HARVESTING 83 



which have a practical use and value under conditions similar 

 to those which existed on the plains of Gaul. Toward the close 

 of the eighteenth century, the social, economic and agricultural 

 conditions in England, on account of increasing competition and 

 the higher value of labor, were ripe for the movement of in- 

 vention that was heralded by the printed account of the Gallic 

 header. The first header was constructed by William Pitt in 

 1786. It was an attempted improvement on the ancient ma- 

 chine in that the stripping teeth were placed in a cylinder 

 which was revolved by power transmitted from the wheels. 

 This "rippling cylinder' 7 carried the heads of wheat into the 

 box of the machine, and gradually evolved into the present day 

 reel. 



Nearly all of the principles involved in the header seem to 

 have been developed mainly in connection with other machines, 

 such as the reaper and combined harvester, in connection with 

 which they will be discussed. Before 1823 only four inventors 

 of harvesting machinery placed the power in front of the ma- 

 chine. This involves either a side cut or driving the power 

 through the grain. On account of the great width of cut in the 

 header the side cut would give great side draft, and as there is 

 nothing to counterbalance this, all headers are propelled in 

 front of the power. Omitting minor details, the evolution of 

 the header was completed in Haines' celebrated machine of 

 1849, which was widely known as the "Haines Illinois harves- 

 ter/' It was thoroughly successful, and was practically the 

 same as the machine of today. 



The modern header has a cutter with a reciprocating and ad- 

 vancing rectilinear motion; the reel brings the grain upon a 

 traveling canvas apron which delivers it to an elevating apron 

 on one side, and this in turn discharges it into the header-box 

 placed upon a wagon driven along with the machine; it has a 

 swiveled steering wheel, operated by a suitable tiller; and an 

 evener, to which the four or six animals are hitched, is pivoted 

 forward of the steering wheel. The header ordinarily clips the 

 stalks a few inches below the heads of the grain, but it can be 

 run very low for lodged or short grain. It saves binding and 

 shocking, but it is essential for the wheat to be dry before it is 

 cut, as it must immediately be either threshed or stacked. If 

 slightly damp, green, or weedy, it cannot be threshed at once, 



