AGRICULTURAL FAIR. 199 



er, and some of his brothers and cousins have all been scythe makers. But Mr. 

 Henry Waters's genius takes a wider sweep. Tliey say he can write poetry, set it 

 to music, and sing it afterward. But what is more important, and ought to render 

 him a favorite witli the ladies — a high privilege, to be coveted by every man of 

 common sensibility — he it is, the identical man, who invented the machine which 

 carried the art oi papering pins, at a single move, from the tame, tedious opera- 

 tion of sticking into the paper, pin by pin, with the hand, to this wonderful 

 result. 



With his machine the pins are thrown into a box, ail in a mass, head and tail, 

 and, presto .' they come out at the other end, already stuck into papers, just as 

 the ladies buy them — three sets of papers ; not three rows on one paper, but 

 three different papers rolling out of the machine at one time, all prepared for be- 

 ing cut into lengths and folded up for sale. 



"When this machine was finished, and not before, Mr. Waters set about his 

 scythe making machine, on which he has been at work for two years, until he is 

 now about to put it into immediate operation at Troy, on account of Messrs. Dra- 

 per, BroAvn and Chadsey, at the " State dam," as it requires a strong power to 

 drive it. Mr. W. is in one respect unlike the generality of inventors. When he 

 commences one thing, he perseveres with that, and that only, until it is com- 

 pleted. 



This great desideratum in the manufacture of one of the most important im- 

 plements in Agriculture seems to consist in this : In the last thirty years there 

 seems to have been but one essential improvement in scythe-making. This was 

 made twenty-five years ago, and has not been so essential as to have been adopt- 

 ed by all manufacturers even to this day. So that scythes are and have been (as 

 far as the forging is concerned) manufactured mostly by tilt and hand hammers, 

 involving the expense of much labor and fuel, as they are now heated some ten 

 or twelve times. 



Now, in place of all this heating and hammering, Mr. Waters proposes to in- 

 troduce a set of machinery (models of which he showed us), consisting of some 

 six massive machines of different devices, and most of them novel in their lead- 

 ing principles. The first of these machines will take the iron in the bar when 

 heated, divide and cut it, and introduce the steel, forming the moulds. 



These moulds will then be placed in a furnace, and there be brought to a propei 

 welding heal, when they will be introduced into the welding macjiine ; after 

 which, and at the same heat, they will be introduced from one machine to an- 

 other, until the scythe is forged complete, ready for tempering — thus saving not 

 less than SO per cent, of fuel and labor, and some GO per cent, of power ; besides, 

 it is expected that the article Avill be much more uniform in its temper, as it is 

 sure to be in its form — consequently a lighter and stiffer article can be produced. 



The first set of machinery is to go into operation at Troy, N. Y., on account of 

 Messrs. Draper, Brown and Chadsey, of that place — now Avell known in the man- 

 ufacture of scythes — some time about July next. Mr. W. has favored us 

 with an invitation to be present to witness the operation thereof, when (or he is 

 much mistaken) it will produce a better article than has ever before been pro- 

 duced, and at the rate of eight or ten dozen scythes per hour. 



As it is only by some reduction of the price that this distinguished inventor 

 may expect to take the wind out of the sails of the present manufacturers, the 

 farmers must be benefited in proportion. It 's an ill wind that blows nobody any 

 good, and we rejoice in such as bring " success to the farmer." We have ac- 



(439) 



