﻿162 
  ' 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  himself 
  of 
  greater 
  facilities 
  for 
  manufacturing 
  the 
  stands, 
  

   which 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  shipped 
  to 
  Georgia 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  

   anticipated 
  demand. 
  

  

  "An 
  invention 
  so 
  important 
  to 
  the 
  agricultural 
  in- 
  

   terest 
  (and, 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  proved, 
  to 
  every 
  department 
  of 
  

   human 
  industry) 
  could 
  not 
  long 
  remain 
  a 
  secret. 
  The 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  it 
  soon 
  spread 
  through 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  so 
  

   great 
  was 
  the 
  excitement 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  that 
  multitudes 
  

   of 
  persons 
  came 
  from 
  all 
  quarters 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  

   machine; 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  deemed 
  safe 
  to 
  gratify 
  their 
  

   curiosity 
  until 
  the 
  patent 
  right 
  had 
  been 
  secured. 
  But 
  

   so 
  determined 
  were 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  populace 
  to 
  possess 
  this 
  

   treasure, 
  that 
  neither 
  law 
  nor 
  justice 
  could 
  restrain 
  them 
  

   — 
  they 
  broke 
  open 
  the 
  building 
  by 
  night, 
  and 
  carried 
  off 
  

   the 
  machine. 
  In 
  this 
  way, 
  the 
  public 
  became 
  possessed 
  

   of 
  the 
  invention; 
  and 
  before 
  Mr. 
  Whitney 
  could 
  com- 
  

   plete 
  his 
  model, 
  and 
  secure 
  his 
  patent, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   machines 
  were 
  in 
  successful 
  operation, 
  constructed 
  with 
  

   some 
  slight 
  deviation 
  from 
  the 
  original, 
  with 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  

   evading 
  the 
  penalty 
  for 
  violating 
  the 
  patent 
  right."* 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  invention, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   performance 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  machines 
  manufactured, 
  is 
  given 
  

   in 
  a 
  letter 
  written 
  in 
  November, 
  1793, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Whitney, 
  

   in 
  answer 
  to 
  one 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Jefferson, 
  who 
  took 
  

   much 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  invention, 
  and 
  sought 
  information 
  

   respecting 
  it 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  a 
  year 
  since 
  I 
  first 
  turned 
  my 
  attention 
  

   to 
  constructing 
  this 
  machine, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  Georgia. 
  

  

  " 
  Within 
  about 
  ten 
  days 
  of 
  my 
  first 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  

   plan, 
  I 
  made 
  a 
  small 
  though 
  imperfect 
  model. 
  

  

  " 
  Experiments 
  with 
  this 
  encouraged 
  ine 
  to 
  make 
  one 
  on 
  

  

  * 
  Olmsted's 
  Biography 
  of 
  Whitney. 
  

  

  