dea1 #gdb and    
#iag1 are accordingly extended for the  
term of seven years from the #gth day of
 ,august1 #ahfa4  ,s4 ,t4 ,,shugert1    
,acting ,commissioner of ,patents4      
,united ,states ,patent ,office1 ,mar4  
#a1 #ahfa4   ,a ,,brief ,,narrative ,,of
 ,,the ,,invention ,,of ,,reaping       
,,machines  ,and an ,examination of the 
,claims for ,priority of ,invention     
,the object aimed at in this examination
 is to ascertain as far as reliable     
evidence within reach will establish the
 fact--and before the evidence may be   
lost--to whom belongs the credit of     
first rendering the ,reaping and ,mowing
 ,machine a practical and available     

implement to the ,american farmer2 not  
who theoretically invented a machine for
 the purpose1 that may have worked an   
hour only1 and very imperfectly for that
 short period1 and was then laid aside2 
but who rendered it an operating and    
efficient machine that was proved by    
successive years in the harvest field1  
capable of doing its work1 and doing it 
well2 better than either the scythe or  
cradle4  ,the object is not to detract  
from the merits fairly claimed by any   
inventor2 but it is to examine into some
 of the rival claims1 furnish the       
evidence that has satisfied our own     
minds1 and leave it for others to judge 
for themselves4 ,we would not           
intentionally deprive an inventor of his
 often dearly bought and hard-earned    
fame--the creation of his own           
genius--for it is more prized than even 
fine gold by many4 ,but it is equally   
just that merit should be acknowledged1 
and the meed of praise awarded1 where it
 is honestly and fairly due2 and to this

 end we propose and intend to examine   
into the evidence closely and           
critically4 ,it may also be right to    
remark that we have no private or       
pecuniary interest whatever1 in these1  
or any other patent claims4  ,sidenote3 
,attempts of the ,ancients  ,as to the  
theoretical portion of the business1 the
 enquiry might be greatly extended2     
indeed for past centuries1 as we have   
imperfect accounts of ,reaping ,machines
 being used by the ,romans4 ,if the     
ancients were successful in making a    
practical implement for ,reaping1 by    
horse1 or ox power1 as some ancient     
writers assert1 we certainly have no    
correct and reliable account of a       
machine that would be considered        
efficient or useful at the present day2 
a machine to save or tear off the heads 
only--as described by ,pliny and        
,palladius--would more properly be      
termed a gathering machine1 and not at  
all suited to the wants and habits of   
modern farmers4  ,illustration3 ,silver 

medal won by ,mr4 ,hussey with the      
,reaper at ,new ,york in #aheb4         
,sidenote3 ,english ,endeavors  ,it was 
not until near the close of the past1   
and within the present century1 so far  
as we can learn1 that the subject again 
claimed much attention of the inventive 
talent of either this1 or foreign       
countries4 ,of some half a dozen or more
 attempts made in ,great ,britain1 and  
recorded in ,loudon's ,encyclopedia of  
,agriculture1 the ,edinburg             
,encyclopedia1 and other similar works1 
all1 or nearly all1 relied either upon  
scythes or cutters1 with a rotary       
motion1 or vibrating shears4 ,and       
although there was go ahead about them  
in one sense of the term1 as it was     
intended for the cart to go before the  
horse1 none of them appeared to have    
gained1 or certainly not long retained1 
the confidence of the farmers2 for at   
the exhibition of the ,world's ,fair in 
,london1 the whole ,kingdom could not   
raise a ,reaping ,machine2--a practical 

implement which was considered worth    
using and exhibiting4  ,sidenote3       
,english ,failure  ,that the idea was   
obsolete there1 and had been            
unsuccessful1 is clearly proved by the  
fact that the ,english journals and     
writers of that period1 without a single
 exception1 spoke of the ,american      
,reapers--after the trials6--as         
completely successful--taking every one 
by surprise--their reaping machines have
 astonished our agriculturists--few     
subjects have created a greater         
sensation in the agricultural world than
 the recent introduction into the       
country of the reaping machines--the    
curiosity of the crowd was irrepressible
 to witness such a novelty1 even to     
stopping the machine1 and trampling the 
grain under foot1 etc41 etc4--,much more
 and similar evidence is at hand2 but   
better need not be produced to prove the
 entire failure of reaping machines in  
,great ,britain1 as late as #ahea4 ,we  
would also refer the curious to ,rees'  

,cyclopedia1 for a very brief account of
 what had been effected2--a few         
paragraphs only are written on reaping  
machines1 but several pages are compiled
 as to the use of the scythe1 sickle or 
reap hook1 and reaping fork4 ,the       
,doctor refers to ,plunknett's ,machine 
by name1 as being somewhat on a new     
principle1 the horse drawing the machine
 instead of pushing it forward as was   
the old mode of applying the power4 ,the
 machine is fully represented in the    
,farmers' ,dictionary2 and he winds up  
the account as follows3 ,but the success
 with which they have been attended has 
hitherto been far from complete2 again1 
,other machines of this kind have still 
more lately been invented by other      
persons meaning of course his own       
countrymen but without answering the    
purpose in that full and complete manner
 which is necessary in this sort of     
work4  ,the ,doctor undertakes to tell  
us what is wanted1 but fails entirely to
 inform his readers how to do it4 ,that 

,john ,bull had not done it is clearly  
established2 but ,brother ,jonathan1 the
 ,live ,yankee1 as ,john calls his      
cousin1 has solved the problem2 and the 
solution is so simple1 when you know how
 to do it6 that it is marvelously       
strange no one for centuries had before 
struck upon the right key4  ,philip     
,pusey1 ,esq41 ,m4 ,p4 and ,f4 ,r4      
,s4--the chief manager of the ,london   
,exhibition--admits the failure1 though 
apparently reluctantly2 but the source  
of his information1 in writing about the
 ,american machines1 was interested and 
defective2 and when he again writes on  
this subject he will be better informed4
 ,he says3 ,at the opening of this      
century it was thought that a successful
 reaping machine had been invented1 and 
a reward had been voted by ,parliament  
to its author4 ,the machine was employed
 here and abroad1 but from its          
intricacy1 fell into disuse4 ,another   
has been lately devised in one of our   
,colonies1 which cuts off the heads of  

the corn1 but leaves the straw standing1
 a fatal defect in an old settled       
country1 where the growth of corn is    
forced by the application of dung4 ,our 
farmers may well1 therefore1 have been  
astonished by an ,american implement    
which not only reaped the wheat1 but    
performed the work with the neatness and
 certainty of an old and perfect        
machine4 ,its novelty of action reminded
 one of seeing the first engine run on  
the ,liverpool and ,manchester railway  
in #ahcj4 ,its perfection depended on   
its being new only in ,england2 but in  
,america the result of repeated         
disappointments and untired             
perseverance1 etc4  ,sidenote3 ,english 
,claims  ,we propose to prove1 and by   
better evidence1 and disinterested too1 
than he then had1 that in #ahcc1 near   
the date of the first engine run on the 
,liverpool and ,manchester railway in   
#ahcj1 the ,american machine cut the    
corn just as perfectly1 with equal      
neatness and certainty as did the       

,novelty or ,rocket pass over the       
,liverpool and ,manchester railway4 ,we 
shall again recur to ,english authority4
 ,john ,bull is a right honest and      
clever old gentleman in the main2 but he
 is rather prone to claim what he has no
 title for--inventions1 as well as      
territory4 ,we are willing to give him  
what he can show a clear deed for1 but  
no more4 ,he beat us by one year only in
 the ,locomotive2 but we fairly beat him
 eighteen or twenty in the ,reaping     
,machine2 and yet some of his writers   
contend to this day that we pirated from
 ,bell and other ,english inventors all 
we know6  ,sidenote3 ,english ,inventors
 and ,their ,mistakes  ,the excitement  
and sensation thus produced by the      
,american ,reapers1 caused renewed      
efforts on the part of ,english         
inventors2 some who had near a quarter  
of a century previously1 been           
endeavoring to effect this great        
desideratum1 to use an ,english         
editorial2 and the most conspicuous of  

these was one invented by the ,rev4     
,patrick ,bell1 of ,scotland4 ,of the   
half a score or more and previous       
inventors in ,great ,britain--,boyce1   
,plunknett1 ,gladstone of ,castle       
,douglass1 ,salmon of ,waburn1 ,smith of
 ,deanston in ,perthshire1 etc41        
etc4--none were waked up from their ,rip
 ,van ,winkle slumbers2 or if they were1
 the world is not advised of it4 ,they  
all used revolving scythes1 revolving   
cutters1 or shears instead4 ,several    
trials were made with ,bell's in #ahbh  
or #ahbi2 and a very full and minute    
description with plates1 was published  
some #bd or #be years ago1 and may be   
found in ,loudon's ,encyclopedia of     
,agriculture4  ,it was1 however1 too    
complicated1 too cumbersome and         
expensive1 performed too little service1
 and required too much tinkering and    
repairs to be viewed as a practical and 
available implement4--,the ,english     
farmer found the sickle or reap hook    
preferable1 for it was everywhere       

resorted to4--,the cutting apparatus of 
,bell's consisted of shears1 one half   
stationary1 the other vibrating1 and    
turning on the bolt that confined them  
to the iron bar which extends across the
 front of the frame4 ,the vibrating     
motion was given by connecting the back 
end of one shear to a bar--making the   
bolt the fulcrum--and which was attached
 to a crank1 revolving by gear to the   
driving wheels4  ,sidenote3 ,bell's     
,machine  ,a reel was used to gather the
 grain to the shears1 and adjustable1   
back and forth1 and higher or lower1 to 
suit the height of the grain4 ,a        
revolving apron delivered the grain in a
 continuous swath2 and the team was     
attached to the rear of the machine1    
pushing it through the grain4  ,we have 
been more minute in the description of  
,bell's machine1 because it may have    
been the foundation of some of the      
early1 and nearly simultaneous attempts 
made in this country4 ,in fact it does  
not admit of doubt that several were    

nearly identical with ,bell's in the use
 of the shears and reel1 though with    
much more simple gearing1 and in the    
general arrangement4 ,whether they were 
original inventions1 cannot be          
ascertained4 ,in this country1 from     
#ahjj to #ahcc out of some #ae or #bj   
patents granted for cutting grain and   
cutting grass1 only four appear to have 
been restored2 i4e4 technically         
speaking1 not restored in models and    
drawings after the burning of the       
,patent ,office in #ahcf4 ,many1 if not 
most of them1 were probably improvements
 in the grain cradle1 and mowing scythe2
 though the names are preserved1 there  
is no record to show for what           
particulars the patents were granted4   
,there can be no doubt1 however1 that   
the inventors considered them valueless1
 as they were not restored1 though      
,congress voted large sums to replace   
the burnt models and drawings1 without  
any expense to the parties4 ,of those   
restored ,james ,ten ,eyck's patent is  

dated #ahbe1 ,wm4 ,manning's in #ahca1  
,wm4  ,thos4 ,schnebly's in #ahcc1 and  
,obed ,hussey's also in #ahcc4  ,james  
,ten ,eyck used an open reel2 not only  
to gather the grain1 but his cutters or 
shears1 were attached to1 and revolved  
with the reel2--very much1 if not       
exactly on the principle of shearing    
cloth4  ,william ,manning used another  
form of cutters1 and quite different    
from ,james ,ten ,eyck's--he likewise   
used fingers or teeth to support the    
grain during the action of the          
horizontal cutters4  ,william and       
,thomas ,schnebly of ,maryland also used
 the reel1 with shears as cutters1 very 
similar to ,bell's4  ,abraham ,randall1 
or ,rundell1 of ,new ,york 7for the name
 is spelled both ways71 was another of  
the early inventors4 ,his patent of     
#ahce is not restored1 though it is     
stated his machine was experimented with
 as early as #ahcc or #ahcd4 ,he also   
used the reel1 and his cutters1 it is   
said1 were similar to ,bell's--using    

shears4  ,t4 ,d4 ,burrall1 of ,new      
,york1 was also one of the early        
inventors1 about #ahcb or #ahcc1 but we 
believe professedly after ,bell's1 so   
far as to use a reel and shears4        
,sidenote3 ,none ,successful  ,sidenote3
 ,hussey's ,machine an ,american        
,triumph  ,none of these machines1      
however1 ,hussey's excepted1 were       
successful1 or were used any length of  
time2 nor is it necessary here to refer 
particularly to other attempts1 about   
this time1 or indeed prior to this      
period1 for they were equally           
unsuccessful2 and their inventors cannot
 claim the merit of doing a thing1 that 
was not in fact performed--making an    
efficient and successful ,reaper4 ,we   
may here remark1 however1 that so far as
 now known1 no machine like ,bell's1 on 
the shear or scissor principle1 has     
succeeded in this country2 or as we     
believe1 is ever likely to succeed4 ,we 
have seen a number by different         
inventors1 and all have failed to give  

satisfaction4 ,they may work well for a 
very brief period and with keen edges2  
but as they become dull1 the shears are 
forced apart by the straw and           
grass--particularly the latter1 and the 
machine fails1 as it inevitably must do1
 in its allotted duty1 and for very     
obvious reasons4 ,if the shear rivet or 
bolt is kept tight there is too much    
friction2 if loose enough to play freely
 it is too loose to cut well2 and1      
lastly1 it is too liable to wear at the 
most important point of the whole       
machine4 ,during the harvest of #ahec in
 ,england every effort was made to      
uphold ,bell's machine2 in some cases   
prizes were awarded to it1 though       
evidently partial2 for in the face of   
these awards some who witnessed the     
trials1 and had used ,bell's machines1  
laid them aside and purchased ,hussey's4
 ,at the close of the season1 as we     
learn from reliable authority1 even the 
engineers who operated ,bell's1 frankly 
admitted that the ,american machine as  

exhibited by ,hussey1 was the better    
implement1 owing to the arrangement of  
the guards and knives2 ,bell's required 
so much tinkering1 that several machines
 were required to cope with one of      
,hussey's4 ,at the recent harvest       
7#ahed7 the ,mark ,lane ,express        
acknowledges that the ,royal            
,agricultural ,societies' show at       
,lincoln1 ,bell's machine was at last   
fairly beaten by ,hussey's1 including   
,mc,cormick's1 and ,hussey's machine    
received the prize over all others4 ,it 
is just1 however1 to add1 that far as we
 consider ,bell's machine behind some of
 the present day1 yet complex and       
cumbersome as it was1 it combined more  
of the essential features of success    
than any ,reaper that preceded it4      
,illustration3 ,bronze medal won by ,mr4
 ,hussey with the ,reaper at ,new ,york 
in #ahec4  ,we now come to #ahcc1 the   
date of ,hussey's patent2 and to #ahcd1 
the date of ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick's first 
patent4 ,these were known and admitted  

by all to have been the rivals for      
popular favor and patronage1 from about 
the year #ahdd or #ahde to the opening  
of the great ,industrial ,exhibition in 
,london1 in #ahea4 ,to these1 therefore1
 the enquiry will be more particularly  
directed4  ,we must1 however1 refer back
 for a brief period to #ahca2 for       
although ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick's first    
patent was dated in #ahcd1 yet when he  
applied for his extension in #ahdh he   
alleged that his invention was prior to 
,hussey's1 as he had invented a machine 
in #ahca1 two years before the date of  
,o4 ,hussey's1 and three years before   
the date of his own patent4 ,the        
evidence produced written and prepared  
by ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick 7and now on file 
in the ,patent ,office7 was deemed      
inadmissible and informal by the ,board1
 and it refused to go on with the       
examination either as to priority or    
validity of invention without notice to 
,hussey--his patent being called in     
question by ,mc,cormick--to be present  

when the depositions were taken4        
,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick's ,attempt to    
,get ,hussey's ,signature  ,before1     
however1 receiving the official notice1 
he was called on by ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick 
in ,baltimore1 and requested to sign a  
paper1 agreeing or admitting1 that the  
testimony he had himself prepared should
 be considered evidence--i4e4 considered
 formal2 alleging that it would save him
 trouble and expense in going to        
,virginia4 ,this was declined by ,hussey
 on the ground that he might thus       
unwittingly injure himself2 he having   
previously applied for an extension of  
his own ,patent4 ,neither was he then   
aware of the nature of this evidence2 or
 until this interview1 was he advised of
 ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick's application for  
extension4  ,hussey was subsequently    
duly notified by order of the ,board to 
be present at taking the depositions in 
,augusta ,county1 ,virginia1--the ,board
 having adjourned three weeks for that  
purpose4  ,either just previous or      

subsequent to these proceedings the case
 was referred by the ,commissioner of   
,patents1 or ,board of ,extensions1 to  
,dr4 ,page1 one of the ,examiners of the
 office4  ,his report is as follows3    
,patent ,office1      ,jan4 #bb;d1      
#ahdh4      ,sir3      ,in compliance   
with your requisition ,i have examined  
the patent of     ,cyrus ,h4            
,mc,cormick1 dated #cast ,june1 #ahcd1  
and found that the     principal        
features embraced in said patent1 viz1  
the cutting-knife     and mode of       
operating it1 the fingers to guide the  
grain and the     revolving rack for    
gathering the grain1 were not new at the
 time     of granting said letters      
patent4      ,the knife-fingers and     
general arrangements and operation of   
the     cutting apparatus are found in  
the reaping machine of ,o4 ,hussey1     
patented #cast ,dec41 #ahcc4      ,the  
revolving rack presents novelty chiefly 
in form1 as its     operation is similar
 to the revolving frame of ,james ,ten  

,eyck1     patented #bnd ,november1     
#ahbe4      ,respectfully submitted1    
,,chas4 ,g4 ,,page1     ,examiner4      
,hon4 ,edmund ,burke1 ,com'r of         
,patents4  ,as some have enquired1 and  
others may enquire1 why a patent should 
issue under these circumstances1 we     
reply1 that previous to #ahcf but       
little1 if any1 examination was made as 
to priority of inventions1 or into      
preceding ,patents2 the applicant made  
oath as to his invention1 and the patent
 was issued as a matter of course4 ,and 
as another matter of course1 if the     
rival interests clashed1 litigation was 
the result3--the ,courts and juries     
often decided what they little          
understood1 and at times not at all1    
after the pleading of well fee'd        
lawyers2 a pretty fair illustration of  
the fable of the boys and frogs2 it may 
be fun for the lawyers but it is death  
to the hopes of many a poor patentee4   
,we are1 however1 pleased to perceive a 
disposition manifested by the courts to 

sustain patents2 even if occasionally an
 unjust claim is recognized as a valid  
one1 it is better1 according to the     
legal and moral maxim1 that half a dozen
 rogues should escape punishment for a  
time1 than that one innocent person     
should be unjustly convicted2 the rogue 
is almost certain to be caught in the   
end1 and truth will ultimately triumph4 
,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick-,hussey          
,controversy  ,this testimony was taken 
in due form at ,steele's ,tavern1       
,augusta ,county1 ,va41 ,mc,cormick and 
,hussey both being present4 ,it is too  
voluminous to copy entire1 but we will  
refer briefly to each1 having read them 
carefully1 and obtained certified copies
 of all from the ,patent office4  ,dr4  
,n4 ,m4 ,hitt testified to a reaping    
machine being made by ,c4 ,h4           
,mc,cormick in #ahca--;it had a straight
 sickle blade4  ,william ,s4 ,mc,cormick
 and ,leander ,j4 ,mc,cormick1 brothers 
of ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 also testified  
to the making of a machine in #ahca4    

,mary ,mc,cormick1 mother of ,c4 ,h4    
,mc,cormick1 agreed in general with the 
testimony of her sons1--did not doubt   
but it was correct1 it appears familiar 
to me1 but testified to nothing in      
particular4  ,sidenote3 ,testimony      
,john ,steele1 ,jr41 was tavernkeeper at
 ,steele's ,tavern1 testified as to the 
year being #ahca or #ahcb4 ,in his      
amended testimony1 admitted that ,c4 ,h4
 ,mc,cormick wrote the paper describing 
the machine for him to testify to2      
recollects little else about the machine
 than the straight sickle edge4  ,eliza 
,h4 ,steele refused to testify without  
first seeing a certificate previously   
signed by her2 admitted that ,c4 ,h4    
,mc,cormick wrote it for her to sign2   
her testimony as to the year depended on
 the building of a certain house1 on    
which the workmen put #ahca4  ,john     
,mc,cown--was a blacksmith--testified   
that he made the straight sickle blade1 
and that it was a long1 straight sickle 
blade4  ,this was most singular         

testimony to found a claim of priority  
of invention on1 and by which to        
invalidate another man's patent4 ,there 
was discrepancy in the evidence as to   
the year of the invention2 also whether 
the machine was intended for one or two 
horses2 how the fingers were arranged1  
and whether of wood or iron1 above or   
below1 the straight sickle blade4 ,two  
of the brothers--one at least who helped
 to make1 if not also to invent this    
machine--testified that the plan or     
arrangement of the machine here sworn   
to1 was changed in #ahdj1 #ahda1 #ahdb1 
or #ahdc1 they did not know which2 from 
#i to #ab years afterwards6  ,john      
,mc,cown swears positively that he      
helped to build the machine1 so far at  
least as to forge a long1 straight      
sickle2 but neither he1 or a single one 
of the seven sworn witnesses1 ladies and
 gentlemen1 testify that the machine    
ever worked a single hour1 or cut as    
much grain of any kind as would make a  
single sheaf6#a        #a ,the reading  

of this testimony strongly reminds us of
 an       anecdote related at the       
hustings in ,virginia by that talented  
but       eccentric character1 ,john    
,randolph1 of ,roanoake1 in a political 
canvass with an opponent1 who promised  
what he would do for his                
constituents1 if elected4 ,randolph told
 him he was like one of his             
overseers1 a plausible fellow1 but on   
whom little reliance was to       be    
placed--and who1 desiring to show what  
fine crops he had       raised1         
exhibited a better tally board than the 
crop could       justify4 ,i told him1  
said ,randolph1 this is very good tally1
       ,john1 but where's the corn8 and 
,i tell the gentleman1 ,i don't want    
to see his tally1 but the corn--the     
evidence of what he ever did       to   
entitle him to a seat in ,congress4 ,the
 effect was electric1       and the     
hustings rang with plaudits4 ,now we    
would say to ,c4 ,h4       ,mc,cormick1 
this is very good tally1 ,john1 but     

where's the ,corn8       ,the evidence  
that the machine ever cut a single acre 
of grain4  ,sidenote3 ,john ,smith  ,in 
a long communication to ,commissioner   
,burke in #ahdh1 together with a list of
 sales and profits1 ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick 
states1 and on oath1 that he had        
exhibited his machine in #ahdj or #ahda 
to a considerable number of farmers and 
very satisfactorily1 though but one     
person could be induced to purchase--a  
,mr4 ,john ,smith we believe--and that  
up to #ahdb1 eleven years after the     
alleged invention1 he had sold but two  
machines1 and one of them conditionally4
 ,again1 in the same paper he states1   
but they failed to operate well1 and had
 to be altered--in other words they     
would not work at all4 ,amongst others1 
he had applied to the farmer of         
,virginia1 ,mr4 ,sampson1 for a         
certificate as to the satisfactory      
working of the machine1 but it was      
declined4  ,we are not surprised at     
this2 for some #ce years ago we were    

personally acquainted with this farmer  
of ,virginia1 and also with his mode of 
farming2 and know that a machine of any 
kind to please him must work and must   
also work well4 ,richard ,sampson was at
 that early day in this age of progress1
 one of the best and most practical     
farmers in the ,old ,dominion1 and was  
not a man to be caught napping1 either  
at home or abroad4  ,the record shows   
that on ,march #bi1 #ahdh1 the ,board   
met agreeably to adjournment--,present1 
,james ,buchanan1 ,secretary of ,state1 
,edmund ,burke1 ,commissioner of        
,patents1 and ,r4 ,h4 ,gillett1         
,solicitor of the ,treasury--and having 
examined the evidence adduced in the    
case decide that said patent ought not  
to be extended4  7,signed7 ,,james      
,,buchanan1 ,secretary of ,state4       
,,edmund ,,burke1 ,commissioner of      
,patents4  ,r4 ,h4 ,,gillett1 ,solicitor
 of the ,treasury4  ,this evidence1     
taken in due form1 and certified to by  
the magistrates in ,augusta and         

,rockbridge ,counties1 ,virginia1 was   
not ruled out as informal1 as we have   
seen it stated3 but it was certainly    
laid before the ,board2 and was         
doubtless satisfactory both as to       
priority of invention1 and in connection
 with ,dr4 ,page's report1 conclusive1  
that said patent ought not to be        
extended4  ,we have also seen it stated 
that ,hussey appeared before the ,board 
of ,extensions to contest the extension 
of ,mc,cormick's patent4  ,sidenote3    
,mr4 ,hussey ,acted in ,self ,defense   
,we think injustice--and no doubt       
unintentionally--is here done to        
,hussey4 ,until the order of the ,board 
was passed to afford him the opportunity
 to defend his rights1 assailed without 
his knowledge1 he was not aware of ,c4  
,h4 ,mc,cormick's application4 ,as a    
matter of course he then attended1 but  
stated in writing1 and which is now on  
file1 ,i had no intention1 neither had  
,i any desire to place any obstacle in  
the way of the extension of ,c4 ,h4     

,mc,cormick's patent4 ,but the course he
 has taken before your ,board and before
 ,congress has compelled me to act in   
self defense4  ,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick   
,assailed the ,hussey ,extension  ,not  
so with ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick2 for when   
his claims were rejected by the ,board  
of ,extensions1--and most justly1 as we 
think1 in accordance with the           
evidence--he petitioned ,congress       
against ,hussey's extension3 and to this
 most ungenerous1 illiberal and unfair  
course1 and of which ,hussey was for    
years totally ignorant1 ,c4 ,h4         
,mc,cormick may justly attribute this   
enquiry2--but for this1 it had never    
been written4 ,our object is not to     
injure ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick2 but it is   
that justice may be done to another1    
whose interests and rights he was the   
first to assail4  ,if the foregoing     
testimony is not conclusive1 as regards 
priority of invention in #ahca against  
,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 we think the       
evidence which follows--and which no one

 will pretend to call in question1 or   
doubt--establishes the fact that the    
machine of #ahca was good for           
nothing1--not even half invented2 and   
that the machine of #ahda was not much  
more perfect4  ,on page #bca of the     
,reports of ,juries for the ,great      
,london ,exhibition1 and now in the     
,library of ,congress1 we find the      
following3  ,it seems right1 says       
,philip ,pusey1 ,esq41 ,m4 ,p41 to put  
on record ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's own account
 of his progress1 or some extracts at   
least1 from a statement written by him1 
at my request4--,pusey4  ,my father was 
a farmer in the county of ,rockbridge1  
,state of ,virginia1 ,united ,states4   
,he made an experiment in cutting grain 
in the year #ahaf1 by a number of       
cylinders standing perpendicularly4     
,another experiment of the same kind was
 made by my father in the harvest of    
#ahca1 which satisfied my father to     
abandon it4 ,thereupon my attention was 
directed to the subject1 and the same   

harvest ,i invented and put in operation
 in cutting late oats on the farm of    
,john ,steele1 adjoining my father's1   
those parts of my present ,reaper called
 the platform1 for receiving the corn1 a
 straight blade taking effect on the    
corn1 supported by stationary fingers   
over the edge1 and a reel to gather the 
corn2 which last1 however1 ,i found had 
been used before1 though not in the same
 combination4  ,although these parts    
constituted the foundation of the       
present machine1 ,i found in practice   
innumerable difficulties1 being limited 
also to a few weeks each year1 during   
the harvest1 for experimenting1 so that 
my first patent for the ,reaper was     
granted in ,june1 #ahcd4  ,during this  
interval1 ,i was often advised by my    
father and family to abandon it1 and    
pursue my regular business1 as likely to
 be more profitable1 he having given me 
a farm4 ,italicised by ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,c4   
,no machines were sold until #ahdj1 and 
,i may say that they were not of much   

practical value until the improvements  
of my second patent in #ahde4  ,these   
improvements consist in reversing the   
angle of the sickle teeth               
alternately--the improved form of the   
fingers to hold up the corn1 etc4--an   
iron case to preserve the sickles from  
clogging--and a better mode of          
separating the standing corn to be cut4 
,up to this period nothing but loss of  
time and money resulted from my efforts4
 ,the sale has since steadily increased1
 and is now more than a thousand        
yearly4#b        #b ,the sale has since 
steadily increased1 and is now more than
 a       thousand yearly4 ,this was     
written in #ahea1 and by a little       
calculation1 we can readily estimate the
 yearly profits4 ,in the       ,circuit 
,court of the ,united ,states1 at       
,albany1 in the suit brought       by   
,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick against ,seymour    
,morgan1 in #ahej1 for an       alleged 
infringement of patent1 it was proved on
 the oath of ,o4 ,h4       ,dormon1 his 

partner1 and also on the oath of ,h4 ,a4
 ,blakesley1       their clerk1 that    
these ,reapers only cost #cf to #cg to  
manufacture4 ,by the same evidence1 the 
sales averaged from #aaj to       #abj  
each machine2 leaving a clear profit of 
at least #gc4 ,c4 ,h4       ,mc,cormick 
first received a patent fee of #cj on   
each machine1 then       three-fourths  
of the remainder in the division of     
profits4 ,it       would thus appear1 if
 these figures are correct--and they are
 all       sworn to--that ,c4 ,h4       
,mc,cormick realized full fifty thousand
       dollars clear profit annually1   
with a margin of eight to ten           
thousand dollars for commissions and bad
 debts in addition4  ,it would be just  
as conclusive and reasonable for the    
father of ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick to claim  
at this day priority of invention for   
his ,reaper invented in #ahaf1 by a     
number of cylinders standing            
perpendicularly2 or for the invention   
made by my father in the harvest of     

#ahca1 which satisfied my father to     
abandon it4 ,this authority1 high and   
official as all must admit it to be1 and
 italicised too1 by the writer for a    
particular object1 clearly proves that  
the invention of #ahca was an abortion2 
for if the principle was effective to   
cut one acre of grain properly1 any man 
of common sense knows that it was       
equally so to cut one thousand acres2   
but so complete was the failure that1   
,during this interval--between #ahca and
 #ahcd--;,i was often advised by my     
father and family to abandon it1 and    
pursue my regular business1 as likely to
 be more profitable1 he having given me 
a farm4  ,again1 ,no machines were sold 
until #ahdj1 and ,i may say that they   
were not of much practical value until  
the improvements of my second patent in 
#ahde4 ,what these improvements were we 
are also informed3 ,these improvements  
consist in reversing the angle of the   
sickle teeth alternately1 the improved  
form of the fingers to hold up the corn1

 etc4--an iron case to preserve the     
sickle from clogging1 etc4--up to this  
period nothing but loss of time and     
money resulted from my efforts4  ,nor is
 it at all surprising2 for until        
improvements were added1 invented and   
long in successful operation by others1 
the machine would not work1 and         
consequently no one would buy4          
,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick's ,pen ,more     
,effective ,than ,his ,reaper  ,this    
letter is the most perfect and complete 
estopper to priority of invention--not  
only for #ahca1 but to #ahda inclusive1 
if not to #ahde1 that could be penned4  
,his pen cuts a cleaner swath1 as we    
farmers say1 than ever did his ,reaper2 
and this letter at least is certainly   
,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick's own invention1    
which no one else can lay any claim to4 
,yet1 strange as it may appear1 he      
contended before the ,board of          
,extensions in order to invalidate      
,hussey's ,patent1 that he invented a   
,reaping ,machine nine years before6 ,so

 has perpetual motion been invented a   
hundred times--in the estimation of the 
projectors2 and by his own showing1 and 
on oath1 he sold but two machines up to 
#ahdb--one of them conditionally        
sold--being eleven years after the      
alleged invention1 and even they had to 
be re-invented to make them work1 or use
 the previous inventions of others4  ,in
 this letter to ,philip ,pusey1 ,esq41  
,m4 ,p41 ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick admits that
 the ,reel had been used before1 yet he 
includes it in his patent of            
#ahcd4--;,both the specifications and   
drawings in the ,patent ,office         
conclusively establish the fact that    
,james ,ten ,eyck patented the reel or  
revolving rack1 or revolving frame in   
#ahbe1 used not only to gather the grain
 as all such devices are used1 but by   
the knives attached to it1 also intended
 to cut it off4  ,sidenote3 ,priority of
 the ,reel  ,could it be contended that 
because rockers are attached to a chair 
it is no longer a chair1 or useful as a 

seat8 ,even ,mary ,mc,cormick1 the      
mother of ,cyrus1 and ,eliza ,h4        
,steele1 of ,steele's ,tavern1          
,virginia--nay every woman and child in 
the country would tell you that it was  
then a rocking chair--just as much a    
seat as ever--and ,ten ,eyck's was a    
,reel to all intents and purposes1 but  
also a cutting reel4 ,it does not       
require the mechanical tact and skill of
 ,professor ,page to discover that the  
revolving rack presents novelty chiefly 
in form1 as its operation is similar to 
the revolving frame of ,james ,ten      
,eyck1 patented ,november #b;d1 #ahbe4  
,it is certain the reel was no novelty1 
either in #ahca or #ahcd1 when patented 
by ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick2 he tells us so  
himself2 and it is most likely the      
father of ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick also used 
a reel for his cylinders standing       
perpendicularly1 in #ahaf1 and also for 
his other plan in #ahca1 and which      
satisfied my father to abandon it4 ,and 
it is equally probable that most of the 

fathers and the sons1 who invented      
,reapers for a hundred years preceding  
the date of ,hussey's patent1 used      
reels2--indeed the reel seemed to be    
considered a ,sine qua non by many2 most
 of the inventors we have any clear     
account of1 resorted to the reel4       
,hussey also used the reel in #ahcc--of 
course the reel and seat in             
combination--but only for a short       
period1 as it was found quite           
unnecessary--an actual incumbrance with 
his cutting apparatus1 and soon laid it 
aside4  ,we will now examine another    
invention patented by ,c4 ,h4           
,mc,cormick1 in #ahdg4 ,we here assert  
and challenge a denial1 that from #ab to
 #ad years after the alleged invention  
of a ,reaper by ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick in  
#ahca1 and from #i to #ab years after   
the date of his patent in #ahcd his     
raker walked by the side of his machine1
 while ,hussey's raker rode on the      
machine as they always had done since   
his first machine that cut the grain    

like a thing of life in ,hamilton       
,county1 ,ohio1 in #ahcc4 ,yet1 in      
#ahdg1 ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick takes out a  
patent for the raker's seat6 this was a 
novelty and well worth a patent6        
,sidenote3 ,the ,raker's ,seat  ,in two 
trials of reaping machines by ,hussey   
and ,mc,cormick in the same fields in   
,virginia1 in #ahdc1 one at             
,hutchinson's1 and the other on the     
plantation of the late ,senator ,roane1 
at ,tree ,hill1 near ,richmond1         
,mc,cormick's raker walked by the side  
of the machine1 while ,hussey's rode on 
the machine1 in the same manner as he   
did just exactly ten years before4  ,we 
have three letters from the late ,hon4  
,william ,h4 ,roane referring to these  
trials1 and ordering a machine from     
,hussey1 after witnessing the operation 
of both4 ,two of the letters he desired 
might not be published2 but says in one 
of them1 ,i have no objection to your   
stating publicly that a member of the   
committee who made the report last      

summer at ,hutchinson's1 which was      
published a few days thereafter1        
witnessed a fuller and fairer trial     
between the two machines1 and has in    
consequence ordered one of yours4 99 99 
99 ,what ,i have said above of ---- is  
intended only for your eye              
confidentially1 to show you in part the 
character and probable motives of the   
opposition your ,reaper has met4 ,let   
what ,i say be private1 as ,i have a    
great objection to going into the       
newspapers4 ,should you ever want it1   
you can have from me the strongest      
public testimonial of my good opinion of
 your machine4  ,the third letter1      
giving this testimonial1 was published  
in the ,american ,farmer in ,january1   
#ahdd4 ,as the ,raker's ,seat--the main 
feature of ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick's patent 
of #ahdg--;comes fairly within the scope
 of this enquiry as to priority of      
invention1 we re-publish ,senator       
,roane's letter and also furnish other  
testimony on the subject4      ,to the  

,editor of the ,american ,farmer3       
,as the question of which is the best   
,reaping ,machine is of     no little   
importance to wheat growers1 it is      
highly necessary that     they be       
rightly informed of every fact which    
tends to decide the     question4 ,the  
trial which forms the subject of the    
following     correspondence was looked 
forward to with great interest by       
farmers2 such was the partial character 
of the trial1 and the     general terms 
of the committee's report1 in which the 
particulars     that led to the result  
were omitted1 it cannot appear strange  
that     the public should be in some   
degree misled with regard to the        
relative merits of the two machines4 ,if
 my own interest was alone              
concerned1 ,i would not thus far        
trespass on your columns1 but you       
will doubtless agree with me1 that it is
 due to wheat growers     throughout the
 country that the views expressed by    
,mr4 ,roane1 in     connection with the 

committee's report1 should be published 
as     extensively as the report itself2
 ,i therefore solicit the     insertion 
of the following correspondence in your 
paper4      ,very respectfully1         
,,obed ,,hussey4  ,sidenote3 ,hussey    
,letter to ,mr4 ,roane      ,baltimore1 
,january #ahth1 #ahdd4      ,to the     
,hon4 ,william ,h4 ,roane3      ,dear   
,sir--,you will remember that a trial   
took place on the farm     of ,mr4      
,hutchinson near ,richmond1 ,va41 in    
,july last1 between my     reaping      
machine and ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's1 at which
 trial you were one     of a committee  
which gave the preference to ,mr4       
,mc,cormick's     machine4      ,you    
will also recollect that the machine    
which ,i used at that     time was a    
small one1 and quite different from that
 which ,i used     in your field a few  
days afterwards in a second trial       
between ,mr4     ,mc,cormick and myself4
      ,as the first trial was made under
 circumstances unfavorable to           

myself1 owing to the difficulties which 
prevented me from getting     my best   
machine to the field on that day1 and   
other impediments     incidental to a   
stranger unprovided with a team1 etc41  
and as no     report was made of the    
second trial1 you will oblige me by     
informing me what your impressions were 
after witnessing the     second trial4  
,i would very gladly embrace the        
opportunity which the next     harvest  
will afford of following up my          
experiments in wheat     cutting in     
,virginia1 but the new field opened to  
me in the     great west for cutting    
hemp1 in which ,i was so successful     
last ,september1 as will appear by the  
,louisville ',journal' of that     date1
 will claim my particular attention this
 year4 ,i mention this     to you lest  
it might appear that ,i had abandoned   
the field in     ,virginia by my        
non-appearance there in the next        
harvest4      ,very respectfully yours1 
etc41      ,,obed ,,hussey4  ,sidenote3 

,mr4 ,roane's ,reply      ,tree ,hill1  
,january #bc;d1 #ahdd4      ,dear ,sir3 
,i received a few days ago your letter  
of the #agth inst41 on the     subject  
of your reaping machine2 you call my    
recollection to a     trial between it  
and ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's reaper at ,mr4   
,hutchinson's in     ,july last1 on     
which occasion ,i 'was one of a         
committee which gave     the preference 
to ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's machine2' you also
 advert to a     trial between these    
rival machines a few days subsequent1 at
 this     place1 and request to know my 
impressions after this second trial4    
,i presume from the fact of my having   
ordered one of your reapers     for the 
ensuing harvest1 that it is your purpose
 to publish this     statement4 ,averse 
as ,i am to having my name in print on  
this1 or     any other occasion1 ,i     
cannot with propriety decline a response
 to     your inquiry4 ,i had never seen 
or formed an idea of a reaping          
machine until ,i went to                

,hutchinson's--,i was surprised and     
delighted     with the performance of   
each of them1 and fully resolved to own 
one     of them by the next harvest1 but
 their performance that day left     me 
in a state of doubt which ,i should     
select4 ,the report spoke in     terms  
of high praise of each machine1 and ,i  
consented to its award     that on the  
whole ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's was preferable1
 merely because     being the cheapest  
and requiring but two horses1 it would  
best suit     the majority of our       
farmers1 who make small crops of wheat  
on weak     land--for ,i doubted its    
capacity in heavy grain4 ,after this    
report was made ,i heard your complaint 
that you did not have a fair     trial1 
because being unable to bring into the  
field your large     improved ,reaper1  
which was up the river1 you were        
compelled to     comply with your       
engagement for the day1 with a small and
     inferior machine1 drawn by an      
indifferent and untutored team4 ,mr4    

,hutchinson's wheat was badly rusted1   
and therefore light4 ,i had     ready   
for the scythe a low ground field of    
heavy and well matured     grain2 partly
 to expedite my harvest work1 and partly
 to renew the     trial1 that ,i might  
solve my doubts as to the merits of     
these     machines1 ,i succeeded in     
engaging them to be at ,tree ,hill on a 
named day4 ,they both came agreeable to 
appointment1 ,mr4 ,mc,cormick           
bringing the machine he used at         
,hutchinson's1 and you bringing the     
one you could not on that occasion bring
 down the river4 ,the day     was fine1 
and both machines did their best1 and   
had a very fair     trial4 ,my doubts   
were fully removed1 and my mind         
convinced that for     the heavy wheat  
we raise on our river low grounds1 rich 
bottoms1     etc41 your machine is      
superior to ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's1 of which
 ,i     still think highly4 ,i          
accordingly ordered one of yours to be  
made     for the approaching harvest4   

,i wish you all possible success in     
cutting hemp in the ',great     ,west4' 
,it must be very desirable to cut that  
valuable plant instead     of pulling it
 up by the roots1 and ,i cannot doubt   
that your reaper     has ample power for
 the process4      ,most respectfully1  
yours1 etc41      ,w4 ,h4 ,,roane4      
,mr4 ,obed ,hussey1 ,baltimore4  ,we are
 not advised at what precise period     
subsequent to #ahdc and previous to     
#ahdg 7when ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick patented
 the raker's seat71 that he changed the 
arrangement of his wheels1 etc41 so as  
to admit a seat for his raker without   
'tipping up the machine' as was         
unavoidable previously4 ,from evidence  
deemed fully reliable1 he was not the   
first even on his own machine1 to       
provide a seat for the raker1 and all   
take a ride4' ,it is laborious enough to
 test fully the endurance of the most   
powerful and muscular man1 to ride and  
rake2 but to walk and rake is even more 
barbarous than the old time ball and    

chain to the leg of the felon4 ,the     
considerate and feeling farmer would    
certainly 'wait for the wagon' to be    
better fixed before thus undertaking to 
reap his grain fields if himself or his 
hands had to ride in this sort of style4
  ,we have a letter from ,isaac ,irvine 
,hite1 ,esq41 now of ,clarke ,county1   
,va41 which throws some light on the    
subject2 he says 7italicised by the     
writer73  ,in #ahdb my father1 by my    
request1 purchased for me of ,c4 ,h4    
,mc,cormick and ,father1 a reaper at    
#aaj1 which was drawn by two horses1 and
 it was raked off to the right hand side
 by a man on foot4 ,the father of ,c4   
,h4 ,mc,cormick stated to me at the     
commencement of that harvest1 that it   
had been nine years since they had first
 operated with it1 in pretty much the   
form it was then constructed4 ,on a     
recent visit to ,messrs4 ,mc,cormick1   
who then resided on the line between    
,augusta and ,rockbridge ,counties in   
this ,state1 the old gentleman stated to

 me that he had been at odd times at    
work on the reaper for many years2 and  
either he or his son stated to me that  
,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick had been improving1 
changing or inventing various parts     
until they had 7as they thought7        
perfected the machine4 99 99 99 ,i      
disliked the labor imposed on the hand  
who had to walk and remove the wheat    
from a platform seven feet in width1 and
 urged ,messrs4 ,mc,cormick to attach   
another contrivance so as to enable the 
raker to ride and perform his arduous   
task2 the old gentleman contended that  
that could never be accomplished1 but   
that a self-operating appendage could be
 constructed to remove the grain1 but   
that would be uncertain1 and entirely   
unreliable4 ,during my visit1 he pointed
 out to me one or more fixtures they had
 tried for the raker to ride on4 ,i     
think one was on one wheel1 and the     
other on two4  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hite    
,suggests a ,seat  ,i yet contended that
 it could be accomplished2 if by no     

other means1 by changing the            
construction of the machine1 and        
remarked to him1 if ,i were a mechanic1 
and understood the construction of the  
machine well enough to venture to alter 
its parts1 ,i was certain ,i could so   
arrange it1 and requested him to urge   
his son to make the effort2 he replied  
that it would be useless2 that they had 
tried every imaginable way or plan      
before placing the machine before the   
public1 and that they regarded it as an 
impossibility1 successfully1 and        
properly1 in any other way than on foot1
 and said it was necessary for the heads
 to be brought round to the right1 in   
which ,i fully agreed2 but contended it 
could be done while the raker was riding
 or standing in an erect position4      
,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick ,condemns  ,after
 this unsatisfactory interview ,i       
returned home1 and at the close of the  
next wheat harvest ,i had a small       
carriage1 about #c feet by #c-a_/b feet1
 constructed on two wheels1 and         

connected underneath the platform1 by   
means of shafts to the back part of the 
head of the machine2 this during the    
cutting of my oat crop answered every   
purpose1 so far as the raker was        
concerned1 but there was a difficulty in
 turning4 ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick came to   
see this combination sometime during the
 year1 and condemned it in toto4 ,but by
 the next harvest ,i had it so          
constructed1 as to be drawn by an iron  
bar so shaped1 appended and supported on
 the underneath part of the carriage1 as
 to admit of the machine turning in any 
direction1 and the carriage would follow
 just as the two hind wheels of a wagon 
do2 the carriage had a seat behind1 and 
a thick1 deep cushion in front1 for the 
raker to press his knees against while  
removing the grain from the platform to 
his right hand1 which he was enabled to 
do with apparent ease with a rake of    
peculiar shape2--7it cannot be done with
 a rake of ordinary shape74  ,sidenote3 
,mc,cormick ,adopts ,mr4 ,hite's        

,suggestion  ,the working of the first  
carriage was witnessed by many gentlemen
 who approved of it2 and the combination
 of the second carriage ,i applied for a
 patent for4 ,the model carriage can now
 be seen in the room of the ,patent     
,office1 containing models of all       
rejected patents4 ,after this1 ,i heard 
of ,mc,cormick making experiments at one
 of his ,western factories--,i think it 
was at ,chicago2 and finally he         
addressed me a letter1 stating he had   
changed the construction of his machine1
 and had it so constructed that the     
raker could ride on the machine and     
remove the grain4  ,we think the        
foregoing letter--for it carries truth  
on its face--clearly shows that the idea
 of changing the construction of the    
machine1 and permit the raker to ride1  
did not originate with the ,mc,cormick's
 father or son2 for they had tried every
 imaginable plan or way before placing  
the machine before the public1 and that 
they regarded it as an impossibility for

 the wheat to be so removed regularly1  
successfully and properly1 in any other 
way except on foot4  ,at the trial      
referred to at ,hutchinson's1 and the   
late ,senator ,roane's in #ahdc1 it was 
demonstrated that a raker could ride and
 rake1 and as was also done by ,hussey  
many years before1 at various places1   
and delivering the grain at back or     
side4 ,but we have still better evidence
 than the above--,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick    
himself4  ,his ,patent of #ahdg1        
covering some four or five folio pages1 
is altogether to change the construction
 of the machine1 to admit of1 and to    
patent the raker's seat2 the substance  
of the whole is comprised within the    
following brief extract from the patent 
of #ahdg3  ,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick's     
,patent for ,raker's ,seat  ,and the    
gearing which communicates motion to the
 crank is placed back of the driving    
wheel1 which is therefore subject to be 
clogged by sand1 dirt1 straw1 etc4--and 
in consequence of the relative position 

of the various parts1 the attendant is  
obliged to walk on the ground by the    
side of the machine1 to rake the cut    
grain from the platform as it is        
delivered and laid there by the reel4   
,these defects which have so much       
retarded the introduction into practical
 and general use of ,reaping ,machines1 
,i have remedied by my improvements1 the
 nature of which consists in placing the
 driving wheels further back than       
heretofore1 and back of the gearing     
which communicates motion to the sickle1
 which is placed in a line back of the  
axis of the driving wheel1 the connexion
 being formed1 etc41 and also bringing  
the driving wheel sufficiently far back 
to balance the frame of the machine with
 the raker on it1 to make room for him  
to sit or stand on the frame1 etc41     
etc4--which cannot be done1 if the raker
 walks by the side of the machine1 as   
heretofore4  ,sidenote3 ,hussey         
,fourteen ,years ,ahead  ,now if ,c4 ,h4
 ,mc,cormick's testimony in his own     

favor1 can be considered reliable1 he   
certainly had not invented a seat for   
his raker as late as #ahde--;and not    
long prior to #ahdg1 when he patented   
it2 and just fourteen years after       
,hussey had used it every year1         
successively4 ,the raker's seat         
therefore was just as original an       
invention as the reel4  ,the straight   
sickle blade1 but cut one way only1 and 
abandoned some #aj or #ab years after   
its conception in #ahca1 as he states1  
appears to be the only original         
idea--properly belonging to whom it     
may--in the patent of #ahcd4 ,as to the 
foundation of the machine1 viz3--the    
platform1 cog wheels1 crank1 etc41 etc41
 they have been used by every projector 
in reaping machines1 for a century4  ,a 
machine exhibited at the ,world's ,fair 
in ,london1 by ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 had 
the straight sickle blade1 but          
alternating the cuts every few inches4  
,with such a machine it is impracticable
 to cut grain1 much less grass1         

efficiently1 divested of the reel4 ,that
 plan has since been changed to a much  
more efficient blade1 the scolloped     
edged sickle4 ,that it was used in the  
,northwestern ,states by others several 
years previous to its adoption by ,c4   
,h4 ,mc,cormick1 we believe admits of   
just as little doubt1 as rests with the 
priority of invention of the ,reel1     
,rakers-seat1 etc4  ,there is one other 
important feature1 patented in #ahde and
 referred to in the ,pusey letter2--an  
,iron case to preserve the sickles from 
clogging2 these we will also take a look
 into after a while4  ,obed ,hussey1 as 
appears by the evidence before us1 made 
his first machine in ,cincinnati1 ,ohio1
 where he then resided1 in the spring of
 #ahcc1 and it was patented the same    
year4  ,sidenote3 ,the ,hussey          
,principle  ,his principle--the         
arrangement and construction of the     
,guards and ,knives--was precisely      
identical with those used by him at the 
present day1 except an improvement      

patented in #ahdg1 leaving openings at  
the back end of the slot in the guards  
for the escape of particles of straw or 
grass that might get in between the     
blades and guards4  ,it was communicated
 at the time by letter with a diagram to
 a personal friend now living1 and of   
the highest respectability1 from whom we
 have a certificate1 and copy of the    
drawing4 ,the knives or cutters1 for    
lack of more suitable materials were    
made out of hand saw blades cut into    
suitable form1 and riveted to a bar1    
vibrating through an opening or slot in 
the guards4  ,sidenote3 ,an ,early      
,experiment  ,judge ,foster1 residing   
within a few miles of the city1 and to  
whom he applied1 kindly offered him     
every facility to test the machine by   
cutting grain1 ripe and unripe1 being   
himself greatly interested in its       
success4 ,when taken to the field1 a    
considerable number of persons were     
attracted to the spot2 and rather to the
 discomfiture of the inventor1 for it   

may well be supposed it was an anxious  
moment to him1 and he desired no        
witnesses to his failure4 ,the machine  
was started2 but owing to some part     
giving away1 or some slight defect not  
apparent until then1 it failed to work  
satisfactorily4 ,one burley fellow      
present picked up a cradle1 and1        
swinging it with an air of great        
exultation1 exclaimed1 this is the      
machine to cut the wheat6  ,after the   
jeers and merriment of the crowd had    
somewhat subsided1 the inventor remedied
 the defect1 and assisted by the        
laborers present--the horses having been
 removed--pulled the machine to the top 
of an adjacent hill2 when alone1 he drew
 the machine down the hill1 and through 
the standing grain1 when it cut every   
head clean in its track6  ,the same     
machine was directly afterwards         
exhibited before the ,hamilton ,county  
,agricultural ,society near ,carthage1  
on the #bnd of ,july1 #ahcc4 ,of its    
operation and success1 the following    

statements1 and certificates1 now in our
 possession1 sufficiently testify4      
,doctor ,wallace as well as some others 
of the gentlemen1 are living witnesses  
of what is here stated4  ,sidenote3     
,wallace ,testimonial      ,cincinnati1 
,november #bjth1 #ahcc4      ,this may  
certify that ,i was present on the #bnd 
day of ,july near     ,carthage1 in this
 county1 at an experimental trial with a
 machine     invented by ,mr4 ,obed     
,hussey for cutting grain4 ,the         
operation was     performed on a field  
of wheat4 ,the machine was found to cut 
the     wheat clean1 and with great     
rapidity4 ,but owing to its having been 
imperfectly made1 being only constructed
 for the experiment1 some     parts of  
wood which should have been made of     
iron1 and in     consequence frequently 
getting some parts out of order1 a      
correct     estimate of the quantity of 
work it would perform in a given time   
could not be made4 ,one point was1      
however1 satisfactorily     established1

 that the principle upon which the      
machine is     constructed will operate2
 and when well built will be an         
important     improvement1 and greatly  
facilitate the harvesting of grain4 ,i  
would also remark that the horses moving
 the machine were walked1     and       
trotted1 and it was found to cut best   
with the greatest     velocity4      ,c4
 ,d4 ,,wallace1     ,secretary of the   
,hamilton ,county ,agricultural         
,society4  ,sidenote3 ,exceeded         
,expectations      ,we1 the undersigned1
 witnessed the exhibition of ,mr4 ,o4   
,hussey's     ,machine for cutting grain
 alluded to by ,dr4 ,wallace1 and do    
fully     concur with his statement of  
its performance4 ,we would further add1 
that notwithstanding its temporary      
construction1 its performance far       
exceeded our expectations4 ,cutting the 
grain clean and rapidly1 and     leaving
 it in good order for binding4 ,we are  
of the opinion that the     machine is  
capable of being propelled at the rate  

of five miles the     hour1 and do good 
work4 ,the machine was worked when the  
cutters were     both in a sharp and a  
dull condition1 and no difference could 
be     perceived in its execution4      
7,signed7 ,g4 ,a4 ,,mayhew1             
,t4 ,r4 ,,sebring1              ,a4     
,,castner1              ,,jacob ,,white1
              ,h4 ,b4 ,,coffin1         
,c4 ,f4 ,,coffin1              ,s4 ,w4  
,,folger1              ,t4 ,b4 ,,coffin1
              ,,wm4 ,,paddock4  ,there  
are several other certificates equally  
conclusive and satisfactory2 but we will
 only copy in addition to the foregoing1
 a short piece from the ,farmer and     
,mechanic1 issued ,july #c;d1 #ahcc1 in 
,cincinnati1 as follows3  ,several      
members of the ,agricultural ,society on
 last ,wednesday attended in ,carthage  
to see a machine for cutting wheat by   
horse power1 in operation4 ,it was      
propelled by two horses1 and cut as fast
 as eight persons could conveniently    
bind1 doing the cutting neatly4  ,this  

machine is the invention of ,mr4 ,o4    
,hussey1 and will no doubt prove a      
useful addition to our agricultural     
implements4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,c4 ,ludlow        
suggested that it would be good economy 
of time and labor to take a threshing   
machine into the field and thresh out   
the grain as it is reaped1 thereby      
saving the binding and hauling to the   
barn or stack4 ,we think the suggestion 
a good one4  ,sidenote3 ,the ,problem   
,solved  ,here1 then1 was the problem   
solved--the great discovery made that   
had puzzled the brains of hundreds if   
not of thousands1 and for centuries4 ,no
 one we fearlessly assert had ever      
succeeded so completely and             
satisfactorily1 and with so simple and  
practical a machine4  ,some visited the 
exhibition determined to condemn as they
 afterwards acknowledged1 deeming the   
thing impracticable2 but all were       
convinced2 for the demonstration was of 
that character which left no room for   
doubt or cavil in the minds of any4     

,sidenote3 ,a ,great ,triumph  ,it was  
indeed a triumph1--not perhaps entirely 
unexpected to the inventor--but neither 
he1 nor any one else at that early day1 
could foresee the wonderful changes     
ultimately to be effected1 and the      
world-wide renown to be conferred on the
 inventor as the result of this         
experiment2 one that was certain to     
immortalize his name as a pioneer and   
benefactor in the most useful and       
peaceful pursuits in life4 ,it was too1 
the dawn of a brighter day to the       
toiling husbandman1 by lightening his   
labors1 and adding to his comfort and   
independence2 only circumscribed in its 
beneficial influence by the bounds of   
civilization4  ,some may possibly       
suppose that we view the invention in   
too glowing colors2 but we have yet to  
meet with the farmer who owned a good   
reaping and mowing machine that would   
dispense with its advantages for twice  
the cost of the implement1 and again be 
compelled to resort to the sickle1 the  

cradle1 and the scythe2 for of a truth  
it completely supersedes all three in   
competent hands and with fair usage1 in 
both the grain and grass crops4         
,sidenote3 ,no ,competitors ,until #ahda
  ,it is difficult to confine our       
narrative to its intended brief limits  
and select from the mass of evidence on 
hand as to the uninterrupted success off
 ,hussey's invaluable invention from    
that day to the present--now twenty-one 
years4 ,we will therefore only select a 
single and short account of each year2  
until about #ahdj or '#db2 not long     
after which a few other inventors came  
before the public4 ,there was1 however1 
no competitor in the field from #ahcc to
 #ahda or #ahdb1 either in ,europe or   
,america1 so far as we can ascertain1   
that did more than make a few occasional
 trials2 none attracted public          
attention1 or were successful and       
efficient machines even in the          
estimation of the projectors themselves4
 ,the evidence proves it1 and it is     

corroborated by our own personal        
knowledge1 having been constantly       
engaged in ,agricultural and ,mechanical
 pursuits for more than thirty          
years--and1 as we believe1 familiar with
 most of the important improvements of  
the age2--of all in fact1 directly      
connected with agriculture in its labor 
saving implements1 of any notoriety4    
,sidenote3 ,no ,reaping ,machine        
,without ,hussey ,principle  ,many      
alleged improvements have been made in  
the ,reaper in the past ten or twelve   
years2 and many more still within half  
that period4 ,how far they are new      
inventions1 and actual improvements1 we 
can better judge by examining ,hussey's 
patent2 for it describes the cutting    
apparatus clearly and minutely1 and     
which in fact is the whole thing1--the  
one thing needful to success4 ,for the  
use of wheels1 or a system of gearing to
 all kinds of motive machinery is coeval
 with the first dawn of mechanical      
science4 ,how ancient we know not1 for  

the ,prophets of old spoke of wheels    
within wheels near three thousand years 
ago2 and it is very certain the hand of 
man1 unaided by wheels and machinery1   
never erected the vast ,pyramids and    
other structures of antiquity4 ,we do   
not believe there is a single ,reaping  
and ,mowing machine in successful       
operation on this continent that is not 
mainly indebted to ,hussey's invention  
in the cutting apparatus1 for its       
success3 deprive them of this essential 
feature--disrobe them of their borrowed 
plumes1 and their success would be like 
the flight of the eagle1 suddenly bereft
 of his pinions1--he must fall2 and the 
machines would stand still1 for not a   
farmer in the land would use them4      
,sidenote3 ,the ,guards  ,as previously 
remarked1 ,o4 ,hussey's first patent is 
dated in #ahcc4 ,we omit the more       
general description of the machine1 and 
copy only what embraces the most        
important features1 the guards and      
knives2 also an extract from his        

improvement patented in #ahdg1 to       
obviate choking in the guards3  ,on the 
front edge of the platform is fixed the 
cutting or reaping apparatus1 which is  
constructed in the following manner3 ,a 
series of iron spikes1 and which ,i will
 call guards1 are fixed permanently to  
the platform1 and extend seven or eight 
inches1 more or less1 beyond the edge of
 the platform1 parallel to each other1  
horizontal1 and pointing forward4 ,these
 guards are about three inches apart1 of
 a suitable size1 say three-quarters of 
an inch square1 more or less1 at the    
base1 and lessening towards the points4 
,the guards are formed of a top and     
bottom piece1 joined at the point and   
near the back1 being nearly parallel1   
and about one-eighth of an inch apart1  
forming a horizontal mortice or slit    
through the guard2 these mortices being 
on a line with each other1 form a       
continued range of openings or slits    
through the guards4 ,the first guard is 
placed on the rear of the right wheel1  

and the last at the extreme end of the  
platform1 and the intermediate guards at
 equal distances from each other1 and   
three inches apart1 more or less1 from  
center to center4  ,illustration3       
,diagram ,showing ,arrangement of       
,guards and ,knives  ,sidenote3 ,the    
,cutter  ,the cutter or saw 7f7 is      
formed of thin triangular plates of     
steel fastened to a straight flat rod1  
7g7 of steel1 iron or wood1 one inch and
 a half wide2 these steel plates are    
arranged side by side1 forming a kind of
 saw with teeth three inches at the     
base1 and four and a half inches long1  
more or less1 sharp on both sides1 and  
terminating nearly in a point4 ,the saw 
is then passed through all the guards in
 the aforesaid range of mortices1 the   
size of the mortice being suited to     
receive the saw with the teeth pointing 
forward2 observing always that the      
points of the saw teeth should          
correspond with the center of the       
guards4 ,one end of the saw is connected

 with a pitman moved by a crank1 and    
receiving its motion from the main axis1
 by one or two sets of cog wheels4 ,the 
vibration of this crank must be equal to
 the distances of the centers of the    
guards1 or the points of the saw teeth1 
or thereabouts1 so when the machine is  
in motion1 the point of each saw tooth  
may pass from center to center of the   
guards on each side of the same tooth at
 every vibration of the crank2 if the   
main wheels are three feet four inches  
in diameter1 they should in one         
revolution give the crank sixteen       
vibrations1 more or less2 the saw teeth 
should play clear of the guards1 both   
above and below4 99 99 99  ,sidenote3   
,operation  ,the power is given by      
locking the wheels to the main axis1 the
 machine has one square wheel box1 the  
other round and locked at pleasure4 ,if 
the power should be wanted1 one1 two1 or
 more horses are attached and driven on 
the stubble before the machine1 the     
right wheel running near the standing   

grain1 the platform with the saw in its 
front edge extends on the right1 at     
right angles with the direction of the  
horses1 with the guards and saw teeth   
presented to the standing grain--when   
the machine moves forward1 the saw moves
 with the teeth endwise and horizontal1 
the grain or grass is brought between   
the guards1 the saw teeth in passing    
through the guards1 cut the stalk while 
held both above and below the saw--the  
butts of the grain receive an impulse   
forward by the motion of the machine    
while in the act of being cut1 which    
causes the heads of the grain to fall   
directly backwards on the platform--in  
this manner the platform receives the   
grain until a sufficient quantity is    
collected to make one or more bundles1  
according to the pleasure of the        
operator1 then it is deposited with a   
proper instrument by the operator1 who  
may ride on the machine4  ,here follows 
the dimensions of a machine suited to   
two horses1 which is only copied so far 

as refers to the cutting apparatus1 viz3
 ,the back of the saw may be from one   
inch to one and one-half inches wide1   
and from three-sixteenths to one-quarter
 of an inch thick2 and the steel plates 
for the teeth should be about one-tenth 
of an inch thick2 one end of the mortice
 in the guard should be fitted to       
receive the back of the saw1 so that the
 bearing may be on the back of the saw  
only4  ,illustration3 ,gearing of       
,hussey's ,early ,reapers4  ,sidenote3  
,the ,four ,essentials  ,in this machine
 the following points are claimed as new
 and original3 #ast4 ,the straight      
horizontal saw1 with the teeth sharp on 
their two sides for cutting grain4 #b;d4
 ,the guards forming double bearers     
above and below the saw1 whereby the    
cutting is made sure1 whether with a    
sharp or dull edge1 the guards at the   
same time protecting the saw from rocks 
or stones1 or other large substances it 
may meet with4 #c;d4 ,the peculiar      
construction that the saw teeth may run 

free1 whereby the necessary pressure and
 consequent friction of two             
corresponding edges cutting together1 as
 on the principle of scissors1 is       
entirely avoided4 #dth4 ,the peculiar   
arrangement by which the horses are made
 to go before the machine1 being more   
natural1 and greatly facilitating the   
use of the machine1 and the general     
arrangement of the points as above      
described4  ,in cutting grass1 the      
platform is reduced in width1 and the   
grass falls on the ground as it is cut4 
,in the improvement of the guards       
patented in #ahdg1 the claim states3 ,i 
accordingly claim the opening above the 
blades ,a1 fig4 #c1 and at ,d1 fig4 #a1 
in combination with vibrating blades4 ,i
 also claim the particular application  
of the flush edge at the fork of the    
blades1 for the purpose described4  ,the
 end and design of the improvements     
above claimed is to prevent the blades  
choking4  ,sidenote3 ,mc,cormick ,twelve
 ,years ,late  ,en passant1 we would ask

 any intelligent and candid farmer or   
mechanic who has examined a successful  
reaper1 to compare the foregoing plain  
specifications which all can understand1
 with the cutting apparatus of the most 
successful modern machine4 ,and we would
 especially desire him to compare them  
in principle with the improved form of  
fingers to hold up the corn1 and an iron
 case to preserve the sickles from      
clogging2 not the alleged invention of  
#ahca1 by ,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick1 and      
abandoned from #ahdj to #ahdc1 but the  
claims patented by him in #ahde as      
stated in the letter to ,philip ,pusey1 
,m4 ,p41 twelve years after the date of 
,hussey's patent1 and twelve years after
 his most complete and uninterrupted    
success in cutting both grain and grass4
 ,in fact1 there was no year from and   
including #ahcc up to #ahed1 a period of
 #ba years the past harvest1 that we    
have not the most positive and          
conclusive evidence of the success of   
,hussey's reaper2 in numerous cases the 

same machines had cut from #ejj to #hjj1
 and even one thousand acres2 in one    
instance1 the same machine was used for 
fourteen harvests1 or as many years1    
successively and successfully4          
,sidenote3 ,canfield ,testimonial  ,we  
have given some of the evidence for     
#ahcc4 ,for #ahcd we annex two letters  
giving an account of the two machines   
made this year1 one in ,illinois1 and   
the other in ,new ,york1 viz3           
,spring ,creek1 ,sangamon ,co41 ,ill41  
,october #ast1 #ahed4      ,mr4 ,obed   
,hussey1 ,baltimore3      ,dear         
,sir3--,your favor of ,august #ajth came
 to hand a few days     since4 ,the     
reason was1 it lay at ,berlin 7formerly 
,island ,grove     ,post-office7 and my 
,post-office address is ,springfield1   
the only     place where ,i call for    
letters4      ,in answer to your query1 
how your ,reaping ,machine worked in    
#ahcd1     ,i have to say that it cut   
about sixteen acres of wheat for me on  
my farm2 that it did the work in first  

rate style2 according to my     best    
recollection1 as well as any of the     
machines that have since     been       
introduced4 ,the only objection ,i      
recollect being made1 was1     that when
 the straw was wet1 or there was much   
green grass among     the wheat1 the    
blades would choke4 ,you certainly      
demonstrated in     #ahcd the           
practicability of cutting grain or grass
 with horse-power2     and all the      
machines since introduced seem to have  
copied your machine     in all its      
essential features4      ,i am          
respectfully yours1      ,,john ,e4     
,,canfield4  ,the next letter we copy   
from the ,genesee ,farmer of ,december  
#fth1 #ahcd4 ,the reader will readily   
perceive that the author1 ,william ,c4  
,dwight1 knew how to handle the pen as  
well as the plow1 and equally well to   
work the reaper1 being a practical      
farmer4 ,but we are pained to add that  
he lost his life by the fatal railroad  
accident at ,norwalk1 ,ct41 about a year

 since4  ,from the ,genesee ,farmer1    
,december #f1 #ahcd4      ,to the       
,editor of the ,genesee ,farmer3      ,i
 wrote you last ,may that ,mr4 ,hussey1 
the inventor of a     machine for       
harvesting wheat1 had left in this      
village one of his     machines for the 
purpose of giving our farmers an        
opportunity to     test its value1 and  
,i promised to write you further about  
it when     it had been put to use4 ,for
 many reasons which will not interest   
either yourself or the public1 the      
matter has been delayed till     the    
first rainy day1 after my fall work was 
out of the way1 should     give leisure 
to remember and fulfill my promise4     
,the machine has been fully tried1 and  
,i am gratified to be able     to say   
that it has fully succeeded2 hundreds of
 farmers from the     different towns of
 this and the adjoining counties have   
witnessed     its operations1 and all   
have not only expressed their confidence
     in its success1 but their          

gratification in the perfection of the  
work4      ,as every inquirer asks the  
same series of questions1 ,i presume    
your readers will have a like course of 
thought1 and wish for     satisfaction  
in the same particulars4 ,to give them  
this1 ,i will     write them in their   
order1 and give the answers3      ,does 
the machine make clean work8      ,it   
saves all the grain4 ,to use the        
language of a gratified     looker-on1  
an old and experienced farmer1 'it      
cheats the hogs4'#c        #c ,the hogs 
are the gleaners in this section of     
country4      ,does the machine expedite
 the work8      ,what the machine is    
capable of accomplishing1 we who have   
used it     can hardly say1 as we had no
 field in fit order1 large enough for   
a fair trial through a whole day2 and   
can only say what it has     done4 ,five
 acres of heavy wheat1 on the ,genesee  
flats1 were     harvested in two hours  
and a quarter4      ,in what condition  
is the wheat left1 and how is the work  

done     where the wheat is lodged8     
,the machine leaves the wheat in gavels 
large enough for a sheaf1     and where 
grain stands well enough to make fair   
work with the     cradle1 it leaves the 
straw in as good condition to bind as   
the     gavels of a good reaper4        
,whether the grain stands or is lodged  
is     of little consequence1 except as 
to the appearance of the sheaf1     and 
the necessity of saving more straw1 when
 lodged1 than is     desirable4 ,the    
condition of the sheaf when the grain is
 lodged     depends much upon the       
adroitness of the raker4      ,what     
number of hands1 and what strength of   
team is necessary to     manage the     
machine advantageously8      ,two men1  
one to drive the team and the other to  
rake off the     wheat1 and two horses1 
work the machine2 but when the grain is 
heavy1 or the land mellow1 a change of  
horses is necessary1 as the     gait of 
the horses is too rapid to admit of     
heavy draft4 ,the     horses go at the  

rate of four to five miles an hour1 and 
when the     growth of straw is not     
heavy a fair trot of the team is not too
     much4      ,is the machine liable  
to derangement and destruction from its 
own     motion8      ,this is a question
 which cannot be so directly answered as
 the     others4 ,we have only used the 
machine to cut about fifty acres1       
and have had no trouble2 judging from   
appearances so far1 should     say it   
was as little subject to this evil as   
any machinery     whatever4 ,the wear   
upon the cutting part being so little as
 to     require not more than fifteen   
minutes sharpening in a day2 there      
is no loss of time on this score4       
,is the sheaf a good one to thresh8     
,the man who has fed the threshing      
machine with the grain of     twenty    
acres cut by this machine1 says the     
sheaves are much better     than those  
of cradled grain1 and quite as good as  
those of a     reaper4      ,there is   
one more advantage beyond ordinary      

inquiries1 of     consequence1 where so 
much grain is raised as in this valley2 
be     the grain ever so ripe1 there is 
no waste of grain by any     agitation  
of the straw1 and all the waste which   
can take place     must arise from the  
handling and shaking in binding4      ,i
 am yours1 etc41      ,,wm4 ,c4         
,,dwight4      ,moscow1 ,livingston     
,co41 ,n4 ,y41 ,nov4 #ad1 #ahcd4        
,n4 ,b4--,the machine we used was       
intended only for upland1 but by        
some little alterations and additions we
 used it with equal facility     on all 
kinds of soil2 and it can be used on any
 farm so clean from     stumps and      
stones as not to endanger the blocking  
the wheels4  ,the following letter is   
evidence for #ahce1 and also refers to  
the originality of the invention by ,o4 
,hussey4      ,palmyra1 ,mo41 ,aug4 #ad1
 #ahed4      ,friend ,hussey--,yours    
duly received4 ,as to the machines sent 
by     you 7ordered some two years      
since7 they both worked well4           

,before you had invented your machine in
 #ahca or #ahcb1 your     attention was 
drawn to a mode of cutting grain1 hemp  
and grass and     you told me you       
thought you could invent such a machine 
to be     drawn by horses2 and after you
 had returned to ,cincinnati from       
,laurenceburg you wrote me a letter in  
'#cb or at the furthest in     '#cc 7for
 ,i left ,indiana #bnd ,oct41 #ahcc7    
with a draft and     description of a   
plan for cutting grain4 ,the draft was  
thus 7here     follows a diagram of the 
cutting apparatus exactly as described  
by     the patent7 and the description  
was1 that these knives were to     work 
by the motion of the wheels1 being a    
perfect description of     the invented 
principle4      ,as soon as ,i saw the  
plan1 ,i was satisfied of its success   
and     wrote to you that there was no  
doubt of the success of your            
machine2 that it was astonishing the    
world had so many thousand     years    
been confined to the sickle when so     

obvious a mode of     cutting grain and 
grass existed2 and shortly after you    
obtained a     patent for the machine4  
,on the #fth ,july1 #ahce1 you brought  
to ,palmyra two of your     machines1   
and they were put in operation near this
 place--one in a     meadow between here
 and ,philadelphia1 and one in the heavy
 grass     in ,marion ,city bottom4#d   
,the machines did cut well4 ,i was the  
editor of the ,missouri ,courier1 from  
the month of ,november1     #ahcc1 until
 #ahch1 and brought your machine before 
the public2 it     excited much         
attention1 and its performance was      
highly     satisfactory4 ,the results of
 the trials were published in the       
paper by me in ,august or ,september1   
#ahce4 ,i knew of the capacity     of   
the machine1 and that it did so execute 
in the bottom three     acres an hour4  
,in this ,i cannot be mistaken1 for ,i  
felt at the     time the deepest        
interest in the success of the machine4 
,mr4     ,mc,elroy is dead1 where you   

boarded1 and also ,samuel ,muldrow and  
,james ,muldrow4 ,still ,i will inquire 
if any persons can be found     who were
 present4        #d ,both of these      
machines were sold to ,wm4 ,muldrow1    
,agent1 of       ,marion ,college1      
,marion ,county1 ,mo4      ,i know the  
results1 and recollect distinctly the   
reception the     machines met with1 and
 the prices1 to wit1 #aej each4 ,muldrow
     bought another for #ejj--which was 
a whirling wheel4 ,you recollect     it2
 it never run any4 ,yours1 ,i know it   
was said then1 would cut     off brush  
large enough for a hoop-hole4 ,court is 
now in session1     but as soon as ,i   
can ascertain the witnesses 7at the     
exhibition7 ,i     will write you       
further4 ,but my recollection is        
distinct1 from the     relations        
existing between us1 my interest in     
machinery generally1     and my position
 as editor of the only paper of this    
section of     country4      ,as ever1  
your friend1      ,,edwin ,g4 ,,pratt4  

,sidenote3 ,mode of ,transportation  ,in
 #ahcf ,o4 ,hussey visited ,maryland at 
the written solicitation of the ,board  
of ,trustees of ,the ,maryland          
,agricultural ,society1 for the ,eastern
 ,shore4 ,the fame of his reaping       
exploits in the ,state of ,new ,york1   
and the far ,west1 had reached the      
,east2 though with something like a     
snail's pace4 ,we had not then the      
,magnetic ,telegraph1 which with        
lightning speed enables the ,east to    
talk with the ,west2 nor even the iron  
horse1 by whose speed and power1 the    
reaper that cut a large crop of wheat in
 ,maryland1 could within the same week  
cut another equally large in the valley 
of the ,mississippi2 but it then        
required some two to three years to     
prepare the public mind for the         
reception of the machine here2 and owing
 to the limited means of the inventor1  
the transportation from place to place  
was often done by a single horse2       
accompanied by the inventor foot-sore   

and weary from walking hundreds of      
miles6  ,sidenote3 ,an ,inventor's      
,difficulties  ,the annexed certificate 
was given1 published1 and widely        
circulated after a full trial of the    
machine1 in cutting more than two       
hundred acres1 and by large farmers and 
practical men1 known throughout the     
,state4 ,comment is unnecessary on such 
a paper2 but we feel bound to state that
 it was mainly owing to the exertions of
 the liberal public spirited gentlemen1 
the last1 though not the least of the   
signers1 ,gen4 ,tench ,tilghman1 that   
the ,reaper was then introduced into    
this ,state4 ,he was the early and      
steadfast friend of the ,patentee1 and  
to the cause of agricultural improvement
 in our ,state4 ,strange as it may      
appear to many at the present day1 and  
notwithstanding these demonstrations in 
,ohio1 ,illinois1 ,new ,york1 ,missouri 
and ,maryland1 which did not admit of   
cavil or doubt as to the entire         
efficiency and success of ,hussey's     

reaper1 scarcely a farmer could be found
 ready and willing to take hold of it1  
and aid the inventor in introducing it  
into use4 ,but farmers as a class are   
proverbially cautious1 and disinclined  
to change from established customs and  
usages2 it often requires line upon line
 and precept upon precept1 aided1 too1  
by almost a free gift of the article1 to
 induce them even to give a new         
agricultural implement a fair trial1--a 
plough1 for instance1 that will do      
better work1 with a fourth to a third   
less draught2 the old and nearly worn   
out implement does well enough4 ,gen4   
,t4 was1 we believe1 the first farmer in
 ,maryland to use and purchase a reaping
 machine2 and by so doing1 to aid the   
inventive genius and talent of his      
countrymen1 and also at the same time   
greatly to benefit the interest of his  
brother farmers4 ,it avails little to   
the inventor1 or the public1 how        
valuable his improvement may be1--for in
 nine cases out of ten the inventor is  

limited in means1--if none can be found 
who are both able and willing to lend a 
helping hand to modest merit2 for true  
genius is ever modest2 and unfortunately
 the term is too often synonymous with  
penury and want4  ,sidenote3 ,the       
,inventor's ,rewards  ,very few of the  
really valuable inventions inure to the 
benefit of the inventors1--even to a    
tithe of the profits that are           
occasionally realized4 ,his necessities 
often compel him to a forced sale of his
 patent right to some capitalist who has
 the tact to turn other men's wits to   
his own advantage2 or the               
,public1--which simply means other      
capitalists of another description1 who 
possess little or no inventive genius   
themselves1 and just about as much      
principle as genius--seize upon the     
invention1 and often in spite of law1   
justice1 or right1 reap the reward      
justly due to another4  ,this1 however1 
is a digression for which we beg the    
reader's pardon2 but we could not let   

the occasion pass without rendering this
 honest tribute to the public spirited  
farmer1 who had the discernment to      
perceive its merits1 and the liberality 
to aid its introduction1 of one of the  
most valuable improvements of this1 or  
any age4  ,the following three letters  
not only embrace the year #ahcg1 but are
 equally good evidence from that period 
to the present1 #ahed4 ,as they are     
short1 and to the point1 we use them    
all4 ,the very appropriate and just     
remarks of ,col4 ,hughes as regards the 
rights1 and what is due to inventive    
talent1 we most cordially respond to2 as
 must every right minded and            
disinterested reader4 ,he refers to     
,col4 ,edw4 ,lloyd of ,wye ,house as the
 largest wheat grower in ,maryland2 we  
much doubt if he is not the largest in  
the ,union4 ,several years since1 he    
informed us that his average crop of    
wheat was from #cc to #ce thousand      
bushels2 and a year or two ago we       
learned that the crop exceeded forty    

thousand bushels4 ,he now1 and for many 
years past has used ,hussey's ,reaper   
exclusively4 ,more satisfactory and     
conclusive evidence cannot be given1 or 
desired1 than is afforded in these three
 letters1 of the early use1 and long    
proved efficiency of the invention4     
,hornewood1 ,e4 ,shore1 ,md41           
,august #bb1 '#ed4      ,dear ,sir3--,in
 reply to your enquiry whether ,i       
recollect the time1     and the success 
of your reaping machine at my father's  
in #ahcg1 ,i     answer that ,i do      
perfectly2 and also seeing it in        
operation in     company with my friend1
 ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,luckett1 of ,balto41 at  
,col4 ,h4     ,l4 ,edmondson's of       
,talbot ,co4 the same season4      ,my  
father expressed himself highly         
satisfied with the performance     of   
the reaper1 as did other gentlemen who  
saw it in operation at     ,cheston4 ,so
 well convinced was my father of the    
value of the     machine1 that he       
offered you a considerable advance per  

acre on     your charge for cutting1 to 
remain and reap his two fields1 say     
#abe to #acj acres1 which you declined1 
owing to prior engagements4     ,at an  
early date after this trial1 my father  
secured one of your     reapers1 and the
 farm has since never been without4     
,my brother1 ,dr4 ,de,courcy1 has now   
one which did its work most             
excellently well this past harvest1 and 
without any stoppage4 ,with     some    
trivial repairs1 it has been in         
successful use nearly ten     years4    
,wishing you every possible success with
 your reaper1 for which     the         
agricultural community owe you a heavy  
debt1      ,i am respectfully yours1    
,n4 ,h4 ,,rozier ,,de ,,courcey4        
,baltimore1     ,october #agth1 #ahed4  
,to ,obed ,hussey1 ,esq43      ,sir--,in
 the harvest of #ahcg ,i saw one of your
 ,reapers in operation     in my        
neighborhood ,west ,river1 ,anne        
,arundel ,co41 ,md4 in charge of     the
 ,hon4 ,john ,c4 ,weems1 who ,i believe 

was the owner of it2 and was     so much
 pleased with its performance that ,i   
ordered one from you in     the         
following year1 #ahch1 which you set in 
motion for me4 ,it worked     most      
admirably1 and fully met my             
expectations2 as it has done from       
that early period to the present day4   
,in a loose way1 ,i estimated that in   
the saving of labor1 and grain     from 
shattering1 it nearly or quite paid for 
itself the first     harvest4 ,since    
then the machine has been much improved4
      ,up to the time ,i purchased1 very
 few had been used in this ,state4      
,the first1 as ,i have always           
understood1 was bought by that          
intelligent and enterprising farmer1    
,gen4 ,tench ,tilghman1 of     ,oxford1 
,talbot ,county4 ,in #ahch1 ,col4       
,edward ,lloyd1 of ',wye1' ,talbot      
,co41 the largest wheat grower in       
,maryland1 and myself1 as above         
mentioned1 availed ourselves of your    
invention2 but ,i did not hear     of   

any other orders for it in this ,state4 
,it came1 like most other               
agricultural implements1 slowly into    
use2 and ,i fear has not fairly         
compensated you for the labor and       
ingenuity bestowed upon it4 ,this1      
however1 is too often the fate of       
discoverers and inventors2 and          
others reap the fruits of their toil and
 genius4 ,i have long     thought that  
governments were unjust to inventors2   
and could never     understand why a man
 has not the same right of property to a
     machine conceived in his head1 and 
constructed by his hands1 as to     that
 acquired in any other manner4 ,the same
 that a farmer has to     the lands he  
owns4      ,very respectfully1 y'r ob't 
serv't1      ,,geo4 ,w4 ,,hughes4       
,oxford1 ,md41     ,sept4 #bb;d1 #ahed4 
,mr4 ,obed ,hussey3      ,dear ,sir3--,i
 recently received from the             
,commissioner of ,patents     the       
,report on ,mechanics for #ahec1 and    
have examined with much     interest the

 descriptions of what claim to be       
improvements in the     ,reaping        
,machine4      ,i was rather surprised  
to find that so many of then were almost
     identical with the notions which   
were tried and rejected during     the  
season you spent with me nearly twenty  
years ago2 when for the     first time  
7,i believe7 a reaper was used          
throughout our entire     harvest1 on a 
farm as large as six hundred acres4     
,you had just then arrived from         
,cincinnati with two machines--one     a
 reaper1 and the other a reaper and     
mower4      ,they were exhibited        
publicly at ,oxford and ,easton1 and    
their     operation on wheat gave entire
 satisfaction4 ,the work throughout     
the harvest was equally well done2 the  
only objection being the     delay      
caused by repairing the machinery1 a    
difficulty common to     all new        
machines of much power at that period4  
,since then ,i have used one or more    
reapers every year1 and have     watched

 with much interest the progress of     
their improvement4 ,i     have examined 
most of those which have the best       
reputation1 and do     not believe there
 is a single one in which the cutting   
principle     has not been copied from  
yours4      ,in attempting to avoid an  
infringement of your patent1 variations 
have been made either in the cutting    
apparatus1 or the driving     machinery1
 by which they have been made more      
complicated and less     efficient4     
,burrall's1 which approaches nearest to 
yours in     simplicity and efficiency1 
is so close a copy that ,i do not see   
how the courts could refuse an          
injunction to prohibit the use of       
it4 ,the only material difference is the
 attempt at a side delivery     which   
was tried by you on your first machine1 
and proved an entire     failure4       
,sidenote3 ,the ,farmers' ,debt to ,mr4 
,hussey      ,believing sincerely that  
the farmers of the ,u4,s4 owe you a debt
     of gratitude1 which a regard for   

themselves should prompt them to        
pay1 and understanding that attempts    
have been made to question     even the 
priority of your invention1 ,i send you 
a volume of the     ,genesee ,farmer    
published in #ahcd1 which will show the 
opinion entertained at that time by the 
farmers of that celebrated     wheat    
growing region1 both as to the          
efficiency and priority of     your     
reaper4      ,your ob't serv't1         
,,tench ,,tilghman4  ,sidenote3         
,conclusive ,evidence  ,as we have      
already much exceeded the intended      
limits of the narrative1 we might1      
perhaps1 with propriety1 here rest the  
enquiry1 having1 as we think1           
satisfactorily shown1 and by evidence   
that cannot be disproved3 first1 that   
for a period of nine or ten years after 
the alleged invention of the reaper by  
,c4 ,h4 ,mc,cormick in #ahca he did not 
sell a single machine2 nor could he     
establish by all the evidence adduced   
before the ,board of ,extensions1 in    

#ahdh1 that prior to #ahdj or #ahda was 
his reaper in any degree an effective or
 practical machine2 for as he himself   
states in the letter to ,philip ,pusey1 
,esq41 ,m4 ,p41 it was not until very   
material alterations--all essential it  
may be said--were made1 some six or     
eight years after the date of the       
patent1 could the machine be made to    
work even tolerably well4 ,indeed1 he   
states1 ,i may say they were not of much
 practical value1 until the improvements
 of my second patent in #ahde1 being    
eleven years after the date of the      
patent1 and fourteen years after the    
alleged invention in #ahca4  ,on the    
other hand we have shown by as good and 
respectable testimony as can be had in  
any cause1 that from #ahcc to #ahed1 a  
period of twenty-one years1 ,hussey's   
invention was most efficient and        
satisfactory1 every year2 not by cutting
 a patch of the fraction of an acre1 but
 by reaping hundreds1 nay thousands of  
acres annually1 by the few machines     

placed in the hands of the farmers from 
#ahcc to #ahdj4  ,as1 however1 we have  
given no direct evidence from ,delaware1
 or ,virginia1 none from ,north         
,carolina1 and but one from ,new ,york1 
we annex a few short testimonials from  
each1 that embrace the period from #ahch
 to #ahde2 and with a few more of the   
same respectable character up to #ahec1 
both in this country and in ,england1 we
 will leave the decision of the question
 to the intelligent reader4 ,we will1   
however1 call the reader's attention to 
the concluding paragraph of ,maj4 ,j4   
,jones' letter1 from ,delaware--one of  
the smallest ,states1 but containing as 
large a proportion of noble minded1     
talented men1 and as good practical     
farmers1 as any in the ,union4#e        
#e ,it is reported of one of her sons1  
that during the struggle       for      
,independence1 when a ,delegate to the  
,convention from one of the             
largest and most powerful ,colonies was 
ready to quail and almost       despair 

of success in the unequal contest1 he   
was encouraged and       cheered on by a
 member from little ,delaware2 and told 
that when he       found his ,colony    
likely to be overrun by the enemy1 to   
call on       ,delaware for aid--she    
would lend a helping hand4  ,it will be 
perceived that a reaper sold in #ahch to
 the ,st4 ,george's and ,appoquinomick  
,agricultural ,society had1 after       
subsequently coming into the possession 
of ,col4 ,vandergrift1 and prior to     
#ahde1 cut about seven hundred acres of 
his grain1 and was then in good repair6 
,we wish it was in our power to state   
how many times seven hundred acres this 
single machine had reaped since #ahch4  
,sidenote3 ,an ,important ,testimonial  
from ,delaware      ,wheatland1 ,del41  
,july #ba1 #ahde4      ,mr4 ,hussey3    
,dear ,sir3--,i have just finished      
cutting my oats2 ,i finished     cutting
 my wheat on the #bhth of ,june1 having 
cut over #afj acres1     excepting what 
was cut by a cradle in opening tracks   

for the     horses and rounding the     
corners so that the machine might sweep 
round without loss of time in turning1  
which it did with ease and              
certainty1 cutting more than twenty     
acres a day on an average4 ,a     part  
of the wheat was so heavy as to require 
three active shockers     to keep up    
with the cutting2 the whole cost of all 
necessary     repairs #ca-a_/d cents for
 the harvest4      ,of the two machines 
which ,i purchased of you ,i used the   
large     one1 having sold the small one
 to ,richard ,millwood1 who rents the   
farm of ,dr4 ,noble4 ,strange as it may 
appear1 ,i could find no     landholder 
in the vicinity who had enterprise      
enough to     risk the purchase of that 
machine until they could see it work2   
but after the performance was once      
witnessed1 the impression it     made   
was such as to justify me in ordering   
you to have ten ready     by next       
harvest for ,new ,castle ,county1 ,del4 
,mr4 ,millwood's wheat     was very     

heavy1 one measured acre having sixty   
dozen sheaves upon     it1 and the whole
 cutting time on the forty acre field   
was but two     days1 making for the    
small machine a full average of twenty  
acres     per day1 without any repairing
 or accident4 ,none of the hands who    
worked it had ever seen such a machine  
before those you sent to     me4 ,my    
crop has not all passed through the half
 bushel yet1 but it     will fall but   
little short of #c1jjj bushels--expect  
it will all be     in market to-morrow4 
,in conversation with ,col4             
,vandergrift1 the present owner of the  
,reaper you sold to the ,st4 ,george and
 ,appoquinomick ,agricultural           
,society1 in #ahch1 he told me that he  
had cut about #gjj acres of     wheat   
and oats with it since he owned it1 and 
up to that time the     cost of repairs 
had been #a4be for every hundred acres  
cut4 ,it was     then in good repair4   
,yours1      ,,john ,,jones4            
,jefferson ,county1 ,va41     ,august   

#ith1 #ahde4      ,to ,mr4 ,obed        
,hussey3      ,dear ,sir3--,we1 the     
undersigned1 having used your reaping   
machine     during the recent harvest in
 cutting our respective crops1 take     
great pleasure in tendering to you this 
voluntary testimonial of     the very   
high estimation in which we hold your   
invention4 ,we have     now tried your  
machines fully and fairly1 and we are   
unanimous in     the conclusion that in 
every case they have borne the test in a
     manner which has excited our       
highest admiration of their merits4     
,we were particularly pleased with their
 work in lodged grain2 they     cut and 
gather every straw with the utmost ease1
 and the only     fault at all that we  
have had to find with them was that they
 did     not cut wet grain with         
facility2 this single defect1 however1  
we     are pleased to perceive you have 
completely remedied with the late       
improvement 7with open guards to the    
knives1 etc47 which the most     of us  

saw at work in ,mr4 ,wm4 ,butler's field
 cut wet grain and     green oats as    
well as could possibly be desired--it   
will also cut     timothy and clover--so
 that now we have no hesitation in      
recommending your reaper1 as we hereby  
most cordially do1 to our     brother   
farmers1 as the most complete and       
efficient in     agricultural           
operations1 and as one which1 whilst    
from its simple     and substantial     
construction1 is not liable to be broken
 or to get     out of order1 will at the
 same time save its owner the first year
     more than its original cost4       
,,wm4 ,,butler1     ,j4 ,h4 ,,taylor1   
,w4 ,,shortt1     ,,joseph ,m',,murran1 
,,daniel ,g4 ,,henkle1     ,,david ,l4  
,,hensell1     ,w4 ,g4 ,,butler1        
,,jas4 ,s4 ,,markell1     ,v4 ,m4       
,,butler1     ,,andrew ,m',,intire1     
,,adam ,,smell1     ,,george ,,tabb1    
,,john ,,marshall4       ,washington    
,county1     ,aug4 #gth1 #ahde4      ,i 
hereby certify that ,i have used ,mr4   

,obed ,hussey's wheat cutter     through
 the late harvest1 and that it answered 
my fullest     expectations1 in every   
respect1 except that it will not cut    
when     the wheat is damp from rain or 
the dews of the morning4 ,i     cut #adj
 acres of wheat with it in nine days2   
and on one occasion1     cut off thirty 
acres in eighteen hours1 from daylight  
in the     morning until #aa o'clock the
 next day1 and with the same four       
horses1 never having changed them during
 that time4      ,,john ,r4 ,,dall4     
,illustration3 ,hussey's ,rear-,delivery
 ,reaper4 7,from ,who ,invented the     
,reaper8 by ,r4 ,b4 ,swift47            
,oaklands 7near ,geneva71 ,n4 ,y4       
#bfth ,august1 #ahde4      ,mr4 ,obed   
,hussey1 ,baltimore3      ,dear         
,sir3--,having housed all the grain     
crops of this farm1 it is     due to you
 that ,i should now frankly admit the   
removal of all my     doubts in regard  
to the effectiveness and excellence of  
your     ',reaping ,machine4' ,the      

doubts expressed in my early            
correspondence     with you arose from  
the many abortive attempts in this      
country and     in ,england to produce a
 reaping machine1 possessing power and  
simplicity and durability2 most of them 
were complicated1 and     proved too    
fragile4      ,soon after the arrival of
 your machine1 ,i tried its power and   
became readily familiar with the manner 
of using it2 the result of     my       
experience will appear from the         
following facts3      ,the wheat crop of
 this farm covered #ajd acres1 producing
 #b1edj     shocks1 #cj1dhj sheaves1 as 
counted on the ground1 and again when   
housed in the grain barn and sheds4     
,the whole crop was cut by your reaping 
machine in eight days1     using one    
team1 a boy to drive and a man to manage
 the machine4      ,the average quantity
 cut per day was thirteen acres4        
,the largest quantity cut on any one day
 was seventeen acres4      ,the longest 
period for working the machine on any   

one day was     nine hours4      ,seven 
men were stationed on the field to bind 
the sheaves4      ,the cost of cutting  
the wheat with your machine is          
twenty-five cents per acre4      ,the   
total cost for cutting1 raking1 binding 
and shocking is     seventy-eight cents 
and a fraction per acre4      ,the cost 
may be stated as follows1 viz3        ,a
 man and team for eight days at #a4ej   
per day             #ab4jj        ,a boy
 to drive for eight days at fifty cents 
per day         #d4jj        ,interest  
on cost of machine and for wear and     
tear1       say at #aj per cent         
#aj4jj                                  
#bf4jj      ,which is equal to #be cents
 per acre on #ajd acres4 ,the seven men 
employed to rake and bind received1     
each1 #a per day for eight     days1 say
 #ef1 which sum added to the cost for   
cutting or reaping1     gives a total   
cost of #hb1 or #gh-hh_/ajj cents per   
acre4      ,i have compared this cost   
with the cost paid by my neighboring    

farmers this season1 and find it vastly 
in favor of your machine4     ,the      
individual in this town who harvested   
with the most economy     paid #a       
#ac_/ajj per acre--other farmers have   
paid from #a #be_/ajj to     #b per     
acre4      ,since the wheat harvest the 
machine has cut with signal advantage   
about twenty acres of oats4      ,the   
wheat and oats were cut with such       
neatness and precision that     the     
gleanings were not sufficient to pay the
 labor of raking4      ,the machine     
remains in perfect order1 and did not   
fail to perform     all you promised4   
,i deem it one of the best labor-saving 
machines ever offered for     the       
advantage of the farmer2 its            
effectiveness1 simple and durable       
construction1 have been witnessed with  
satisfaction by a large     number of my
 neighbor farmers4      ,respectfully   
yours1      ,j4 ,,delafield4  ,the      
machine alluded to in the above letter  
is the low priced one at #ajj4  ,for    

#ahdf1 #ahdg and #ahdh we copy from the 
,richmond ,planter and ,american        
,farmer--and all from ,north ,carolina1 
though the evidence from other sections 
is much more extended1 and equally as   
conclusive3      ,somerset ,place1      
,washington ,co41     ,north ,carolina  
#beth ,aug4 #ahdg4      ,to the ,editor 
of the ,american ,farmer3      ,dear    
,sir3--,yours of the #fth ult4 arrived  
at my residence during     my absence in
 consequence of which ,i was unable to  
return you an     answer in time for    
your ,august number of the ,american    
,farmer4 ,i trust1 however1 the delay   
will not materially affect     the value
 of my communication4 ,in consequence of
 the     recommendation of a gentleman  
who had used ,hussey's ,reaper in       
the harvest of #ahdf with much          
satisfaction1 ,i was induced to make    
a trial of one the present season4 ,it  
was put in operation under     the      
direction and supervision of ,mr4       
,hussey himself1 upon a field     of    

reclaimed low ground1 originally        
,cypress ,swamp1 which of course        
could only be cultivated in beds--these 
beds were six feet wide1     including  
the water-furrow between1 and were      
intersected at     intervals of about   
fifty yards by drains1 known to us as   
tap-ditches1 which cross the water      
furrows at right angles1     and are cut
 from two to four inches deeper than the
 furrows     themselves4 ,i am          
particular in describing the land1 as ,i
 had     always supposed that an        
insuperable obstacle in the way of the  
regular action of any machine would be  
found in the irregularity     of surface
 into which our land is necessarily     
thrown by our system     of culture4    
,the machine surmounted every           
anticipated difficulty1     and was     
eminently successful1 both in cutting   
lengthwise with the     beds and across 
them4 ,the wheat was cut in a most      
thorough manner2     nothing escaped the
 cutting surfaces1 nor did weeds or any 

other     obstruction of the kind hinder
 the machine from doing its work        
perfectly4 ,during the running of the   
machine one day in the     harvest1     
seventeen acres of wheat were cut by    
it4#f ,this was done     by using relays
 of horses1 four at each time1 the same 
hands being     employed1 however1 and  
the working time was twelve hours4      
,after a     heavy rain we were obliged 
to abandon the use of the machine1      
owing to the fact that the ground became
 so soft that the road     wheel as it  
is termed1 buried in the soil1 and would
 become     clogged with mud4 ,this     
difficulty can1 ,i have no doubt1 be    
easily     overcome by increasing the   
tread of this wheel1 and making some    
slight alteration in the cog-wheel which
 gears into it4        #f ,when ,mr4    
,hussey was with me ,i informed him that
 the piece of       wheat cut by the    
machine on this occasion equalled twenty
 acres1       but ,i have since         
discovered that ,i had been mistaken in 

my       calculation of the acre4       
,sidenote3 ,a ,mc,cormick ,failure      
,some two years since ,i saw an         
experiment made upon an adjoining       
estate with ,mc,cormick's machine2 it   
cut occasionally well where     the     
wheat was free from weeds1 but any      
obstruction from that     source would  
immediately choke it1 when of course the
 wheat would     be overrun without     
being cut4 ,the experiment proved a     
failure1 and     the machine was laid   
aside4 ,the blade in this machine       
appears to     me to be too delicate in 
its cutting surface to succeed1 except  
under the most favorable circumstances4 
,quite a number of     ,mc,cormick's    
have been in use in this part of the    
country during     the last two years1  
and to my inquiries concerning them ,i  
have     received but one answer and    
that an unfavorable one4 ,the few of    
,hussey's machines1 on the contrary1    
that have been employed within     my   
ken1 have in each instance given entire 

satisfaction4 ,i do not     hesitate to 
say that when well managed1 with a      
skilful hand at the     rake1 in dry    
wheat 7,i do not recommend it when the  
straw is wet71     it will1 as compared 
with ordinary cutting1 save per acre    
the entire expense of reaping1 from the 
thorough manner in     which every stalk
 is cut1 thus preventing loss or waste4 
,believing1 as ,i do1 that a great      
desideratum to those who grow     wheat 
upon a large scale1 is to be found in   
,mr4 ,hussey's reaper1 ,i     cannot but
 wish that both he and they may reap the
 benefit     of its general adoption4   
,i am1 sir1      ,very respectfully your
 ob't serv't1      ,,josiah ,,collins4  
,edenton1 ,n4 ,c41     ,january #beth1  
#ahdh4      ,to the ,editor of the      
,american ,farmer3      ,dear           
,sir3--,some months ago ,i received a   
letter from you1 making     enquiries of
 me relative to ,hussey's ,reaping      
,machine4 ,when your     letter reached 
me ,i was on the eve of leaving home for

 the summer1     and since my return    
home1 my engagements have been of such a
     character as to cause me until the 
present to neglect replying to     it4  
,i have used one of ,hussey's machines  
one season1 and though under            
circumstances not very favorable for the
 machine1 ,i take pleasure     in       
stating that its operation was          
satisfactory4 ,during my harvest1       
which was about three weeks' duration1  
this machine was kept     constantly at 
work1 with the exception of a day and a 
half1 yet ,i     did not ascertain how  
many acres it would reap4 ,mr4 ,collins1
 of     ,lake ,scuppernong also used one
 last season1 and from him ,i learned   
that he cut upwards of twenty acres a   
day4      ,there is certainly much less 
wheat left in the field by one of       
these machines than is by the ordinary  
method of reaping by the     scythe or  
reap hook2 it cuts close1 lays the straw
 smoothly1 thus     rendering tying of  
it in sheaves much easier4      ,i have 

witnessed ,mc,cormick's1 which ,i       
consider a poor     affair1 and meriting
 no consideration except a dissent      
from me4 ,many of this last kind of     
reaper found their way here a     few   
years ago2 they now1 or rather their    
remains1 may be seen     lying in the   
field whence they will never be removed4
      ,,thos4 ,d4 ,,warren4             
,illustration3 ,modern ,rear-,delivery  
,reaper4 7,from ,who ,invented the      
,reaper8 by ,r4 ,b4 ,swift47   ,from the
 ,richmond ,planter4  ,,hussey',s ,,and 
,m',,cormick',s ,,reapers  ,it is very  
painful to be compelled to inflict a    
private injury in the discharge of a    
public duty2 upon a particular system of
 cultivation we can talk and write      
without restraint2 but when we are      
called on to discuss the merits of an   
invention1 upon which the fortunes of   
the originator may absolutely depend1 it
 is a much more responsible and delicate
 office4 ,we are aware1 too1 that in    
introducing a subject of the kind1 we   

are opening the floodgates of a         
controversy that is often hard to close2
 we have had the strongest evidence of  
that fact in the controversy that once  
occurred in this paper between ,messrs4 
,mc,cormick and ,hussey1 and yet it is  
to the relative merits of the reaping   
machines of these two gentlemen that we 
are compelled again to draw the public  
attention4 ,probably not less than      
fifteen thousand dollars has been spent 
in ,virginia this summer for reaping    
machines1 and it becomes a subject of   
great importance to the wheat growing   
community at least1 to ascertain how    
such a sum is annually to be dispensed  
to the greatest advantage4 ,we shall    
express no opinion ourself in the       
discussion which must necessarily follow
 the introduction of this subject1 and  
we would greatly prefer that neither of 
the gentlemen more particularly         
interested in the subject would appear  
in our columns4 ,we will publish        
statements of facts for either1 provided

 they are made over responsible names1  
and are short and permanent4 ,as one of 
these facts we feel bound to state that 
we acted this year as the agent for     
,mc,cormick's machine1 and we have heard
 great complaint of the manner in which 
it was gotten up2 but it is but fair    
also to state1 that we believe ,mr4     
,mc,cormick himself has been            
superintending the manufacture of his   
machine in the ,state of ,new ,york1 and
 that probably his work has not been as 
well done as it would have been could he
 have seen to it in person4 ,the        
following communication is altogether in
 favor of ,hussey's machine3  ,sidenote3
 ,hussey's ,machine ,vastly ,superior   
,i have had in operation on my          
plantation this year both ,hussey's and 
,mc,cormick's reapers4 ,now1 as you have
 asked me to furnish the ,planter with  
the result of my own experience and     
opinion as to the comparative merit of  
the two machines1 it is now at your     
service4 ,i have had them both in       

operation 7as the weather would permit7 
for the last fortnight1 and have cut    
with the two rather upwards of two      
hundred acres of wheat4 ,both machines  
have been1 ,i think1 very fairly tested 
in all qualities of grain1 from wheat   
five feet and more in height1 both      
standing up1 and lodged and tangled1 and
 averaging1 as is supposed1 from thirty 
and forty bushels1 down to light1 thin  
wheat1 not averaging more than four     
bushels 7being some galled hills7 and ,i
 am candidly and decidedly of opinion   
that ,hussey's machine is vastly        
superior4 ,i deem it superior1 not only 
in the execution of its work1 but in the
 durability of the machine4 ,so well    
pleased am ,i with its performance that 
,i have ordered another machine of      
,hussey's for my next harvest1 and also 
one1 and probably two1 for my father's  
plantation4 ,i consider this machine    
invaluable to the grower of wheat1 and  
would recommend every farmer who grows  
even fifty acres of wheat1 to purchase  

one4 ,he may rest assured that he will  
be pleased with his purchase4 ,i shall  
probably be in ,richmond shortly4       
,yours very respectfully1  ,t4 ,,pollock
 ,,burguyn4  ,occonichee ,wigwam1 near  
,halifax1 ,n4 ,c41 ,june #bj1 #ahdf4    
,for #ahdi and #ahej we will return and 
see how the invention progresses on the 
broad prairies and fertile lands of the 
,west1 where it first operated--in #ahcc
 and #ahcd--;and where1 too1 although   
the most luxuriant crops are grown with 
comparatively but little labor1 it would
 in many cases be next to impossible to 
save them without the aid of this       
invaluable invention4  ,these           
certificates embrace the mowing of large
 crops of grass as well as grain1 and in
 addition1 the cutting of more than     
three hundred acres of hemp in the      
harvest of #ahdi and #ahej1 by 'the same
 single machine4'  ,hussey's complete   
success in cutting grass and hemp was no
 new thing ten years ago2 but we        
suppose1 like the grain cutting1 in the 

view of ,philip ,pusey1 ,esq41 ,m4 ,p41 
',its perfection depended on its being  
new only in ,england1' full eighteen    
years after it was effected in ,america4
  ,sidenote3 ,a ,general ,opinion       
,blackberry1 ,kane ,county1 ,ill41      
,august #bh1 #ahdi4      ,this may      
certify that ,i have had one of ,mr4    
,hussey's mowing and     reaping        
machines on my farm this year cutting   
wheat1 oats1 and grass     for a short  
time4 ,i think nothing can beat it      
cutting timothy grass1     and ,i intend
 to purchase one for that purpose4      
,while the machine was     cutting      
prairie grass in my field1 ,i cut off a 
dry poplar stake1 one     inch in       
diameter1 which had been sticking in the
 ground after it had     been laid off  
for a ditch4 ,i am of the opinion that  
it will cut     wheat well1 where it is 
so much lodged1 or so foul with stiff   
weeds     or corn stalks that it cannot 
be cut with any other machine ,i have   
seen in this country4 ,some of my       

neighbors say that they intend to       
have ,mr4 ,hussey's reaper in preference
 to any other2 and from what ,i     can 
learn this opinion is pretty general in 
my neighborhood amongst     those who   
have seen this machine work1 and are    
acquainted with other     machines4 ,my 
brother farmers have had great trouble  
with ,mc,cormick's     machine1 by the  
breaking of sickles1 and the great      
difficulty or     rather the            
impossibility of getting them repaired1 
or getting new     ones made when       
broken1 whereas the blades of ,mr4      
,hussey's machine     can be made by any
 common blacksmith4 ,i have no doubt but
 ,mr4     ,hussey's machine will come   
into general use4      ,d4 ,w4 ,,annis4 
,franklin ,precinct1 ,de,kalb ,co41     
,august #ac1 #ahdi4      ,this may      
certify that we have seen ,mr4 ,o4      
,hussey's machine cut     about an acre 
of wheat1 so badly lodged that          
,mc,cormick's reaper     could do       
nothing with it1 nor could it be        

cradled4 ,said ,hussey's     machine cut
 it handsomely1 and laid it in very good
 bundles for     binding4      ,,john   
,,schoomaker1     ,,albert ,,field1     
,,john ,m4 ,,schoomaker1     ,,daniel   
,,miller1     ,,albert ,,field1 ,,jr41  
,,isaac ,,crill1     ,,john ,,miller4   
,berkshire1 ,kane ,county1 ,ill41       
,august #f1 #ahdi4      ,we1 the        
undersigned1 having seen ,mr4 ,hussey's 
reaper work at     cutting grass and    
grain1 think it preferable to           
,mc,cormick's or any     other machine  
that we have seen4 ,it cut wheat that   
could not be cut     with ,mc,cormick's 
reaper or a cradle4 ,we are well        
acquainted with     ,mc,cormick's       
machine4      ,p4 ,a4 ,,hixby1          
,,john ,,griggs1 ,,jr41     ,,john      
,,griggs1     ,,harry ,,potter1         
,,john ,,shirwood1     ,,seth           
,,shirwood1     ,,david ,,shanks1       
,,abraham ,,shirwood1     ,,james       
,,hess1     ,,alson ,,banker1     ,d4   
,c4 ,,wright1     ,,elisha ,,wright4    

,oswego1 ,ill41     ,august #b1 #ahdi4  
,this may certify that ,i cut a lot of  
,black ,sea ,wheat with ,mr4 ,o4        
,hussey's ,reaper2 the wheat was so     
badly lodged that no ,mc,cormick        
,reaper or ,cradle could cut it2 ,mr4   
,hussey's ,reaper cut it clean and      
laid the bundles out of the track in    
good order for binding4 ,i have     seen
 the work done by this machine in grass2
 it was as good work as     ever ,i saw 
done by a scythe1 or better4 ,for my    
choice ,i should     rather have my     
grass cut by the ,reaper than by the    
scythe4 ,every     farmer ought to have 
such a machine1 and every farmer ,i hear
 talk     about it says the same4       
,,philip ,,young4       ,sugar ,grove1  
,august #h1 #ahdi4      ,this may       
certify that we have seen ,mr4 ,o4      
,hussey's machine operate     in clean  
grain1 and where weeds were very tall1  
large and thick4 ,in     the former1 it 
operated as well as any machine we have 
seen2 in the     latter1 it worked to a 

charm1 even where it was impracticable  
to cut     with one of ,mc,cormick's    
,reapers4      ,,harry ,,white1     ,l4 
,b4 ,,snow1     ,,chauncey ,,snow1      
,,sullivan ,,dorr1     ,,hiram ,,tubs1  
,,dwight ,,spencer1     ,,samuel ,,ward1
     ,a4 ,,logan4       ,springfield1   
,ill41     ,dec4 #be1 #ahej4      ,mr4  
,obed ,hussey1 ,baltimore1 ,md43        
,dear ,sir3--,i have used one of your   
,mowing and ,reaping ,machines1 and     
consider it the best machine ,i ever    
saw1 and never intend to do     without 
one1 if it is possible to get one1 even 
if ,i have to go to     ,baltimore and  
remain at the shop till one can be made4
 ,i do candidly     believe if ,i had   
had one ten years ago ,i would now feel 
like a much     younger man2 and        
cheerfully recommend them to all who    
have grass or     grain to cut1 as a    
machine that will do their work in      
perfect order1     neatness1 and with   
ease to all employed4      ,,john       
,,simms1     ,four miles west of        

,springfield1 ,ill4       ,utica1 ,lasal
 ,co41 ,ill41     ,dec4 #ad1 #ahej4     
,obed ,hussey1 ,esq43      ,dear        
,sir3--,i received your ,reaping and    
,mowing ,machine in time for            
harvest1 and used it for harvesting and 
for mowing4 ,i am fully     satisfied   
that your machines are the best yet     
offered to the farmers     of this      
,state4 ,i have mowed about four hundred
 acres1 a great     portion of which was
 wild prairie1 very frequently running  
against     stones and ant heaps with   
sufficient force to throw both driver   
and     raker off the machine1 without  
injury to the machine4 ,why your        
machine is preferable to any other1 is1 
after you have cut your     different   
kinds of grain1 fully as well as can be 
done with any     other machine1 with   
not over fifteen minutes' work1 you can 
take the     same machine into your     
meadow or on to the prairie1 and cut    
your     grass at the rate of ten acres 
per day1 cutting closer and cleaner     

than can be done with a scythe4 ,with   
proper care1 your machines will     last
 fifteen or twenty years1 with trifling 
repairs4      ,respectfully yours1      
,,james ,,clark4       ,island ,grove1  
,sangamon ,co41 ,ill41     ,december    
#be1 #ahej4      ,mr4 ,obed ,hussey1    
,baltimore1 ,md43      ,dear            
,sir3--,last summer ,i received two of  
,hussey's ,mowing and     ,reaping      
,machines2 one from your own shop in    
,baltimore1 and the other               
manufactured in this ,state4            
,unfortunately for me1 ,i retained the  
one     manufactured in this ,state1 and
 with some difficulty succeeded in      
cutting about two hundred acres of wheat
 and grass4 ,the one from     your shop 
,i let ,mr4 ,john ,simms have1 who cut  
his wheat1 oats and hay     7about      
seventy-five acres7 with perfect        
satisfaction and ease1 most     of it   
with two horses1 and without being      
obliged to grind the     knives4 ,after 
,mr4 ,simms finished his harvest he let 

,mr4 ,james ,d4     ,smith1 of ,island  
,grove1 have it1 who cut about three    
hundred acres     of grass with it1 the 
machine giving perfect satisfaction4    
,very respectfully yours1      ,,edward 
,j4 ,,eno4       ,carrolton1 ,green     
,co41 ,ill41     ,dec4 #bg1 #ahej4      
,i procured one of ,mr4 ,hussey's       
,reaping and ,mowing ,machines from     
,baltimore last spring2 ,i cut eighty   
acres of wheat1 and ten acres     of    
oats1 and fifty acres of timothy with   
it1 to my entire     satisfaction--after
 which ,i cut sixty acres of cloverseed 
with it in     less than five days4 ,i  
could not have saved the cloverseed     
without     the machine1 so ,i consider 
,i saved the whole cost of the machine  
in     the saving of the cloverseed     
alone4      ,,samuel ,,thomas4          
,springfield1 ,ill41     ,dec4 #be1     
#ahej4      ,mr4 ,obed ,hussey1         
,baltimore1 ,md43      ,dear            
,sir3--,during the harvest of ,august1  
#ahdi1 with one of your     machines ,i 

cut sixty acres of ,hemp1 using a set of
 #d-a_/b feet knives     and guards1 and
 two teams of four horses each1 changing
 every two     rounds1 which cut on an  
average eight acres per day4 ,this last 
harvest1 the same single machine1 with  
#f foot guides and knives1#g            
operated by the same force1 cut         
successfully #bej acres of hemp1 or     
from #aj to #ab acres per day4 ,from    
this experience1 ,i take pleasure     in
 recommending your ,cutters above the   
hemp cradle and hook1 not     only as   
labor-saving1 by the expedition with    
which they cut1 but as     hemp saving1 
from the perfect thoroughness1 evenness 
and nearness to     the ground with     
which they do their work1 and the       
regular and     collected form in which 
they leave the hemp after being cut4    
,yours respectfully1      ,,edward ,s4  
,,cox4        #g ,the cutters were      
lengthened by removing a board that     
previously       reduced the cutting    
space to #d-a_/b feet in length4        

,carrolton1 ,lebanon ,co41 ,ill41       
,sept41 #ahej4      ,mr4 ,o4 ,hussey3   
,the four ,reaping and ,mowing ,machines
 you sent arrived safe and in     good  
order4 ,their performance far exceeded  
our expectations1 the     work went on  
so smoothly that we scarcely knew it was
 hay time and     harvest4 99 99 99 ,if 
your machine had been as well known as  
they are     now1 you could have sold   
twenty as well as one4      ,yours1     
,,jonas ,,ward4   ,the few letters which
 follow1 taken from the ,american       
,farmer1 and referring to a still later 
period1 are selected for their brevity1 
from many others1 and principally from  
,maryland and ,ohio4 ,it is considered  
unnecessary to extend the list1 for the 
operation and character of the machine  
is too well and too widely known at this
 day to render it necessary to the      
intelligent farmer and general reader1  
in any grain growing section of the     
country4#h        #h ,with the view of  
determining as far as possible which was

 the       best ,reaping and ,mowing    
,machines for the farmer to purchase1   
the       ,maryland ,state ,agricultural
 ,society in #aheb offered a prize of   
one       hundred dollars--the largest  
yet offered in the country--for the     
best machine1 to be tested by a         
committee appointed by the              
,society2 a large committee of men of   
the first standing in the       ,state1 
and all large wheat growers1 was        
appointed1 and extended       notice    
published of the trial to take place at 
,wye1 the seat of       ,col4 ,edward   
,lloyd1 ,eastern ,shore1 ,md41 in ,july4
        ,every effort was made by the   
,society and ,committee to give a fair  
and satisfactory trial2 as the extent of
 crops in that fine wheat       growing 
region1 and extensive level face of the 
country1 are       unsurpassed anywhere 
for such an exhibition4        ,but two 
machines were entered for competition1  
,mc,keever's and       ,hussey's4 ,the  
prize was awarded unanimously to        

,hussey4 ,why no       others could be  
induced to attend was a matter of       
surprize at the       time1 and so      
remains with many4       ,harewood1     
#abmo41 #h1 #aheb4      ,having used one
 of ,o4 ,hussey's ,reaping and ,mowing  
,machines during     the last harvest   
7#aheb7 ,i can state that in cutting    
wheat1 oats     and cloverseed--also in 
mowing my crop of grass--it has fully   
answered my expectations1 doing the work
 better than ,i ever had it     done by 
the scythe1 and at much less expense4   
,the machine has been     tested by     
cutting some fifty to sixty acres of    
grass--quite     sufficient to prove its
 complete adaptation to mowing as well  
as     reaping4      ,,edward ,,stabler4
       ,wye ,house1     ,dec4 #bj1      
#aheb4      ,dear ,sir3--,having worked 
your ,reaper for many years ,i have     
fully     tested its merits4 ,it has    
proved itself to be not only a wheat    
saving implement but a labor and time   
saving one--these are all     important 

to the farmer4      ,it does its work   
completely1 regardless of the position  
of the     wheat1 if in condition to    
bind4      ,those you sent me in the    
spring worked well through the harvest1 
and proved their strength4      ,yours  
respectfully1      ,,edw',d ,,lloyd4    
,oxford1 ,md41     ,dec4 #h1 #aheb4     
,mr4 ,obed ,hussey3      ,sir3--,i have 
used your ,reaper with such entire      
satisfaction that     ,i am but         
performing a duty to my brother farmers 
by recommending     it in the strongest 
terms4      ,for sixteen years ,i have  
used a ,reaping ,machine1 and know from 
experience that the most important      
qualities are strength     and          
simplicity4 ,in these respects your     
machine is superior     to any other1   
and is the only one ,i have seen which  
can be safely     entrusted to the      
management of ordinary overseers1 with  
negro     laborers4      ,yours1 etc41  
,,tench ,,tilghman4       ,hayes1       
,montgomery ,co41 ,md41     ,december   

#g1 #aheb4      ,i purchased in the year
 #ahea one of ,mr4 ,obed ,hussey's      
,reaping     ,machines4 ,i used it that 
year and this year in cutting my grain2 
,i     was pleased with the machine2 ,i 
consider it a valuable implement1       
and hope never to be without one while  
,i continue to be a farmer4     ,my     
machine was used in cutting wheat and   
oats--it was not designed     for grass4
 ,i employed it about half the day1 and 
reaped about ten     acres of land in   
grain--the rest of the day was devoted  
to the     securing of the grain2 ,i    
used four horses4 ,my machine1 ,i       
believe1     was of the smallest size1  
and was without front wheels2 with      
wheels it would have been a relief to   
the horses4      ,i cannot speak of the 
relative value of this machine compared 
with others1 having never seen any      
,reaping ,machines but ,hussey's     at 
work4 ,i do not think ,i could be       
induced to return to the old     mode of
 cutting grain by the scythe and cradle4

      ,respectfully yours1 etc41        
,,robert ,p4 ,,dunlop4       ,forest    
,hill1 ,king and ,queens ,co41 ,va41    
,december #bd1 #aheb4      ,mr4 ,o4     
,hussey3      ,sir3--,it gives me       
pleasure to state that ,i used your     
,reaping     ,machine in my late harvest
 with great satisfaction4 ,it fully     
equals my expectation as a labor-saving 
implement1 and does the     work better 
than can be done by the cradle4 ,i would
 farther state     that the seven which 
were purchased along with mine for my   
relations and friends of this country   
have given in every     instance1 entire
 satisfaction4      ,very respectfully1 
,,wm4 ,d4 ,,gresham4       ,to the      
,editor of the ,american ,farmer3       
,dear ,sir3--,having had a fair         
opportunity of observing the            
performance of ,mr4 ,hussey's celebrated
 ',reaper' on my farm last     season1  
under circumstances peculiarly          
calculated to test its     efficiency1  
,i think it not inappropriate to bear my

 testimony in     its favor4      ,i    
finished cutting my grain more than a   
week ago4 ,the grain was     not only   
blown as flat as possible1 but was      
tangled and twisted     together1 and   
lying in every direction2 so much so    
that it would     have been impossible  
to cut a large portion of it with the   
cradle4     ,no one who saw the field   
believed the machine could possibly     
succeed4      ,i take great pleasure in 
stating that its success was perfect and
     entire4 ,it cut and gathered the   
grain in the very worst spots     almost
 as well as that which was standing2 and
 ,i was thus enabled     to mow my crop 
in about one-half the time the old      
fashioned     method would have         
required1 thereby effecting a large     
pecuniary     gain4 ,it cuts the grass  
as evenly and as close as the most      
expert     mower4 ,i need scarcely say  
that ,i am perfectly satisfied with it4 
,i subscribe myself yours1 etc41        
,,aquilla ,,tabot4       ,alexandria1   

,va41     #ab mo41 #aa1 #aheb4      ,it 
gives me much pleasure to state that ,i 
have had in use on my     farm in       
,montgomery ,county1 ,md41 for the past 
two seasons1 one of     ',hussey's      
,reapers1' and its operation has given  
me entire     satisfaction in every     
respect4 ,it appears to combine the     
three     qualities so important to the 
farmer1 efficiency1 durability and      
economy4 ,i can1 with great sincerity1  
recommend its general     adoption4     
,,benjamin ,,hallowell4       ,to ,obed 
,hussey3      ,dear ,sir3--,having used 
one of your ,reapers upon land1 a great 
deal of which was hilly1 stony and      
rough1 ,i take pleasure in     saying   
that it has given entire satisfaction1  
and proved to be a     very durable1    
well built1 and great labor saving      
machine4      ,respectfully1      ,a4   
,b4 ,,davis4      ,greenwood1 ,mont4    
,co41 ,md41 ,dec4 #bj1 #aheb4           
,pickaway ,county1 ,o41     ,july #a1   
#ahea4      ,i made an experiment this  

season in my field of testing the       
,mc,cormick and ,hussey ,reapers4 ,i    
tried each fairly and under     similar 
circumstances4 ,i am satisfied that     
,hussey's is decidedly     the best     
,reaper1 both as to cutting grain and   
durability4 ,the     objections made to 
,hussey's ,reaper by agents and         
manufacturers of     other machines ,i  
do not find1 upon trial1 to exist in any
 one     particular4      ,,wm4 ,,stage4
       ,we1 the undersigned1 present at 
the trial1 concur in ,mr4 ,stage's      
statement3 ,z4 ,pritchett1 ,john ,reber1
 ,philip ,stuart1 ,isaac ,stage1        
,john ,hogeland1 ,michael ,eyer4        
,salem ,tp41 ,champaign ,co41 ,o41      
,july1 #ahea4      ,i have worked with  
,mc,cormick and ,hussey's ,reapers three
 seasons1     and unqualifiedly         
pronounce ,hussey's the best machine4   
,it cuts     cleaner and faster1 and    
leaves the grain in better order on the 
ground2 and this is the opinion of every
 hand in giving an     expression of the

 comparative merits of the two machines4
      ,,thos4 ,,outram4       ,union    
,township1 ,champaign ,county1 ,o41     
,july1 #ahea4      ,i have for the past 
four seasons worked ,hussey's ,reaper1  
and     unhesitatingly pronounce it     
vastly superior to ,mc,cormick's or any 
other ,reaper ,i have seen used4        
,,william ,t4 ,,zombro4       ,salem    
,township1 ,champaign ,county1 ,o41     
,july1 #ahea4      ,i have had ,hussey's
 ,reaper used on my farm4 ,it will cut  
#bj acres     of the heaviest wheat per 
day1 with ease4 ,i consider it far      
superior to the ,mc,cormick ,reaper4    
,,joshua ,,buffington4       ,ross      
,county1 ,ohio1     ,july1 #ahea4       
,i have used ,hussey's ,reaper1 and     
consider it an invaluable     machine4  
,i have seen ,mc,cormick's ,reaper      
operate1 and am of opinion     that     
,hussey's is the best machine4      ,d4 
,m',,connell4       ,union ,township1   
,champaign ,county1 ,o41     ,august1   
#ahea4      ,i have used ,hussey's      

,reaper for four years4 ,i prefer it to 
every     other machine4 ,i do not have 
to drive fast1 and the raking is the    
easiest work in the field4      ,,john  
,,earsom4       ,salem ,township1       
,champaign ,county1 ,o41     ,august1   
#ahea4      ,i bought a ,hussey ,reaper 
this season1 and it has given the best  
satisfaction4 ,i cut wheat that was down
 as badly as any ,i ever     saw4 ,it   
operated well by driving in a slow walk4
 ,my hands would     rather rake than   
bind4      ,,john ,,lee4       ,union   
,township1 ,champaign ,county1 ,o41     
,july1 #ahea4      ,i have used for five
 years ,hussey's ,reaper4 ,it is a labor
 and     grain saving machine4 ,it is a 
much better machine than                
,mc,cormick's1 in several particulars2  
it is more substantial1 not     so      
liable to injury1 and will cut faster   
and cleaner4 ,i cut this     season1    
with three horses1 sixteen acres of     
heavy wheat1 in five     hours and      
thirty minutes4      ,,rezin ,c4        

,,wilson4       ,bergen1     ,september 
#a1 #ahea4      ,this is to certify that
 ,i have for three seasons used one of  
,hussey's ,reaping ,machines1 which ,i  
purchased at the ,genesee ,seed         
,store1 and that it gives perfect       
satisfaction4 ,i have cut my wheat      
when it was very badly lodged1 much     
faster1 better and cheaper     than it  
could have been done in any other way4  
,i had one of     ,mc,cormick's1 but    
left it in the road1 a useless article1 
as ,i     consider it1 having tried for 
three years to use it without           
success4      ,i consider ,hussey's     
machine just the thing for our farmers1 
and ,i     could not now1 after having  
proved its merits1 be induced to be     
without one4      ,,noah ,,wilson4      
,with a few general remarks as to the   
reputation of ,reaping ,machines in     
,england1 and on the authority of the   
annexed ,english publications1 we take  
leave of the subject4  ,at the trial for
 which the ,great ,council ,medal was   

awarded1 but which no practical farmer  
in this country would consider as any   
trial at all1 being merely the attempt  
to cut a small space in green and wet   
grain1 and during the temporary absence 
of ,hussey1 his machine was operated by 
ignorant laborers of the ,chrystal      
,palace1 and who had never before seen a
 reaping machine4  ,this did not satisfy
 the ,english farmers2 complaints were  
soon heard of injustice1 partiality1 and
 unfairness4 ,it compelled ,c4 ,h4      
,mc,cormick or his agents to offer a    
challenge1 which was promptly accepted  
by ,hussey2 and before the ,cleveland   
,agricultural ,society a tolerably fair 
trial was had of the rival machines1    
though neither the grain nor ground was 
then in a suitable state4 ,for the      
decision of twelve prominent men and    
practical farmers we refer to the       
annexed ,english account for the        
complete triumph of the unmedalled      
machine4  ,in an interview with an      
extensive agricultural implement maker  

of ,yorkshire--himself an inventor of   
many valuable implements1 and to no     
small extent a rival--he spoke of ,obed 
,hussey as a man who conferred honor on 
his own country2 as well by his genius  
and talents1 as by his integrity of     
character4 ,this feeling was alike      
honorable to the gentleman who gave it  
expression1 and just to an ,american    
citizen4  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hussey's     
,distinction  ,obed ,hussey is perhaps  
the only ,american who ever waved the   
,stars and ,stripes on the soil of      
,england placed there1 too1 at different
 times1 on his machine1 by ,englishmen  
or who could do it without a strong     
feeling of envy and jealousy being      
engendered4 ,even ,englishmen1 jealous  
as they are known to be1 viewed ,hussey 
as a public benefactor1 and his mission 
as one calculated either directly or    
indirectly to benefit all classes4 ,yet 
in his own country1 which he has so     
signally benefited1 he is compelled to  
supplicate for years1 and as yet in     

vain1 for rights1 that others1 with not 
a tithe of his claim and merit1 but with
 more ample means perhaps1 or more      
influential friends1 succeed in         
obtaining4 ,it is a reproach to the age 
and to the ,halls of ,legislation4 ,when
 it was supposed this great invention   
was perfected in ,england1 many years   
ago--though not successful1 as was      
subsequently proved--the ,nation took   
the matter in hand1 and ,parliament     
voted a reward to its author4  ,at the  
great ,agricultural ,exhibition for     
,bath and the ,west of ,england1 held at
 ,plymouth in #ahec1 the ,plymouth ,mail
 states3 the interest and excitement    
created by the trial of ,reaping        
,machines was very great1 and the crowd 
of persons assembled to witness their   
performance was immense--that ,hussey   
won the prize for ,reaping1 by          
acclamation1 over all competitors--the  
only other ,american machine present1   
,mc,cormick's included2 and an eye      
witness states that three cheers were   

proposed for ,mr4 ,hussey by ,sir       
,thomas ,ackland1 the ,president1 and   
member of ,parliament1 which was        
responded to by thousands1 and without a
 dissenting voice2 that his reaper was  
crowned with laurel by the ,judges1 and 
the ,stars and ,stripes waved in triumph
 twenty-five feet high over ,american   
ingenuity and enterprise on ,english    
soil4  ,illustration3 ,gold medal won by
 ,mr4 ,hussey with the ,reaper at       
,baltimore in #ahec4  ,silver medal won 
by ,mr4 ,hussey with the ,reaper and his
 ,steam ,plough at ,new ,york in #aheg4 
,sidenote3 ,a ,mowing ,machine as ,well 
as a ,reaper  ,at this trial it was     
again demonstrated to the agriculturists
 of ,great ,britain by ,obed ,hussey and
 not the first time1 though he was the  
first to do it that his machine would   
cut their grass quite as perfectly as   
their corn4 ,the ,mail goes on to say3  
,a mowing machine was so remote from the
 expectations and hopes of the ,society1
 that no prize was offered for one2 yet 

,mr4 ,hussey was prepared with a mowing 
machine1 which was taken to an adjoining
 field of meadow grass and clover mixed4
 ,the people followed1 but evidently    
with no expectation of being gratified4 
,the machine mower was put in action1   
and to the admiration of every one1 it  
cut the grass with an evenness and      
precision which is truly surprising1    
being more close and even than a scythe4
 ,the grass left behind the machine was 
quite evenly spread1 and where it was   
not so1 it lay so light and open that   
the use of the tending machine was      
scarcely necessary4 ,the admiration of  
the truly astonishing performance was   
universal4  ,the cutting the rye was    
looked for1 but mowing the grass took   
every one by surprise4 ,thus a great    
desideratum has been achieved2 the      
farmer has now only to gear up his      
horses and take a ride through his      
meadow1 and his grass is cut4  ,again1  
at the ,royal ,agricultural ,society's  
,exhibition1 held at ,lincoln1 the      

present season1 the ,mark ,lane ,express
 states that ,hussey's machine won the  
prize over all competitors2 and admits  
that ,bell's machine was at last fairly 
beaten4  ,is there an ,american who can 
read these accounts who does not feel   
indebted to the man who1 solely by his  
own perseverance and skill1 has added   
lustre to his country's renown in the   
peaceful walks of life8 ,if the same    
man1 as a warrior in hostile array1 had 
raised the same flag in triumph on the  
same soil1 how would his countrymen have
 rewarded him8 ,doubtless by a vote of  
thanks by both ,houses of ,congress1    
together with a sword and gold medal1 if
 not a monument in addition6  ,sidenote3
 ,a ,peaceful ,conquest  ,should not    
those be equally honored and rewarded by
 the ,country1 who are engaged in the   
arts and in agriculture2 who devote     
their energies to add to the comfort and
 happiness of their fellow man1 as those
 engaged in shedding blood1 making      
widows and orphans to mourn for their   

untimely bereavement1 and who literally 
for hire1 not patriotism1 and with the  
spirit demons1 seek to slay and destroy8
  ,we fully believe so2 for fame and    
renown in arms are rarely or never      
acquired1 except by entailing misery and
 distress on our fellow beings1 and     
engendering the worst feelings and      
passions of our nature4  ,but we hope   
for the advent of better days2 when1 if 
the political sword is not literally    
beaten into a plough-share1 and the     
partisan spear turned into a pruning    
hook1 the inventive genius and talent of
 our countrymen shall be more aided and 
better rewarded by ,government1 in its  
praiseworthy efforts for the diffusion  
of knowledge among men1 in all that     
really ennobles the mind1 and benefits  
the whole human family4 ,such1 at least1
 is the earnest wish and desire of  ,a  
,,farmer ,,and ,,mechanic4   ,,hussey',s
 ,,reaping ,,and ,,mowing ,,machine ,,in
 ,,england  ,sidenote3 ,an ,unfair      
,disadvantage  ,in presenting the       

following pages for consideration of the
 farmers of the country1 the subscriber 
has confined himself strictly to matters
 selected from ,english papers1 which   
will speak for itself4 ,as a short      
explanation from me will be looked for1 
,i will merely state that at the trial  
in presence of the ,exhibition ,jury1   
,mr4 ,mc,cormick's machine was operated 
by an experienced hand sent from the    
,united ,states1 while mine was managed 
by ,english laborers of the lower class1
 who were total strangers to it1 and had
 never seen it in operation4 ,the trial 
was made in unripe wheat on a rainy day4
 ,my machine was very improperly        
adjusted for the work and wrongly put   
together1 in consequence of which the   
ignorant raker failed to deliver the    
sheaves1 and it stopped as a matter of  
course1 and was immediately laid aside1 
after cutting but a few feet4 ,my       
machine was never tried in presence of  
that ,jury by any other hands1 or in any
 other condition1 myself not being in   

,england4  ,it was on such a trial that 
the ,exhibition medal was disposed of1  
and with what justice the reader can    
judge by reading the following pages4   
,on my arrival in ,england ,i took my   
machine into the field that it might    
work its way into public favor as it    
best could4 ,after being exhibited in   
several places1 its rising fame appeared
 to produce some effect1 as it will     
appear by the following in the ,windsor 
and ,eaton ,express of ,november #h1    
#ahea3  ,alluding to the astonishing and
 unexpected performance of my ,reaper1  
it says3 ',by this unlooked for turn of 
events1 the proprietors of ,mc,cormick's
 machine found that their supremacy was 
no longer undisputed1 and that the      
necessity was laid upon them to look to 
their laurels2 they therefore came      
boldly forward1 and threw down the      
gauntlet6'  ,illustration3 ,hussey's    
,side-,delivery ,reaper ,as ,used in    
,england4 7,from ,an ,old ,print7       
,sidenote3 ,how ,mc,cormick ,received a 

,medal  ,that farmers who are acquainted
 with my reaper may understand why it   
failed to perform well in the hands of  
strangers at the ,exhibition trial where
 ,mc,cormick got the medal1 it will be  
necessary for me to say that when the   
machine was sent from ,baltimore it was 
set to cut high4 ,that when the         
inexperienced hands undertook to make it
 cut low1 they pitched down the cutters 
by putting on the tongue1 not knowing   
any other way to lower it4 ,in doing so 
the hind part of the platform was of    
course raised high4 ,in this condition  
the unpracticed raker failed to push the
 heavy wet wheat off up an inclined     
plane2 and as a matter of course the    
machine choaked1 and for the same reason
 that a mill will choak when the corn   
goes in faster than the meal comes out4 
,a skillful hand would have lowered the 
cut at the axle of the machine1 and     
brought the platform horizontal or      
lowest at the rear1 as it should be in  
cutting wet grain4  ,the following pages

 will show the result1 the authenticity 
of which1 if doubted1 will be proved by 
the production of the originals in my   
possession4  ,,obed ,,hussey4           
,baltimore1 ,md41 ,jan4 #a1 #aheb4      
,from the ,hull ,england ,advertiser1   
,september #e1 #ahea4  ,at the annual   
meeting on ,mr4 ,mechi's ,farm at       
,tiptree ,heath1 a few weeks ago1 a     
brief report of which appeared in the   
,hull ,advertiser at the time1 several  
reaping machines were tested1 the result
 then being that one manufactured and   
invented by ,mr4 ,mc,cormick1 of        
,america1 was the only one which was    
considered to have done its work        
properly4 ,amongst those tried was one  
invented and manufactured by ,mr4 ,o4   
,hussey1 ,baltimore1 ,md4 7,u4 ,s47     
which1 in the opinion of gentlemen then 
present1 did not fully accomplish the   
object in view4 ,it should1 however1 be 
mentioned1 that while ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's
 machine had on that trial the advantage
 of the superintendence of persons      

intimately acquainted with its          
mechanism1 and who had been accustomed  
to the working of the machine for some  
years1 ,mr4 ,hussey's invention was 7in 
the absence of the inventor7 in the     
hands of persons entirely unacquainted  
with the proper mode of working it4     
,since then ,mr4 ,hussey himself has    
come over to ,england in order to       
superintend his machine1 and the result 
has been that it is now brought out to  
receive a thorough trial of its merits4 
,the trial of ,wednesday1 however1 was  
the best4 ,it took place in a field     
belonging to ,mr4 ,coskill1 ,grovehill  
,lane1 ,beverly4 ,there was assembled   
during the day a great number of farmers
 and gentlemen interested in            
agriculture1 who witnessed the trial    
with great interest4  ,the wheat in this
 case was very much 'laid2' indeed in   
many places it was almost flat on the   
ground4 ,it therefore afforded one of   
the best opportunities for judging of   
the capabilities of the machine under   

disadvantageous circumstances that could
 possibly occur4  ,on the whole1 the    
conclusion come to was that the reaping 
was done as well by machine as by hand4 
,no one doubted for a moment that it    
would cut corn well where it was        
standing2 but some farmers thought it   
would not equal the scythe where the    
corn was laid4 ,the result1 however1    
showed the contrary1 and every person   
acknowledged that it had succeeded      
admirably4 ,after cutting a large       
quantity of wheat1 the machine was taken
 into another field1 and after a slight 
alteration1 set to work to cut clover4  
,we understand that on the day before   
previous to coming to ,hull1 it had been
 tried on clover and cut it extremely   
well4  ,sidenote3 ,winning ,its ,own    
,way  ,as the machine cut along it was  
followed closely by groups of farmers   
striving hard to find flaws in its      
performance4 ,but they could not4 ,on   
the contrary1 in those places where the 
corn was most 'laid1' and where1        

consequently1 the greatest difficulty   
must occur in the cutting1 the manner in
 which the reaper did its work elicited 
their loudest approbation4 ',why1' said 
one burly old gentleman by our side1 'a 
man with a scythe could never cut it    
like that4' ',it is wonderful1' said    
another4   ,from the ,morning           
,advertiser1 ,september #ab1 #ahea4  ,on
 ,monday last1 the public trial of      
,hussey's patent ,reaping ,machine took 
place with the permission of his ,grace1
 the ,duke of ,marlborough1 on his      
,grace's estate of ,blenheim1 near      
,woodstock1 ,oxfordshire1 and also1 on  
the adjoining one of ,mr4 ,southern1 one
 of the most considerable landed        
proprietors of the country4 ,a large    
assemblage of the ,agriculturists of the
 highest class attracted by the         
celebrity which this ingenious and      
efficient contrivance has acquired for  
itself in a course of successful        
experiments performed last week in      
,yorkshire1 were present to witness the 

trial1 mostly from ,oxfordshire and the 
adjoining counties1 but many from a     
considerable distance1 and all of them  
concurred in the most ready             
acknowledgments of its advantages4      
,sidenote3 ,the ,duke of ,marlborough's 
,test  ,the reaping commenced at #aa    
o'clock in the barley field1 the machine
 being drawn by two fine chestnut       
horses1 lent by his ,grace for the      
purpose of the experiment1 in which he  
took the deepest interest1 following the
 reaper in a car1 and watching with     
evident satisfaction1 the ease and      
rapidity with which the blades cut down 
the golden produce of the field4 ,the   
crop was by no means one calculated to  
favor the experiment4 ,on the contrary1 
some of it was down and much laid4 ,it  
was cut down1 however1 with great       
regularity and speed1 and the general   
evenness of the stubble was the subject 
of general remark4 ,as the machine      
passed on1 hewing its way at a smart    
pace through the dense mass of stalks1  

the crowd of eager observers rushed     
after it1 and many were the cheers with 
which it was welcomed4 ,occasionally1 to
 satisfy the ideas of the more          
fastidious1 the level of the cutters was
 changed1 so as to leave a greater or   
less length of stubble1 and it was      
evident to all that in this respect the 
machine was susceptible of the nicest   
adjustment4 ,some times at the end of a 
turn it was rested to give the farmers  
an opportunity of inspecting it1 which  
they seemed never tired of doing1 and   
then it was turned round at right angles
 to cut in the cross direction4 ,in the 
experiments upon barley1 it showed      
itself capable of reaping the enormous  
space of fifteen acres1 which we believe
 is from eight to nine times the power  
of the most vigorous and skillful       
reaper4 ,afterwards the machine was     
taken into a large field of clover1     
which it cut to within two inches of the
 ground1 and with still greater         
rapidity4  ,his ,grace repeatedly       

expressed his admiration of the powers  
of the apparatus1 and congratulated some
 of the agricultural gentlemen present  
with him on the prospects of greater    
economy and security in harvesting which
 it afforded them4 ,these opinions were 
generally entertained upon the ground1  
and yesterday at ,bishop's ,startford1  
in ,hartfordshire1 the farmers of that  
part of the country witnessed a similar 
experiment1 attended with results       
precisely similar1 and which gave them  
the same satisfaction4  ,illustration3  
,mc,cormick's ,american ,reaper   ,the  
following testimonial was given by the  
,duke of ,marlborough3  ,tuesday1       
,september #ith1 #ahea4  ,having        
yesterday witnessed the working of the  
,american ,reaping ,machine1 patented by
 ,mr4 ,hussey1 and being requested to   
give my opinion upon its execution1 ,i  
state that it performed its work        
admirably1 laying the corn when cut very
 neatly for tying up1 and leaving the   
stubble very regular4  ,,marlborough4   

,following upon these various successes1
 an advertisement from the proprietors  
of ,mc,cormick's ,machine appeared in   
the public papers1 as follows3   ,,mr4  
,m',,cormick',s ,,american ,,reaper     
,sidenote3 ,the ,challenge  ,public     
,challenge to ,makers and ,venders of   
,reaping ,machines3 ,we1 the            
undersigned1 agents for ,mr4            
,mc,cormick1 having observed sundry     
advertisements and circulars complaining
 of the decision of the ,jurors of the  
,great ,exhibition of #ahea in favor of 
,mr4 ,mc,cormick's ,reaper1 and of the  
reports given in the public journals of 
the trials which led to such decision1  
do hereby give notice to ,messrs4 ,wm4  
,dray  ,co41 ,messrs4 ,garrett  ,son1   
,mr4 ,o4 ,hussey1 and all other makers  
and venders of ,reaping ,machines       
whatsoever1 that ,m',,cormick',s ,reaper
 will be tried at the ,cleveland        
,society's ,show at ,marton1            
,middlesbrough1 near ,stockton-on-,tees1
 on the #beth inst41 and publicly       

,,challenge them or any of them1 to meet
 us there1 with their machines1 for the 
purpose of a comparative trial of the   
respective merits of each1 to be        
determined by the ,chairman and ,council
 of the ,cleveland ,society1 or by such 
,judge or ,judges as the said ,society  
may appoint4 ,,burgess  ,,key1 #ajc     
,newgate ,street1 ,london4  ,the        
,challenge was immediately accepted4    
,,mr4 ,,hussey',s ,,american ,,reaper   
,sidenote3 ,the ,acceptance  ,in answer 
to an advertisement which appeared in   
the ,times of the #ahth1 from ,messrs4  
,burgess  ,key1 giving us a ,,public    
,,challenge to a ,,trial of the         
,,american ,,reaping ,,machines1 we     
hereby announce that we shall willingly 
,,accept the ,,same1 and on the #beth   
inst4 we shall be prepared at the       
,cleveland ,society's ,show1 ,marton1   
,middlesborough1 near                   
,stockton-on-,tees1 to prove to the     
,agricultural ,world the superiority of 
,,hussey',s ,,reaper for general farming

 purposes4 ,we stipulate1 however1 that 
the ,machines shall be tested1 not only 
on a particular patch of good upstanding
 grain1 where they might1 perhaps1 prove
 equal1 but on an average variety of    
conditions1 as to short and laid corn1  
etc41 such as the farmer will usually   
meet with4 ,its capabilities for cutting
 green crops1 such as clover1 etc41     
shall also be proved4 ,it must be       
evident to the ,farming ,public that the
 ,reaping ,machine which will cut a crop
 of the greatest variety and difference 
of condition must possess the greatest  
merit4 ,,wm4 ,,dray  ,,co41             
,agricultural ,warehouse1 ,swan-,lane1  
,london ,bridge4   ,accordingly the     
matter was arranged1 and the following  
gentlemen were called upon to act as    
jurors3  ,henry ,stephen ,thompson1     
,esq41 of ,moat ,hall1 ,foreman2 ,mr4   
,wm4 ,lister of ,dunsa ,bank2 ,mr4 ,jno4
 ,booth of ,killerby2 ,mr4 ,john        
,parrington1 of ,brancepeth2 ,mr4 ,wm4  
,wetherell1 of ,kirkbridge1 ,darlington2

 ,mr4 ,robert ,hymers1 of ,marton2 ,mr4 
,christopher ,cobson1 ,linthorpe2 ,mr4  
,robert ,fawcitt1 of ,ormsby2 ,mr4      
,joseph ,parrington1 of ,cross ,beck2   
,mr4 ,john ,outhwaite1 of ,bainesse2    
,mr4 ,geo4 ,reed1 ,hutton ,lowcross2    
,mr4 ,thomas ,phillips1 of ,helmsley1   
and ,mr4 ,thomas ,outhwaite1 of         
,bainesse4  ,the following were the     
conditions to be submitted by the       
representatives of the respective       
machines3  ,the machines to be tried on 
wheat and barley in such order1 and for 
such lengths of time1 as the jurymen may
 direct4 ,the jury to have full power to
 use any means they deem advisable in   
order to put the machines to the        
severest trial4 ,the jury in deciding on
 the merits of the two machines1 to take
 into their consideration3  ,sidenote3  
,conditions of the ,contest  #ast4      
,which of the two cuts corn in the best 
manner4  #b;d4 ,which of the two causes 
the least waste4  #c;d4 ,which of the   
two does the most work in a given time4 

#dth4 ,which of the two leaves the corn 
in the best order for gathering and     
binding4  #eth4 ,which of the two is the
 best adapted for the ridge and furrow4 
#fth4 ,which of the two is the least    
liable to get out of order4  #gth4      
,which of the two at first cost is least
 price4  #hth4 ,which of the two        
requires the least amount of horse      
labor4  #ith4 ,which of the two requires
 the least amount of manual labor4  ,as 
no report was made of the trial on the  
first day1 the following may be relied  
upon3  ,from the ,gateshead ,observer1  
,september #bg1 #ahea4  ,it was curious 
to see on the soil of a ,cleveland farm 
two implements of agriculture lying side
 by side in rivalry1 respectively       
marked1 ',mc,cormick1 inventor1         
,chicago1 ,illinois1' ',hussey1         
inventor1 ,baltimore1                   
,maryland'--,america competing with     
,america1 on ,english soil4  ,mr4       
,hussey led off4 ,an attempt was made to
 keep back the eager crowd2 but their   

curiosity was irrepressible2 they       
flocked in upon the machine so that the 
experiment could not be properly        
performed1 nor could the jury duly      
discharge their duties4 ,p4 ,c4         
,thompson did his very best2 he was all 
but everywhere at once2 but what avails 
a police force1 one strong1 against a   
concourse of ,yorkshire yeomanry and    
clowns8 ,it was requisite that he should
 have recruits1 and a body of           
self-elected 'specials' came to his aid1
 who succeeded in procuring approach to 
a clear course4 ,mr4 ,hussey then took  
his seat anew1 and his machine cut down 
a breadth of wheat from end to end of   
the field4 ,it seemed to us to do its   
work neatly and well4 ,the wheat was    
cleverly delivered from the teeth of the
 reaper1 and handed over to the binders 
by the rake4   ,to ,william ,dray and   
,company4  ,stockton-on-,tees1          
,september #bgth1 #ahea4  ,sir--,having 
been in communication with you relative 
to the trial of your ,reaper against    

,mc,cormick's1 and feeling deeply       
interested in the introduction of the   
new implement into this district1       
particularly one of so much importance  
as a ,reaping ,machine1 ,i think it is  
not probably out of place in me if ,i   
give you the result of my observations  
during the two trials which have taken  
place4 ,from the fact that ,mc,cormick's
 ,machine obtained the prize at the     
,great ,exhibition 7though ,i do not pin
 my faith upon awards made by           
,agricultural and other societies7 the  
letter of ,mr4 ,pusey's1 in the ,royal  
,agricultural ,society's ,journal1 the  
various newspaper reports1 etc41 etc41  
it was natural for me to be predisposed 
in favor of ,mc,cormick's ,machine2     
indeed ,mr4 ,m4 had a prestige in his   
favor1 which of course operated against 
the ',little ,hussey4' ,previous to     
starting1 at ,marton1 on ,thursday1 the 
gentlemen representing ,mc,cormick's    
machine expressed themselves desirous of
 testing the machines early in the      

morning when the dew was on1 believing  
that their machine would cut the grain  
under such circumstances1 and that yours
 would not4 ,well1 on ,thursday we had a
 deluge rain1 the surface of the land   
was very soft1 and the corn very wet4   
,everybody there was astonished to see  
your machine brought up the field at a  
trot1 cutting its way to the admiration 
of all present2 it not only cut to the  
leaning corn1 but it cut cross over the 
corn leaning to the left of the         
postillion 7,i presume ,i must call     
him74 ,mc,cormick's machine then        
attempted to start 7he made two or three
 attempts7 but the attendant confessed  
it was impossible to do so4 ,that there 
might be no mistake about it1 your      
representatives proposed that their     
machines should go up again2 the jury   
said ',no6 we are satisfied that your   
machine can cut it under the present    
circumstances1' and so ended ,thursday's
 trial4   ,from the ,gateshead          
,observer1 ,october #d4  ,we left the   

members and friends of this society1 on 
,friday1 the #bfth ult4 on the          
,show-ground at ,middlesbrough1 immersed
 in rain4 ,the scene now shifts to the  
,townhall1 where1 in a handsome and     
spacious apartment1 we find them        
assembled in the evening1 to dinner1 to 
the number of #aej1 with the ,earl of   
,zetland in the chair1 and in the       
vice-chair ,mr4 ,john ,vaughan1 of the  
firm of ,bolckow  ,vaughan1 iron-masters
 and manufacturers4 ,his lordship was   
supported by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,f4 ,wharton1
 of ,birmingham1 and ,messrs4 ,j4 ,t4   
,wharton1 ,henry ,pease1 ,g4 ,d4        
,trotter1 ,isaac ,wilson1 ,george       
,coates1 ,j4 ,w4 ,pease1 ,george ,reade1
 ,john ,pierson1 etc42 and the          
vice-chair by ,messrs4 ,c4 ,dryden1 ,w4 
,fallows1 ,r4 ,chilton1 etc4 ,in the    
body of the hall were the leading       
inhabitants of the town and             
neighborhood2 also1 ,mr4 ,burgess and   
,mr4 ,samuelson 7who had come to the    
meeting with ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's reaping 

machine71 ,mr4 ,hussey1 the inventor of 
the reaper which bears his name1 and    
,mr4 ,pierce and ,mr4 ,stevens 7on the  
part of ,messrs4 ,dray  ,co41 agents for
 ,mr4 ,hussey74  ,on the removal of the 
cloth1 the noble ,chairman 7behind whose
 seat was inscribed on the wall in      
conspicuous characters1 ',success to the
 ,cleveland ,agricultural               
,society--,eighteenth ,anniversary'7    
gave the customary loyal toasts1 and    
took occasion to observe that had it not
 been for the ,exhibition of ,industry1 
projected by ,prince ,albert1 the       
',reaping ,machine1' from which he      
anticipated great benefits to           
agriculture1 would not have been        
introduced into this country4           
7,applause47  ,the ,earl of ,zetland    
again referred to the reaping machine4  
,such an aid to agriculture1 his        
lordship observed1 was needed in        
,cleveland and elsewhere4  ,mr4 ,j4 ,t4 
,wharton1 of ,skelton ,castle1 said he  
had never witnessed so much enthusiasm  

in an agricultural district as was      
displayed in connection with the reaping
 machine4 ,had the day been fine the    
number of spectators present yesterday  
7,thursday7 would have been at least    
fourfold what it was4 ,bad as the       
weather was1 not only was there a large 
muster of members of the society1 but   
#hjc persons1 many of them from a       
considerable distance1 paid sixpence    
each for admission to the ground4 ,the  
trial of the rival machines was1        
unfortunately1 so short1 and conducted  
under such adverse circumstances1 that  
it was impossible to pronounce any      
opinion as to their relative merits2 but
 what he saw of ,hussey's was as        
satisfactory as he could expect4        
7,applause47  ,mr4 ,george ,reade1 of   
,hutton ,lowcross1 said1 had it not been
 for the boisterous weather1 the        
receipts of the ,society at ,ormesby and
 ,middlesbrough would have been         
marvelous4 ,as it was1 there was a large
 assemblage to witness the trial of the 

,american reaping machines1 and they    
were regarded with an anxious desire    
that they might succeed4 ,indeed1 let   
any ingenious mechanic--he cared not    
whether he was ,english1 ,scotch1       
,irish1 ,american or ,german--come      
before a jury of the farmers of         
,cleveland with an implement or machine 
for the improvement of ,agriculture1 and
 it would be judged with candor1        
impartiality and uprightness1 and the   
inventor should go home satisfied that  
he had experienced fair play4           
7,applause47  ,mr4 ,isaac ,wilson       
proposed the health of ',the            
,strangers4' ,to those gentlemen the    
members were greatly indebted for their 
attendance4 ,had the weather permitted1 
they would all have experienced much    
pleasure from an inspection of the      
celebrated reaping machines in action1  
and the ingenious draining plough of    
,mr4 ,fowler1 which did him very much   
credit4 7,the toast was drank with      
musical honors47  ,mr4 ,pierce1 the     

representative of ,dray  ,co41 being    
called upon to respond1 rose and said1  
bad as the weather had been1 he had been
 delighted with his visit to            
,middlesbrough4 ,the kindness of the    
inhabitants soon made him no stranger4  
,he was not four and twenty hours in the
 place before he fraternized with the   
whole parish4 7,laughter47 ,he rejoiced 
that ,mr4 ,hussey's reaping machine was 
now in the hands of a jury of ,cleveland
 farmers4 ,it would have a fair1 honest1
 impartial trial2 and what more could an
 ,englishman desire4 7,applause47 ,he   
thanked the company for the honor which 
they had conferred upon their visitors  
from a distance1 and wished continued   
success to their flourishing society4   
7,applause47  ,sidenote3 ,mr4 ,hussey's 
,toast to ,england  ,mr4 ,hussey was    
next called upon1 and said that he had  
for many years been building machines in
 ,america4 ,if he had had the least idea
 of the interest which ,england would   
take in the reaping of crops by         

machinery1 it would have been a         
difficult thing to keep him on the other
 side of the ,atlantic2 and he knew not1
 now1 after the reception which he had  
met with1 how he should ever get home   
again4 7,applause and laughter47  ,mr4  
,steevens1 ,dray  ,co4's engineer1 was  
also called upon to rise1 and stated    
that his employers had purchased ,mr4   
,hussey's machine because they saw it to
 be the best1 and they would meet every 
competitor in the three kingdoms1       
fearless of the result4 7,cheers47  ,it 
should be stated that ,messrs4 ,fowler1 
,burgess1 ,samuelson1#i etc41 had by    
this time left the hall1 and therefore  
could not be called upon4        #i     
,mc,cormick's agents4  ,mr4 ,parrington1
 having read the award1 announced that a
 second trial of ,mc,cormick's and      
,hussey's reaping machines would be     
made1 if the weather were favorable1 on 
the following morning 7,saturday71 at #i
 o'clock1 at ,mr4 ,fawcitt's farm4 ,the 
jury1 appointed by the committee1 would 

give no opinion on the trial of the     
previous day 7,thursday74 ,that would go
 for nothing4 ,they would devote the    
whole of next day1 if necessary1 to a   
full1 fair1 and satisfactory trial of   
the two machines4 7,applause47  ,on     
,saturday morning1 the weather was so   
far favorable that there was no rain4   
,the trial1 therefore1 took place4      
,there was a numerous gathering of      
land-owners1 farmers1 laborers1 etc41   
but not so crowded a muster as to       
obstruct the experiment4  ,the foreman  
of the jury1 ,mr4 ,thompson1 being      
unavoidably absent1 his place was       
supplied by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,f4 ,wharton1 
of ,birmingham4 ,messrs4 ,lister1       
,outhwaite1 7,j4 and ,t4 ,p47 ,booth1   
,wetherell1 ,phillips1 and ,dobson1 were
 also absent4 ,their places were filled 
by ,mr4 ,william ,morley1 ,dishforth2   
,mr4 ,thomas ,parrington1 ,marton2 ,mr4 
,j4 ,t4 ,wharton1 ,shelton ,castle2 ,mr4
 ,wm4 ,hill1 ,staunton2 ,mr4 ,joseph    
,coulson1 ,sexhow2 ,mr4 ,joseph         

,harrison1 ,white ,house2 ,mr4 ,john    
,mason ,hopper1 ,marton4  ,the trial    
commenced in a level enclosure1         
adjoining the road from ,stockton and   
,middlesbrough to ,ormesby ,hall 7the   
residence of ,sir ,wm4 ,pennyman1       
,bart474 ,the wheat was laid4 ,we have  
seen a crop in worse condition1 but not 
often4 ,the straw was damp and soft4    
,the soil was loamy and light1 and the  
field free from wet2 it was to ,mr4     
,fawcitt's credit that he was able to   
place such a field at the service of the
 society under the circumstances2 still1
 the earth was in a state to clog the   
wheels of the reapers4 ,altogether1 the 
test was a severe one for the           
competitors4 ,mr4 ,samuelson1 ,mr4      
,burgess1 and ,mr4 ,d4 ,c4 ,mackenzie   
7the son of an emigrant from ,ivernesse7
 were in charge of ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's   
machine4 ,the other was in the hands of 
the inventor himself1 ,mr4 ,hussey1 and 
of ,mr4 ,pierce and ,mr4 ,steevens 7who 
represented the agents1 ,messrs4 ,dray  

,co47  ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wharton 7the    
jury1 competitors1 etc41 having gathered
 round him on the field1 on ,saturday   
morning7 announced that after the lapse 
of an hour1 when the corn would be in   
such a condition that ,mr4 ,fawcitt1 as 
he had just said1 would1 under ordinary 
circumstances1 reap it himself1 the     
trial would commence4  ,the question    
was1 now1 which of the two machines     
should begin4 ,a 'toss' gave the chance 
to ,mr4 ,pierce1 and he requested ,mr4  
,burgess to lead off4  ,mc,cormick's    
machine then got into action1 taking the
 crop in the most favorable manner--that
 is1 leaning toward the knife4 ,passing 
along the field 7which was from two to  
three hundred yards in length7 it cut   
down a breadth of little more than four 
feet4 ,the corn being laid1 the flier1  
of course did not come into practical   
operation2 nor was it necessary that it 
should do so--the elements having       
already done its work4 ,the corn was    
well cut--the stubble a little too high4

  ,another breadth or two having been   
cut1 ,hussey's machine followed1 and cut
 some breadths--somewhat wider than     
,mc,cormick's1 and closer to the ground4
  ,mackenzie1 when we pointed out the   
shorter stubble of his rival1 admitted  
the fact1 but said there would be no    
difficulty--not the slightest--in       
bringing ,mr4 ,mc,cormick's knife nearer
 to the ground4 ,in ,america1 however1  
where the straw is comparatively of     
little or no value1 the stubble is no   
object1 and there are some advantages in
 cutting high4  ,a backer of            
,mc,cormick's machine 7and many bets    
have been laid on the two machines7     
urged that ,hussey's would spoil clover 
when going among wheat4 ,the reply was1 
that ,hussey's knife could be raised or 
depressed at pleasure4  ,the next test  
was cutting the crop across ridge and   
furrow1 so that the corn was lying      
neither to nor from the knife1 but      
sidewise4 ,both the machines cut the    
corn under these                        

circumstances--,hussey's the cleaner of 
the two4  ,the jury then required the   
experiment to be made along the field1  
with the corn lying from the knife4     
,mr4 ,hussey consented1 and the machine 
succeeded in cutting the corn--leaving a
 tolerable stubble1 but not so short and
 regular as before4  ,mc,cormick's      
machine was then tried1 and failed4 ,as 
it scoured over the corn1 making sad    
havoc1 there were loud cries of ',stop6 
stop6 you're wasting it6'  ,barley was  
next cut1 with much the same result4 ,in
 this case1 ,mr4 ,hussey adjusted his   
platform for discharging the corn at the
 side4  ,sidenote3 ,hussey ,wins #f to  
#d  ,the binders being summoned before  
the jury1 and asked which of the two    
machines they preferred1 so far as their
 particular department was concerned1   
decided1 #d for ,mc,cormick's1 #f for   
,hussey's4  ,clover was now to be tried1
 but at this stage of the proceedings we
 left the field4 ,clover-cutting1 we    
should state1 formed no part of the     

competition4 ,the agreement merely      
refers to wheat and barley4             
,mc,cormick's machine is not intended   
for clover-cutting2 but some of the land
 owners and farmers were anxious to see 
clover cut by ,hussey's machine4 ,mr4   
,thompson1 we understand1 had requested 
his proxy to have the experiment made4  
,we were told on the ground that the    
machine had already been tried on clover
 at ,newport1 near ,middlesbrough1 and  
'cut it well--if the weather had been   
dry it would have cut it beautifully4'  
,it was pleasant to mark the anxiety and
 watchfulness of the gentlemen in charge
 of the two machines4 ,mr4 ,mc,cormick  
suffered no loss from his absence1 he   
was so admirably represented2 and in    
,messrs4 ,pierce and ,steevens1 ,dray   
,co4 had invaluable agents--on the      
,thursday in particular1 when a storm1  
which ravaged land and sea1 could not   
deter them or ,mr4 ,hussey1 from        
practically attesting the reaper's      
prowess in the field4 ,the trial1       

throughout1 was conducted with a        
fidelity to self which would not throw a
 point away1 and a courtesy to rivals   
which should ever mark honorable        
competition4   ,from a ,correspondent4  
,stockton1 ,monday1 ,september #bi4--;,a
 report reached me1 after ,i left the   
farm1 that ,hussey's machine cut the    
barley very much better than            
,mc,cormick's4 ,it came to me1 however1 
through parties who might fairly be     
suspected of a bias1 and therefore ,i   
kept my judgment in suspense until ,i   
could obtain information on which ,i    
could more implicitly rely4 ,this ,i    
have now got4 ,i have been to the farm  
again today1 and made inquiries of      
persons who saw the completion of the   
trial4 ,mc,cormick's machine did not cut
 the barley so well as ,hussey's4 ,it   
cut it much too high2 and as the crop   
was very much laid1 the heads only1 in  
many cases were cut off4 ,we had        
,hussey's machine in operation to-day1  
both on barley and wheat1 and made      

better work than on ,saturday4 ,mr4     
,fawcitt worked it with the greatest    
ease4 ,i think he would soon beat the   
inventor himself4 ,even ,i1 townsman as 
,i am1 made fair work2 and in an hour or
 two's practice1 ,i would engage to cut 
a crop in a manner not to be found fault
 with4 ,you may safely say that any     
ordinary workman about a farm would be  
able to manage the machine2 and when ,i 
say this of ,hussey's1 it is also true  
of ,mc,cormick's4 ,the one may be a     
better machine than the other1 but the  
merits of either of them may be brought 
into practical action by a laborer of   
average intelligence and skill4 ,it is  
the opinion of farmers and others with  
whom ,i have conversed1 that the saving 
per acre1 by the use of ,hussey's       
machine1 would be about #es4  ,at the   
close of the contest on ,saturday1 the  
knives of the two machines were placed  
in the hands of ,mr4 ,robinson1 engineer
 to ,mr4 ,bellerby1 of ,york1 that he   
might report thereon1 and on the        

machinery generally1 to the ,jury4      
,wednesday1 ,october #a4--,the ,marquis 
of ,londonderry1 and several other      
gentlemen1 have visited ,mr4 ,fawcitt's 
farm1 to see the machine at work4  ,the 
laurels so recently placed upon the brow
 of ,mr4 ,mc,cormick have been plucked  
off--not wholly1 but in great part--by  
his fellow countryman1 ,mr4 ,hussey4    
,we would enlarge upon this theme1 but  
our report has left us little room4 ,we 
would only say1 that while the farmers  
of ,cleveland1 and of the ,island       
generally1 are turning their attention  
to agricultural improvements--by reaping
 machines1 draining ploughs1 and steam  
ploughs--we would say to them1 in the   
words of ,mr4 ,hussey to the ,cleveland 
horse-jockey1 when his machine was ready
 for its work1 ',now1 then1 go ahead6'  
,,report ,,of ,,the ,,jury  ,the ,jury  
regret exceedingly the most unfavorable 
state of the weather on the days of     
trial 7a perfect hurricane raging during
 the whole of the first day71 and their 

consequent inability to make so full and
 satisfactory a trial as they could have
 wished4  ,the machines were tested on a
 crop of wheat1 computed at #be bushels 
per acre1 very short in the straw1 and  
if possible1 more laid than the wheat4  
,the ,jury1 taking the different points 
submitted to their consideration1 in the
 order as mentioned3  #a4 ,their        
unanimous opinion1 that ,mr4 ,hussey's  
machine1 as exhibited by ,messrs4 ,wm4  
,dray  ,co41 cut the corn in the best   
manner1 especially across ridge and     
furrow1 and when the machine was working
 in the direction of the corn laid4  #b4
 ,by a majority of eleven to one1 that  
,mr4 ,hussey's machine caused the least 
waste4  #c4 ,taking the breadth of the  
two machines into consideration1 that of
 ,mr4 ,hussey did most work4  #d4 ,that 
,mr4 ,hussey's machine leaves the cut   
corn in the best order for gathering and
 binding4 ,this question was submitted  
to the laborers employed on the         
occasion1 and decided by them1 as above1

 by a majority of #f to #d4  #e4 ,their 
unanimous opinion that ,mr4 ,hussey's   
machine is best adapted for ridge and   
furrow4  #f4 ,this question was referred
 by the ,jury to ,mr4 ,robinson1 foreman
 to ,messrs4 ,bellerby1 of ,york1 a     
practical mechanic of acknowledged      
ability1 whose report is appended below4
  #g4 ,that ,mr4 ,hussey's machine at   
first cost is less price4  #h1 #i4 ,the 
,jury decline to express a decided      
opinion on these points in consequence  
of the state of the weather4  ,the      
trials took place on the farm of ,robert
 ,fawcitt1 of ,ormsby1 near             
,marlbro'-on-,tees1 who in the most     
liberal and disinterested spirit allowed
 his crops to be trodden down and       
damaged to a very great extent1         
especially on the #beth1 when in spite  
of the storm an immense crowd assembled 
to witness the trials4  ,the ,jury      
cannot conclude their report without    
expressing the great pleasure they have 
derived from seeing two machines brought

 into competition that were able to do  
such very good work1 and also at        
witnessing the friendly1                
straightforward1 and honorable way in   
which the exhibitors of the respective  
machines met on this occasion4  ,signed 
on behalf of the ,jury1 ,w4 ,f4         
,,wharton1 ,foreman4   ,,mr4            
,,robinson',s ,,report ,,on ,,question  
#f4  ,having carefully examined both    
machines1 and given the subject due     
consideration1 ,i am of opinion that    
,mc,cormick's ,reaping ,machine1 as at  
present made1 is most liable to get out 
of order4  7,signed7 ,,thomas           
,,robinson4 ,york1 #cjth ,september1    
#ahea4   ,from the ,london ,mercantile  
,journal4  ,the ,great ,exhibition and  
,transatlantic ,superiority ,over       
,european ,ingenuity--,american ,reaping
 ,machines4--,the close of the ,crystal 
,palace has given rise to many          
panegyrics1 and we would not for one    
moment detract from its merits2 it has  
been deservedly the admiration of the   

world1 and visited by thousands of its  
inhabitants4 ,brought into life by the  
most eminent men1 and supported by      
royalty2 the means taken were such as no
 private individual could have          
accomplished2 every exertion was used to
 obtain the choicest relics that the    
earth could produce2 almost every       
country vied in exhibiting the arts and 
treasures of its products and           
manufactures1 and were with one         
exception considered eminently          
successful4 ,the ,united ,states of     
,america1 however1 was thought to be    
deficient1 and in one or two cases some 
rather strong and even coarse remarks   
were indulged in4 ,but what are the     
results8 ,france can boast of the       
richness of its silks and artificial    
manufactures1 and ,england of its       
machinery2 but we find that our own     
newspapers are filled with admiration at
 the inventions of ,brother ,jonathan4  
,we shall only slightly touch upon the  
sensation produced by the splendid      

performance of the ,american yacht1 and 
the dexterity displayed in the          
lock-picking1 which was previously      
deemed impracticable4 ,but it may be    
said that these are trifling matters in 
a national point of view2 still1 facts  
have been elicited by these apparent    
trifling incidents1 for we find that the
 superior build of the little ,american 
yacht involves a principle--it being now
 admitted that in nautical matters the  
,americans are equal1 if not superior1  
to other nations in their construction  
of their merchant vessels1 and also in  
the equipment of their ships of war4 ,on
 the land they are equally successful2  
their reaping machines have astonished  
our agriculturists4 ,we extract from the
 ,gateshead ,observer1 and other local  
papers1 the surprising performance of   
,hussey's and ,mc,cormick's machines4   
,our readers are aware that there are   
two rival parties competing their powers
 on ,british ground1 and without        
entering into the question as to which  

of the two performed their work in the  
best manner1 we copy the result of the  
trial4 ,the ,durham ,advertiser states  
that the performance took place at      
,middlesbro'1 and says3  ,sidenote3 #ai 
,out of #bj ,favored the ,hussey ,reaper
  ',few subjects have created a greater 
sensation in the agricultural world than
 the recent introduction into the       
country of the reaping machines of ,mr4 
,mc,cormick1 and the subsequent         
appearance1 of a rival1 of no inferior  
description1 in a similar implement from
 ,mr4 ,hussey4 ,the interesting trial of
 the two in competition1 intended to    
have taken place on ,thursday last1 was 
postponed1 in consequence of the        
torrents of rain1 until ,saturday1 when1
 under the superintendence of a very    
efficient jury empanelled to decide the 
respective merits of the two implements1
 the contest came off4 ,the compact form
 of ,hussey's implement was in its      
favor1 though from the notoriety of     
,mc,cormick's at ,mr4 ,mechi's farm1 the

 general preference was at first on his 
side4 ,mc,cormick's machine was first   
tried against the inclination of the    
corn1 and completed its portion in very 
good style1 leaving the sheaves in a    
handy manner at the side of the furrow4 
,hussey's completed a similar breadth1  
but deposited the sheaves behind1 and   
consequently several binders were       
required to follow the machine to clear 
the course for cutting the next breadth1
 an imperfection1 which1 however1 it was
 understood could be easily remedied1   
and the back deliver replaced by a side 
one4 ,this breadth was closer cut than  
the one executed by ,mc,cormick's       
reaper4 ,the two were then tried across 
the ridge1 where ,hussey's implement    
carried the palm1 ,mc,cormick's leaving 
a very considerable portion of the straw
 standing behind it2 and the last trial 
upon the wheat1 in the direction of the 
lean of the wheat1 ,hussey's machine did
 its work very fairly1 while            
,mc,cormick's was obliged to be stopped 

in its course1 after having taken the   
heads of the wheat1 but left the whole  
of the straw standing4 ,at this time two
 opinions did not exist among the       
company present--,hussey's being the    
favorite4 ,the trial was then carried to
 some barley1 where ,hussey's again     
succeeded in obtaining public favor4    
,the more compact form of ,hussey's     
implement1 as well as the superiority of
 the clipping action over the cutting   
action of ,mc,cormick's1 entitle it to a
 greater share of public favor1 and as  
the advantages of a side delivery can be
 easily applied to it1 it will doubtless
 become the more general in use amongst 
the farmers4 ,we cannot1 however1 but   
think that some mechanical process might
 be substituted for raking the sheaf    
from the receiving board1 and this with 
a few other mechanical improvements1    
would we think1 make ,hussey's reaping  
machine a perfect1 useful and economical
 agricultural implement4 ,the latter may
 be also advantageously applied to the  

cutting of clover crops1 which is quite 
out of the question with the farmer4    
,another ,correspondent on this subject 
says3 ,the jury did not on ,saturday    
announce their decision1 nor have they  
yet made a report4 ,nineteen farmers out
 of twenty who witnessed the trial were 
in favor of ,hussey's machine4'  ,the   
,gateshead ,observer remarks3 ',the     
great ,cleveland contest between the two
 ,american reaping machines1            
respectively invented by ,mr4           
,mc,cormick1 of ,chicago1 and ,mr4      
,hussey1 of ,baltimore1 originally      
appointed for ,thursday1 the #beth ult41
 frustrated1 for a time by the deluge   
and hurricane of that disastrous day1   
came off on ,saturday1 the #bgth4 ,the  
trial was one of great severity1 the    
crops of wheat and barley were laid1 and
 the straw damp and soft4 ,the laurels  
so recently placed upon the brow of ,mr4
 ,mc,cormick have been plucked off--not 
wholly1 but in great part1 by his fellow
 countryman1 ,mr4 ,hussey4 ,both the    

machines proved their ability to do good
 work1 but ,mr4 ,hussey's attested its  
superiority2 and the ,english farmer has
 now seen1 thanks to ,prince ,albert and
 the ,exhibition of ,works of ,industry1
 that his corn and grasses1 hitherto    
slowly and laboriously reaped with the  
sickle and the scythe1 may now be       
plained off the land1 in five feet      
breadth1 as rapidly as a horse can      
trot4'  ,sidenote3 ,a ,considerable     
,doubt  ',a trial has taken place before
 the ,cleveland ,agricultural ,society  
of the respective merits of             
,mc,cormick's and ,hussey's ,american   
,reaping ,machines1 and the report of   
the jury of practical men1 appointed by 
the consent of both parties to decide   
the question of merit is favorable to   
the latter implement4 ,this decision    
throws considerable doubt upon the      
justice of the award of a great medal at
 the exhibition to                      
,mc,cormick's4'--,london ,times1        
,october #g4  ,following upon its       

success at ,cleveland1 the proprietors  
were invited to exhibit the machine at  
the ,barnard ,castle ,agricultural      
,society1 ,lord ,harry ,vane1 president4
   ,barnard ,castle1 ,october #h1 #ahea4
  ,the undersigned ,president1 ,vice    
,presidents1 and members of the ,barnard
 ,castle ,agricultural ,society and     
others who have witnessed the working of
 the ,american ,reaping ,machine1       
invented by ,mr4 ,hussey1 do certify    
their unqualified approval of its       
operations and entire success4  ,lord   
,harry ,vane1 ,president4 ,w4 ,f4       
,wharton1 ,vice ,president4 ,john       
,mitchell1 ,v4 ,p41 ,forcett ,hall1     
,yorkshire1 ,esq4 ,j4 ,s4 ,edgar1 ,m4   
,d41 ,barnard ,castle1 ,esq4 ,john      
,dickonson ,holmes1 ,barnard ,castle1   
,solicitor4 ,george ,p4 ,harrison1      
,forcett1 ,yorkshire1 ,esq41 ,farmer4   
,edward ,scaith1 ,keverston1 near       
,darlington1 ,esq41 ,farmer1 and        
,assistant     ,draining ,commissioner4 
,thomas ,robinson1 ,hutton ,hall1 near  

,richmond1 ,yorkshire1 ,esq41 ,farmer4  
,richard ,kay1 ,forcett ,valley1 near   
,darlington1 ,esq41 ,farmer4 ,william   
,harrison1 ,greta ,bridge1 ,yorkshire1  
,esq41 ,farmer4 ,thomas ,carter1        
,scales1 near ,richmond1 ,esq41 ,farmer4
 ,jno ,whitfield1 ,london1 ,esq4 ,rev4  
,thomas ,boys ,croome1 ,scotland4       
,william ,watson1 ,jr41 ,barnard        
,castle1 ,solicitor4 ,j4 ,r4 ,monkhouse1
 ,barnard ,castle1 ,manufacturer4       
,samuel ,nelson1 of ,scaife ,house1 near
 ,staindrop1 ,durham1 ,esq41 ,farmer4   
,william ,thompson1 ,lanehead1 near     
,ovington1 ,yorkshire1 ,esq41 ,farmer4  
,john ,ethwaite1 ,bainesse1 near        
,catterick1 ,yorkshire1 ,farmer4 ,rev4  
,george ,dugard1 ,barnard ,castle1      
,incumbent of ,yorkshire1 ,farmer4      
,william ,watson1 ,secretary of the     
,barnard ,agricultural ,association4    
,from the ,darlington and ,stockton     
,england ,times1 ,october #aa4          
,,barnard ,,castle ,,agricultural       
,,society4  ,,mr4 ,,hussey',s ,,reaping 

,,machine4  ,great interest was excited 
in ,barnardcastle and its neighborhood  
on ,tuesday last1 by the announcement   
that ,mr4 ,hussey's reaping machine     
would be exhibited at the forthcoming   
meeting of the ,barnardcastle           
,agricultural ,society2 and that a trial
 of its powers would be made previous to
 the meeting4 ,accordingly1 on ,tuesday 
last1 the machine was brought into      
operation in a field of barley1         
belonging to ,mr4 ,george ,white1 of    
,stainton1 near ,barnardcastle1 which it
 cut admirably well4 ,the ,rev4 ,w4 ,f4 
,wharton1 and other gentlemen in the    
vicinity1 besides a vast number of      
farmers1 were present4 ,the ,judges on  
the occasion were ,h4 ,s4 ,thompson1    
,esq41 of ,moat ,hall 7one of the       
,agricultural ,jury of the ,great       
,exhibition72 ,w4 ,lister1 ,esq41 of    
,dunsa ,bank2 and ,t4 ,robinson1 ,esq41 
of ,hutton4 ,luncheon was provided for a
 large party in an out-building near the
 scene of the experiments1 and it is a  

fact worthy of notice that after dinner 
,mr4 ,thompson proposed the health of   
,mr4 ,hussey 7who was present7 with     
great fervour1 and spoke of the         
disadvantages under which ,mr4 ,hussey's
 ,machine had labored when tried against
 ,mc,cormick's for the ,great           
,exhibition ,medal2 ,mr4 ,hussey not    
being in the country at that time1 and  
no one being present who understood the 
adjusting or working of the implement4  
,mr4 ,thompson said he was now so       
thoroughly satisfied of its great merits
 that he would do his best to get a     
medal awarded to it4 ,after luncheon1   
the machine was taken to the grounds of 
,mr4 ,adamson1 and tried upon a field of
 oats1 which were so laid as to form a  
very severe test to the machine1 but it 
nevertheless was successful there also4 
,the party retired greatly pleased with 
it1 and some of the most wary           
agriculturists ordered machines upon the
 ground4 ,on ,wednesday morning a large 
assemblage of agriculturists met on the 

farm of ,mr4 ,f4 ,atkinson1 ,westwood1  
,startforth1 to see the machine cut a   
field of wheat1 and there again the     
experiment yielded all that even its    
inventor could desire4 ,we understand   
that a large number of orders were given
 for machines by the farmers present1   
which is perhaps the very best test of  
their views in the matter4 ,the general 
impression seemed to be that it would   
prove of incalculable value to the      
agricultural interest4  ,sidenote3 ,a   
,toast to ,mr4 ,hussey  ,at about #c    
o'clock in the afternoon1 a large party 
sat down to a sumptuous dinner at the   
,king's ,head ,inn4 ,lord ,harry ,vane  
presided and the ,rev4 ,w4 ,f4 ,wharton 
occupied the vice-chair4 ,after dinner  
the usual loyal toasts having been      
proposed1 the vice-chair proposed the   
health of ,mr4 ,hussey2 that gentleman1 
he said1 had contributed to their       
gratification and interest in bringing  
his invention there for trial2 the      
result of that trial had exceeded       

everything they could have previously   
imagined or hoped2 and therefore he     
begged they would excuse him for        
proposing this health so early1 as ,mr4 
,hussey and his agents's representative1
 ,mr4 ,pierce1 had to leave by the first
 train from ,darlington1 which they had 
then but sufficient time to reach4 ,he  
proposed the healths of ,mr4 ,hussey and
 of the enterprising firm1 ,messrs4     
,dray  ,co41 who had undertaken to bring
 that machine into the ,british market4 
,the toast was drank with honors4 ,mr4  
,hussey briefly returned thanks4  ,after
 some further proceedings1 the          
,vice-,chairman proposed the health of  
the ,president4 ,lord ,harry ,vane      
responded4  ,sidenote3 ,a ,worthy1      
,modest and ,unassuming ,man  ,the      
healths of the ,vice-,presidents were   
proposed4 ,mr4 ,mitchell briefly        
responded4 ,mr4 ,wharton1 in            
acknowledging the toast1 took the       
opportunity of again bringing before the
 meeting the merits of the invention    

which had been the object of that day's 
attraction4 ,it had been most           
unfortunate that when the trial took    
place for the prize of the great        
exhibition1 ,mr4 ,hussey had not arrived
 in this country--nobody knew how it was
 managed1 whilst ,mc,cormick's was      
properly attended to4 ,mr4 ,hussey's    
machine did no work1 and ,mr4           
,mc,cormick took the medal4 ,no sooner  
did ,mr4 ,hussey arrive than he prayed  
for a further trial1 but the ,jury could
 not grant it4 ,all difficulty was      
removed by ,mr4 ,mc,cormick throwing    
down the gauntlet4 ,the trial came off  
in ,cleveland--the result was clear and 
satisfactory in favor of ,mr4 ,hussey's 
machine as decidedly superior4 ,mr4     
,thompson1 of ,moat ,hall1 one of the   
,great ,exhibition ,jury1 was also one  
of the ,judges in ,cleveland1 and was so
 satisfied on the subject that he left1 
determined to urge for a medal for ,mr4 
,hussey4 ,it must be a source of        
pleasure to all to find that justice was

 thus about to be done to a worthy1     
modest and unassuming man4   ,from the  
,darlington and ,stockton ,times1       
,october #aa1 #ahea4  ,,the ,,reaping   
,,machines ,,at ,,barnardcastle4  ,to   
the ,editor of the ,darlington and      
,stockton ,times3  ,sir--,i beg to      
trouble you with a few particulars of   
,mr4 ,hussey's ,american ,reaping       
,machine1 which ,i yesterday saw working
 in a field near ,barnardcastle4 ,i am  
not a farmer1 and of course cannot be   
thoroughly au fait at describing an     
agricultural implement1 nor am ,i       
sufficiently versed in mechanics to     
explain to you the construction of the  
machine in all its details1 but of the  
result ,i can speak1 and that with      
confidence4  ,drawn by two horses1 a man
 seated on the near side horse as       
driver1 this wonderful implement was    
drawn with perfect ease1 at more than   
the rate of three miles an hour1 round  
and round a field1 partly in wheat and  
partly in barley1 cutting a breadth of  

corn in its progress with a regularity  
and evenness that was surprising4 ,no   
straggling stalks of corn were left1    
none of the slovenly irregular work too 
often seen where manual labor is        
employed was to be discovered2 on the   
contrary1 the field after shearing1     
looked nearly as smooth and even as a   
kitchen floor or turnpike road4 ,the    
farmer has now no longer occasion to be 
behind the reapers1 dinning in their    
ears1 'shear low--'now do shear low2'   
for this machine1 with a very simple    
adjustment1 will cut the corn as low as 
he can possibly require4 ,a seat on the 
machine is provided for a man1 who1 with
 a large rake1 and with motion          
resembling the pushing of a punt1       
removes the corn from the machine as it 
is cut1 and leaves it for the binders to
 put together in sheafs4  ,the          
assistance of two men and two horses are
 thus all that is required to draw and  
to guide this wonderful sickle--and so  
manned1 it will cut with the ease and   

regularity ,i have described1 from      
perhaps ten to twelve acres in the      
working day4 ,nor as far as ,i could    
see1 or learn from the observation of   
others1 does there appear to be any     
drawback against its general adoption4  
,its price 7#ba7 is not exorbitant--its 
construction is not so complex as to    
cause a fear of frequent repairs being  
required2 men of the common run of      
agricultural laborers are quite         
competent to go with it1 and the work of
 drawing it is not distressing to the   
horses4 ,neither does the nature of the 
ground appear to be much an object1 for 
it traveled as well over ridge and      
furrow as it did upon a level4  ,nothing
 could be more unanimous than the       
approval of which the machine met with  
from all who saw its work1 and ,i was   
informed that nine machines were ordered
 on the ground4 ,among the purchasers   
was the ,duke of ,cleveland1 who1 with  
,lord ,harry ,vane1 was present and     
examined its working and construction   

minutely4 ,the curiosity excited by the 
machine was great1 and an immense number
 of people visited the ground during the
 two days4 ,noblemen and gentlemen1     
farmers and farm laborers1 tradesmen and
 mechanics1 men and women1 flocked to   
see the implement which from the other  
side of the ,atlantic has come to effect
 so important a revolution in the labor 
of the harvest field1 and all were      
agreed that ,brother ,jonathan1 though  
still a young man1 had some clever      
notions in his head1 and that ,john     
,bull1 in the case of the reaping       
machine1 would not be above taking      
advantage of his intelligence4 ,i am1   
etc41  ,a4 ,b4   ,from the ,london      
,daily ,news4  ,,hussey',s ,,reaping    
,,machine--,,trial ,,before ,,prince    
,,albert4  ,the celebrated battle of the
 ,ganges hardly excited more interest in
 the railway world than the battle of   
the ,reaping machines has lately created
 in the agricultural world2 nor is the  
result perhaps very much less important 

in the latter case than in the former4  
,sidenote3 ,hussey's by ,far the ,best  
,of the recent inventions for           
diminishing the cost of production1 the 
most remarkable are undoubtedly the     
,reaping machines of ,messrs4 ,hussey   
and ,mc,cormick4 ,perhaps it would be   
more accurate to call them importations 
than inventions1 since both have been in
 use for a considerable time in         
,america2 and amongst the benefits      
arising from the ,exhibition1 it is     
certainly not the least that it has     
introduced to the agriculturist of      
,great ,britain implements of the       
highest practical utility1 which might  
otherwise have remained forever         
exclusively in the hands of their       
brethren across the ,atlantic4 ,it will 
be remembered that a trial of the two   
rival machines took place last summer1  
at ,mr4 ,mechi's model farm in ,essex1  
having been directed by the royal       
commissioners1 with the view of         
determining the comparative merits of   

the two instruments1 whose patentees    
were competitors for the forthcoming    
medal prizes4 ,at that time ,mr4        
,hussey1 the ,american inventor of the  
machine called after his name1 had not  
arrived in the country4 ,the weather1   
too1 was very unpropitious for the      
trial1 notwithstanding which a very     
large number of gentlemen were present4 
,the machines were tried upon a field of
 wheat1 and the result was such as to   
convince all present of the superiority1
 in every point of view1 of             
,mc,cormick's machine--a conviction     
which was subsequently confirmed by the 
fact of the ,exhibition medal being     
awarded exclusively to the patentee of  
that machine4 ,the tables1 however1 were
 soon to be turned4 ,mr4 ,hussey arrived
 in ,england2 a challenge having been   
given by the agents of ,mr4 ,mc,cormick1
 it was accepted by ,mr4 ,hussey1 and   
his ,english agent1 ,mr4 ,dray2 and1    
after a fair contest before the         
,cleveland ,society1 at ,middlesbro'1   

near ,stockton-on-,tees1 on the #beth   
and #bgth of ,september1 a jury of      
twelve agriculturists pronounced a      
verdict in favor of the unmedalled      
machine4 ,they decided that of the two  
machines1 ,hussey's had the             
preponderance of advantages--that it cut
 corn in the best manner1 caused the    
least waste1 did the most work in a     
given time1 left the cut corn in the    
best order for gathering and binding1   
was the best adapted for ridge and      
furrow1 was the least liable to get out 
of repair1 and was the least price at   
first cost4 ,on the two other points    
submitted to them1 namely1 which machine
 required the least amount of horse     
labor1 and which the least amount of    
manual labor1 the jury declined to      
express a decided opinion1 in           
consequence of the state of the weather4
  ,illustration3 ,bronze medal won by   
,mr4 ,hussey with his ,reaper in        
,england in #ahea4  ,sidenote3 ,arrival 
of the ,prince  ,there have been many   

other trials of ,hussey's machine in    
different parts of the country1 and the 
result has been so far uniformly        
satisfactory4 ,amongst these we have now
 to mention a very interesting one which
 took place by appointment last         
,saturday1 at ,windsor1 in the presence 
of his ,royal ,highness1 ,prince        
,albert1 originating in a correspondence
 between ,general ,wemyss1 on behalf of 
the ,prince1 and ,messrs4 ,dray  ,co4 of
 ,swan-lane1 the agents for ,mr4        
,hussey4 ,the spot selected for the     
trial was behind the statue of ,george  
,,iii1 at the end of the ,long ,walk1   
fern--of which there is an abundance in 
that locality--being the article on     
which the machine had to operate4 ,the  
,prince having from an early hour in the
 morning been engaged in shooting in the
 vicinity of the statue1 at half-past   
twelve1 resigned his gun1 and proceeded 
on horseback1 in company with ,general  
,wemyss and ,col4 ,seymour1 to the spot 
appointed for the trial of the machine4 

,dismounting from his horse1 his ,royal 
,highness saluted briefly and gracefully
 the assembled company1 and especially  
,mr4 ,hussey and ,mr4 ,dray4 ,he then   
asked a few general questions respecting
 the history of the machine1 and        
observed that as the ground selected was
 very uneven 7it was in fact remarkably 
so7 the trial would be a good one4      
,after a brief delay1 the gear being    
declared in order1 on went the machine1 
drawn by two strong horses1 and heedless
 of ruts and hillocks in its course1    
which was very rapid1 bringing down     
every thing it encountered cleanly and  
completely1 including two or three      
slices of turf at least a foot long1 and
 more than an inch thick4  ,the         
performances of the machine were not    
confined to one single course4 ,a       
considerable amount of work was         
performed in the most satisfactory      
manner1 ,mr4 ,hussey himself sitting on 
the box at the side1 and throwing aside 
what was cut down in the manner best    

adapted for gathering and binding4      
,indeed the work was not confined to the
 fern2 a rabbit which was not accustomed
 to this species of interference was    
startled and cruelly lacerated before it
 had time to escape4  ,sidenote3 ,a     
,royal ,order  ,at the close of the     
trial1 his ,royal ,highness gave a      
practical proof of his favorable opinion
 by ordering two of the machines for    
himself1 one for ,windsor and the other 
for ,osborne4 ,he then1 after expressing
 his gratification1 rode back to the    
game-keepers and resumed his gun4 ,after
 he had left1 the machine operated well 
upon some rushes4  ,it may not be out of
 place to state here that ,mr4 ,dray's  
explanation of the failure of the       
,hussey machine at ,tiptree ,hall 7,mr4 
,mechi's farm7 is that it was entirely  
owing to its not being properly managed4
 ,on that occasion1 he says1 the person 
in charge of it was simply a porter at  
the ,exhibition1 who1 not understanding 
the matter1 neglected to clear away the 

wheat as it was cut down1 in consequence
 of which the action of the machine was 
unavoidably and fatally impeded4 ,we    
witnessed the result at ,mr4 ,mechi's1  
and certainly there was no such fault on
 ,saturday4 ,the progress of the machine
 was notwithstanding the unevenness of  
the ground1 rapid and satisfactory2 and 
it was stated as a fact that on a level 
ground the horses used in drawing may   
trot1 not only without weakening or     
impeding the action of the knives1 but  
even with advantages1 as by that means  
the cutting requires increased precision
 and force4  ,sidenote3 ,a ,royal       
,verdict  ,the following is ,prince     
,albert's certificate3      ,windsor    
,castle1 ,nov4 #ac1 #ahea4              
,sir--,in answer to your letter         
addressed to ,gen4 ,wemyss1 ,i have     
received the commands of his ,royal     
,highness1 ,prince ,albert1 to say1     
that so far as he could judge of ,mr4   
,hussey's ,reaping ,machine1 from       
its performance in the high fern at     

,windsor ,park1 his ,royal ,highness    
is disposed to form a very favorable    
opinion of it1 and has ordered          
one#aj in consequence for the use of his
 own farm4 ,his ,royal     ,highness can
 however give no opinion as to the      
relative merits of     this machine in  
comparison with those of others which he
 has not     seen at work4      ,i have 
the honor to be1 sir1 your obedient     
servant1      ,,grey4        #aj ,the   
,prince ordered two ,machines1 one for  
,windsor and one for       ,isle of     
,wight4   ,from ,maidstone  ,south      
,eastern ,gazette1 ,october #ba1 #ahea4 
,,west ,,kent ,,agricultural            
,,society',s ,,ploughing ,,match4       
,,hussey',s ,,american ,,reaper4  ,a    
distinguishing feature at this society's
 meeting on ,thursday1 the #afth inst41 
was an exhibition of the capabilities of
 the above machine4 ,the session of the 
year of course prevented a display of   
its powers on anything in the shape of  
grain1 indeed great difficulty was found

 in procuring even a green crop on which
 to operate4 ,undaunted by this fact1   
the inventor was determined to show to  
the anxious hundreds assembled the      
extent of the advantages to be derived  
from the use of his reaper4 ,at two     
o'clock the machine was set to work upon
 a field of clover1 short and light 7as 
may be supposed71 where its performance 
was effectual as it possibly could be1  
exciting a considerable amount of       
surprise as well as gratification4 ,it  
was then taken to a piece of marsh land1
 where clumps of stout rushes in many   
places were growing in thick masses1    
presenting the appearance of stunted    
grain4 ,the machine passed over this    
marsh1 cutting the rushes with the same 
facility as if it had been corn1 leaving
 the stubble about four inches long and 
very regular1 giving also a good        
representation of the manner in which   
the sheaves of wheat1 etc41 are usually 
delivered4 ,both these operations1 but  
especially the latter1 were considered  

severe contests of the capabilities of  
the machine4 ,taking all the            
circumstances into consideration1 the   
performance was far beyond all          
reasonable expectations4 ,it was a      
question whether the excellent work of  
the #eh competing ploughs1 or the       
extraordinary novelty of ,hussey's      
machine in operation1 added most to the 
gratification of the large assemblage of
 the leading agriculturists of ,kent4   
,from the ,kentish ,gazette1 ,november  
#aa1 #ahea4  ,in addition to the        
interest naturally felt by all who live 
on and by the soil in its proper        
cultivation1 there was an unusual degree
 of attraction in the fact that a       
reaping machine by ,mr4 ,hussey 7the    
celebrated ,american ,machinist7 would  
be tested upon seven acres of mustard   
adjoining the ploughing field4 ,the     
reaping was commenced about twelve      
o'clock1 and continued for a            
considerable period4 ,the crop of       
mustard was wet1 and by no means        

calculated to favor the experiment4 ,it 
was1 however1 after the machine was     
properly arranged1 cut down with great  
regularity2 and at a speed equal to four
 miles an hour it traversed the circuit 
of the field1 hewing its way through the
 mustard1 quickly followed by a crowd of
 eager observers1 whose wondering gaze  
exhibited at once their astonishment and
 admiration of its working4             
,occasionally the level of the cutters  
were altered1 so as to leave a greater  
or less length of stubble1 which evinced
 the accurate adjustment to which the   
machine could be brought4 ,some portion 
of it was taken to pieces1 and the whole
 of the arrangements shown1 which the   
farmers present displayed an eager      
anxiety to investigate1 and many were   
the questions proposed1 and             
satisfactorily answered by the talented 
inventor4  ,we should mention that the  
undulation of the land does not impede  
its operations in the least--as it was  
well observed by a gentleman present1   

that where a cart could travel there    
this machine could also go1 and complete
 its design4 ,no previous acquaintance  
with its principle is necessary to be   
able to guide its operation1 as was     
shown by ,mr4 ,neame1 ,jr41 who mounted 
the platform and discharged the         
functions appertaining to the party who 
removes the corn from the machine after 
it is cut1 with the greatest ease and   
precision4 ,indeed the most unqualified 
approval was given by the gentlemen     
present1 to the applicability of the    
reaping machine to the purposes for     
which it is designed4 ,we have thus     
entered into minute particulars1 because
 this is the first opportunity we have  
had of witnessing the results of such an
 experiment1 attended as it was with    
every degree of satisfaction4 ,lord     
,sondes gave an order for one of the    
machines1 and we understand that three  
or four orders were given in the course 
of the day4  ,at the dinner which       
followed1 the chairman gave ',sir ,john 

,tylden and the visitors4'  ,sir ,john  
,tylden1 as a member as well as a       
visitor1 replied to the toast1 and in a 
jocular strain animadverted on the      
suffering of the farmers of ,faversham1 
who were determined1 like a celebrated  
regiment in the service1 to 'die hard4' 
,he alluded to the reaping machine of   
,mr4 ,hussey1 which he characterized in 
contradistinction to that of ,mr4       
,mc,cormick's and all others1 as the    
universal reaping machine1 of which he  
spoke in highly approving terms1 and    
passed a warm eulogium on its talented  
inventor1 and the country he            
represented1 which in the space of #hj  
years had risen from a wilderness to her
 now exalted position1 and proud of her 
,anglo-,saxon blood4