In 1831 came McCormick’s reaper, the first practical machine of its kind
ever taken into the field. It was crude at first, but improved from year
to year. Although McCormick’s reaper was not patented until 1834, one
year after the patent granted to Obed Hussey for his reaper, young
McCormick gave a public exhibition in Virginia three years before, in
1831. It was in the fall of that year when Cyrus McCormick hitched four
horses to his machine, which had been built in the old blacksmith shop
at Steel’s Tavern, and drove into a field of late oats on the farm of
John Steele, adjoining his father’s. The reproduction of an old
lithograph depicting this scene indicates the interest of the neighbors
in this event. Although the United States had been established more than
fifty years past, this was the first grain that had ever been cut by
machinery. McCormick’s machine continued to operate to the surprise of
everyone and in less than half a day had reaped six acres of oats--as
much as six men would have done by the old-fashioned method.
This was not the first attempt of a McCormick to solve the problem of
harvesting wheat by machinery, for Robert McCormick, the father of
Cyrus, had, himself, worked on a machine of this kind as far back as
1816. His father tried it again in 1831 and abandoned it, and in that
same year the son Cyrus took up the work and started the world toward
cheaper bread.
[Illustration: MCCORMICK REAPER OF 1858]
The first practical reaper taken into the field in 1831 embodied the
essential parts of the reaper with which we are familiar. It had a
platform for receiving the grain, a knife for cutting it, supported by
stationary fingers over the edge, and a reel to gather it. The driver of
the machine rode one of the horses, while the man who raked off the
grain walked by the side of the machine.
Development of the Reaper.
The ten years following this first instance of a successful reaper were
strenuous times indeed for Cyrus McCormick, for it was not until 1840 or
1841 that he was able to make his first sale. Twenty more were sold in
1843 and fifty in 1844.
[Illustration: THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER OF TODAY DOES NOT LET HIS
CORNSTALKS GO TO WASTE IN THE FIELD, BUT CUTS THEM WITH A CORN BINDER
AND EITHER PUTS THEM INTO A SILO OR SHREDS THEM INTO STOVER FOR HIS
HAY-LOFT
This picture shows the husker and shredder in operation with kerosene
for power.]
During all these years from 1831 to 1844 Mr. McCormick was diligently at
work changing, testing and experimenting. In 1845 he secured a second
patent, which embodied many improvements--the principal ones referring
to the cutting mechanism.
[Illustration: THE MCCORMICK REAPER OF 1858 IN THE FIELD
Note that an automatic raker has been substituted for the man who rode
on the machine and raked off the cut grain.]
In this year, Mr. McCormick started for the western prairie, and in 1847
built his own factory in Chicago, thus starting the world’s greatest
reaper works. This factory, known as “McCormick Works,” is still in
progress. It covers today more than 120 acres in the heart of Chicago,
and has an annual capacity of 375,000 machines of all types.
[Illustration: A MARSH HARVESTER AS BUILT BY THE MCCORMICK COMPANY IN
1874
Note the two men riding on the platform and binding up the grain as
delivered to them by the elevator of the machine.]
The third step in the development of the reaper was the addition to the
machine of a seat for carrying the raker. The machine built in 1831
required that the raker walk by the side of the machine. In 1845 Mr.
McCormick added the seat, patent for which was added in 1847. This seat
which carried the raker enabled him while riding to rake the grain from
the platform and deposit it in gavels on the ground. This type of
reaper, patented in 1847, is the one taken by Cyrus H. McCormick to the
first world’s fair held in London, England, in 1851, and about which the
records of that exposition state “The McCormick reaper is the most
valuable article contributed to this exposition, and for its originality
and value and perfect work in the field it is awarded the council
medal.”
This same reaper received the grand prize in Paris in 1855 and is the
reaper which created so much surprise in the world’s fair in London that
the comments made by the press demonstrated beyond a doubt that England
had not as yet built a successful reaper. In 1858 the machine was
further improved by substituting an automatic rake for the raker on the
machine.
[Illustration: A MCCORMICK HEADER BINDER WHICH ELEVATES THE GRAIN INTO
WAGONS WHICH DRIVE ALONGSIDE]
Many other patents were granted from time to time until 1870, when the
foundation features of all reapers had been invented and substantially
perfected. The reaper is still used extensively, especially in foreign
countries.
The interest in this machine centers not in its development as used
today, but in the fact that it led to the invention and perfection of
the self-binder.
The prototype of all machines designed to bind the grain before being
delivered to the ground is the Marsh harvester. It is the half-way mark,
the child of the reaper and the parent of the self-binder. The original
patent for this machine was granted August 17, 1858, to two farmer boys
of De Kalb, Illinois, the Marsh brothers.
Previous to this time, attempts had been made to build harvesting
machines which would bind the grain before delivered to the ground, but
not one could be considered a success. At the time the Marsh harvester
began seeking a place in the market, about 1860, reapers--hand-rakers,
self-rakers, and droppers--held the trade substantially to the exclusion
of any other kind of harvesting machine.
[Illustration: A COMBINED SWEEP RAKE AND STACKER
This ingenious machine is a great labor saver in the hay field. The hay
can be gathered by any number of sweep rakes and dumped near the
stacker, which will stack on any side and in any shape.]
The first successful Marsh harvester, built in 1858, was operated
through the harvest of that year. It has never been changed materially
in principle or form since. The theory of the inventors was that two men
might bind the grain cut by the five-foot sickle in ordinary motion
provided it could be delivered to them in the best possible position and
condition for binding and if they could have perfect freedom of action.
They knew that the binders must have a free swing and open chance at the
grain to enable them to handle it, so they arranged the elevated
delivery, the receptacle, the tables and the platform for the man with
these things in view.
The second Marsh harvester was built in Chicago in 1859. Improvements
were made during the years 1861, 1862 and 1863. The manufacture of the
Marsh harvester began in earnest at Plano in the fall of 1863 by Stewart
and Marsh, twenty-five machines being put out in 1864.
[Illustration: NO MORE TIRESOME HAY PITCHING ON THIS FARM, WHERE HAY
LOADERS ELEVATE THE HAY TO THE MEN ON THE WAGONS
The small kerosene tractor has taken the place of horses and is drawing
two wagons at a time.]
In 1875 McCormick began putting out harvesters of the Marsh type. Of
straight Marsh harvesters--carrying a man to bind--there had been made
up to and including 1879 over 100,000, of which about two-thirds had
been produced by the Marsh combination and the rest by outsiders.
The Self-Binder.
The development of the automatic binder followed quickly after the
introduction of the Marsh harvester, although attempts were made to
perfect this machine as early as 1850.
[Illustration: A MODERN GRAIN BINDER IN HEAVY OATS]
[Illustration: THE WITHINGTON BINDER BUILT BY THE MCCORMICKS IN 1876