CYRUS HALL McCORMICK 



Reaper." As he said in a letter written in later 

 years: "This thought was so enormous that it 

 seemed like a dream-like dwelling in the clouds 



so remote, so unattainable, so exalted, so 

 visionary." 



His first step was seemingly a mistake, though 

 it must have contributed much toward the 

 development of self-reliance and hardihood in 

 his own character. He received a tract of land 

 from his father, and proceeded with might and 

 main to farm it alone. There was a small log 

 house on his land, and here he lived with two 

 aged negro servants and his Reaper. 



He needed money to buy iron to advertise 



to appoint agents. And he had no means 

 of earning money except by farming. 



It is very evident that he had not set aside 

 his purpose to make Reapers, for we find in 

 the Lexington Union of September 28, 1833, 

 the first advertisement of his machine. He 

 offers Reapers for sale at $50.00 apiece, and 

 gives four testimonials from farmers. But noth- 

 ing came of this advertisement. No farmer came 



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