Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/841

* BEAPERS. 741 REAPERS. at first made shorter than the blade, and the operator cut toward, and left the cut grain lean- ing against, the standing grain. The Americans made improvements in these old forms, and devel- oped the American cradle scythe ( Fig. 2, b ) about the period from 1776 to 1800. This implement little progress was made until 1822, when Henry Ogle brought out his side-draught machine, with reels, reciprocating knife (straight-edged) over Fig. 2. fobus of chadle scythes. was in universal use in America at tlie begin- ning of the nineteenth century. It is now em- ployed only where the use of reaping machines is impracticable. Both sickle and scythe are widely useful agricultural implements. The first reaping machine recorded in history is the Gallic header (Fig. 3) mentioned by Pliny. A.D. 23, as used in the extensive fields of the lowlands of Gaul. This consisted of a large box with projecting teeth along its front edge, which was pushed through the grain by an ox hitched in rear. The heads were caught and torn off by the teeth and were raked into the box bv an attendant. A similar machine was Fig. 3. THE GALLIC HEADEB. mentioned by Palladius four centuries later, btit it was forgotten for ages. In modern times the idea of a mechanical reaper seems to have originated with Cabel Lloft of Britain, who in 1785 suggested a machine somewhat after the pattern of the Gallic header. It was probably never constructed. After that date numerous un- successful attempts were made to construct a practical reaping machine on the Gallic header plan or using the revolving knife idea. In 1807 Salmon of Woburn made the first reciprocating and advancing-niotion machine, its cutter con- sisting of vibrating knives over stationary cut- ters. This machine as well as that of Gladstone was provided with a rake to sweep the grain from the platform. A number of machines were hivented and given trial about this time, but Fig. 4. OGLE'S beapixg machine. stationary fingers, dividers, and platform, thus foreshadowing the essential features of the mod- ern reaper (Fig. 4). In 1827 Patrick Bell invented a machine which was used with con- siderable success in England and Scotland. Its cutter worked on the shear principle. The cut grain was carried to one side by means of revolv- ing rollers. It had reels and dividers, and was pushed through the grain by a team hitched in the rear. This machine, although built on a wrong principle, is important because it was simple in construction and fairly efficient in practice. It was introduced to some extent in America. From this time forward independent English development of the reaper practically ceased, and reaper construction began to be influenced by American ideas and methods. The first patent for a reaping machine in America was granted to Richard French and T. J. Hawkins of New Jersey in 1803. In 1812 a patent was granted to Peter Gaillard of Penn- sylvania for a grass-cutting machine, which was the first of its kind in America or England. A more successful grass cutter was invented by .Jeremiah Bailey of Pennsylvania in 1822. It was built on the revolving cutter plan, with side-draught and an arrangement for keeping the cutter at a uniform distance from the ground. Several other machines followed these, the most important of which was that of William plan- ning of New Jersey, patented in 1831, which had a cutting device very closely resembling those of Hussey and !McCormick, which after- wards became important. It also had a grain divider, the first recorded on an American ma- chine. At this epoch American genius combined all the best features of preceding inventions, English and American, in two practical machines, that patented bv Obed Hussey of ilarvland in 1833 and that patented by C."H. McCormick of Virginia in 1834. These machines were very similar in principle. Hussey's was provided with a cutter of pointed blades attached to a bar, which vibrated through slots in iron fingers projecting from the front of the cutter bar. The grain fell on a platform and was raked off by a man riding on the machine. It had no reels. JlcCormiek's had a serrated edge knife Avith