618 [AssEaiBLY 



ply many important articles to an extent almost embarrassing. 

 Stoves and plows may be given as instances in point ; many of the 

 patterns of each article differing only in minor and otten immateri- 

 al points. This seems to have been eminently the case with many 

 of the reaping machines ]a.te]y exhibited to the Committee of the 

 State Society at Geneva. The idea of cutting grain by machinery 

 propelled by animal power, is of quite ancient origin. Machines 

 for this purpose are said to have been known to the Romans. 

 Two of their accredited historians, Pliny and Palladius, mention 

 such a machine as used on the plains of Gaul, and it is stated 

 that with one ox, large fields were cut in a day. The Roman ma- 

 chine is imperfectly described, but seems to have been designed 

 to cut and gather only the heads of the grain. The first attempt 

 at reaping machines in modern times, sofarasxNe are able to 

 trace them, were made early in the present century, chiefly in 

 Scotland. 



Soon after the trial of Bell's machine \h Scotland, several in- 

 ventors in this country gave their attention almost simultaneous- 

 ly to the getting up of reaping machines. As early as 1832 or 

 1833, Thomas D. Burrall (whose machine comes off with distin- 

 guished honor in the Geneva trial,) constructed one, professedly 

 after the general model of Bell's, with some modifications. In 

 1833; the Schnebly's, of Maryland, patented improvements in the 

 reaper; and at the harvest of that j'ear Abraham Randall, of 

 Oneida county, put his machine in operation. This seems to 

 have been the first reaper, drawn by a team harnessed forward, 

 all that preceded Randall having the team in the rear, with their 

 heads to the machine. Soon after this came Hussey and then 

 McCormick, now both names of renown. At the time the early 

 efforts in this country w^ere being made, Messrs. Moore & Haskell, 

 of Michigan, conceived an idea of constructing a machine not only 

 for reaping, but also for thrashing, cleaning and sacking it at one 

 operation. This w^as certainly a magnificent idea, and its concep- 

 tion, at that particular time, affords an illustration of the pro- 

 gressive nature of inventions. Their machine is necessarily com- 

 plicated and expensive, and required long experience to perfect 

 it ; but at last its mechanical arrangements have, by the perse- 

 verance of these men, been so perfectly adapted to their purposes, 



