CYRUS HALL McCORMICK 



her of manufacturers. There were a hundred or 

 more until the appearance of the twine binder: 

 and all but twenty-two fell out of the race. 

 Some of these were driven out by the expensive 

 war of patents that now ensued. But most of 

 them gave up the contest for lack of capital. 

 The era of big production had arrived, and the 

 little hand-labor shops could not produce an 

 intricate self-binder for the low price at which 

 they were being sold. 



Even McCormick lost heavily at first, before 

 a truce was called in this battle of the binders. 

 One lawsuit cost him more than $225,000 and 

 one experiment, with what was called a "low- 

 down" binder, cost him $80,000. He was as 

 determined as ever not to be beaten; and al- 

 though he was at this time over seventy years 

 of age, and sorely crippled by rheumatism, he 

 straightway entered into a trade w r ar with Deer- 

 ing, which was not ended until 1902. Many of 

 the older workmen who are now employed in 

 the McCormick works can remember the stress 

 and strain of those battling years, and how their 

 indomitable old leader, at times when he was 



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