1850. 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



173 



I»ItCORl»nCK'S PATENT VIRGINIA REAPER. 



TtlEuudersigDcd respectfully informs tbe farmers of the -wheat- 

 growing portions of Now York, New Jtrsoy. Delaware, Penn- 

 sylvaniit nud iSIjiryland, tbat he has madu arrangements for sup- 

 plyiuf? ihem with his Reaper for the harvest of 1860. from his man- 

 ufactory at Chicago, 111., and refers them to the manufacturers, 

 (C. H. McCormick 8t Co.) or to Hon. Thos. J. Paterson. of Roch- 

 ester, N. r ., which is to be the general depot for the sale and de- 

 livciy in Western New York. Mr. Patfrson, who has recently 

 traveled through several of the Western States and has become 

 well acquainted with the character of the Reaper there, as their 

 general agent to attend to the ?ale and delivery of the Machines, 

 has appointed agents in the diff'-rent counties, to effect sales of the 



The undersigned deems it unnecessary through the press, to 

 say much in offering his Reaper to the public. 



Perhaps the heH evidctice of the value of the undersigned's 

 Reaper, is the unparalleled demand for it over all other Ma- 

 chines, where best known— near 1.500 of which were manufac- 

 tured and sold at Chicago the last year, about 100 having been sold 

 in the West for the harvest .of 1S46. 450 for that of 1847. and 750 

 for that of 1848 ; and 1,600 to 2,000 are beingmanufactured at that 

 place for the next harvest. And it may be added, that at the New 

 York State Agricultural Fair, held at Auburn, for the year 1847, 

 the first premium of the Society was awarded to this Reaper ; that 

 the Diploma of the Society with a strong recommendation to the 

 confidence and patronage of the Farming community, was award- 

 ed to it at the last State Fair at Syracuse— a Chicago Reaper being 

 present, where no premium was awarded to the Auburn Machine ; 

 and that the Gold Medal of the -'American Institute" was award- 

 ed to the same machine in October last. 



It has not been manufactured heretofore at Brockport, New 

 York, with the the rcc^nf avd very great improvements that have 

 been raade in it at Chicago. 



One of the Machines, as lately improved^ cut. in the last harvest, 

 300 acres, without a shilling's repair, and without sharpC7iing or 

 changing the sickle, and, without clogging in either green or wet 

 grass, grain or weeds. Two of the Chicago Reapers were gent to 

 the Genesee country for the last harvest, one of which was sold to 

 Mr. Martin, of Victor. Ontario Co., who was so well pleased with 

 it that he paid for it immediately after harvest, without waiting 

 until December, the time upon which it was sold. The other was 

 sold to Mr. Case.ofFowlerville, Livingston Co.— where several oth- 

 er Machines, manfactured at that place, without the latest im- 

 provements, were sold— and found so much superior to all other 

 Machines, that this gave general satisfaction, to the purchasers of 

 which he would refer. 



The Reaper will be delivered in Buffalo or Rochester- $30 pay- 

 able on delivery, and $-fiO on the let of December thereafter, with 

 interest ; or for $105. cash, which is $10 less than the pries at Chi- 



It will be warranted to cut two acres of wheat or other small 

 grain, in an hour, on tolerably smooth ground, with a reasonable 

 deduction for decreased speed when the ground is uueven or hilly; 

 and to save three-fourths of the grain lost by cradling ; and it will 

 be warranted to be well made, of good material and durable. To 

 bo returned and the advance money refunded., if, on trial by the 

 purchaser, it fails to perform as warranted. 



The undersigned need only add that.eucouraged as he is by past 

 success, and prepared as he is at Chicago with the best material 

 and the best machinery and workmanship that can bo used in the 

 manufacture of machinery, ho is now determined al once to intro- 

 duce his Reaper in the territory above mentioned as suited to its 

 oi^eration, and on terms that cannot fail to give satisfaction. On 

 those tems no one wanting a Reaper need wait '■ to see one ope- 

 rate," as no trial made by others, and only seen, could be so satis- 

 factory as the conditional one to be made by himself, as proposed. 

 He is not asked to take any responsibility in the mattf^r. as, by a 

 calculation which any body can make, if the Reaper performs as 

 warranted, it does more than pay for itself in every harvest. The 

 undersigned has succeeded with his Reaper in superceding, to a 

 great extent, all other means of harvesting in the West ; and he 

 hopes to merit the same success in other wheat-growing portions 

 of the country. 



In the last number of this paper, I gave notice that I had com- 

 menced a suit against Seymour St Morgan, of Brockport. for a pal- 

 pable infringement of my patent, in their Machine (inferior as it 

 is in many respects to my Reaper) got up for the purpose of eva- 

 ding m.y patent.and that all who purchase it would become equally 

 liable. Also, that purchasers of the Virginia Reaper, made at 

 Brockport, to bo used in any other than Monroe and Orb 

 counties, would make themselves liable— that the manufocturere 

 did not claim the right to dispose of them to be used any where 



The foregoing, with the following testimonials, taken in con- 

 nection with the fact that you may cut a whole field, if desirable, 

 without binding a single br.ndle, with my Reaper, and tbat it will 

 cut green and wet grain, grass, or weeds, without choking, will. I 

 trust, satisfy any one wanting a Machine, of the superiority of 

 mine. C, H. McCORMICK. 



Rochester. June 22. 1850. 



1 found in the West that the farmers were of the opinion that 

 the Reaper, fully employed, would more than pay for itself ill a 

 single harvest- that the expense of cutting wheat with it, and 

 putting it into the stack- was from 60 to 70 cts. per acre, which 

 the saving of grain scattered by the ordinary modes of cutting. 



nearly, if not quite, paid. Any one wanting a Reaper, who shall 

 not be called upon by any of the agents authorized to sell them, 

 can have one forwarded to any wheat County in this S^.ate, or to 

 Erie County, Pennsylvania, if ordered of me. at this place, in sea- 

 son, by letter or otherwise, accompanied with a satisfactory refer- 

 ence. THOS. J. PATERSON. 

 Rochester, June 22. 1850. 



J^etter of A. P. Dickey, Esq., brother-in-law to the Hon. George 

 W. Paterson. Lieutenant Governor of New York, to whom refer- 

 ence may be had, 



Messrs. McCormick. Ogden Sc Co , Chicago. III.— Gents:- I write 

 to inform you in relation to the operation of your Reaper in Wis- 

 consin, during the past harvest. 



I sold 190 of McCormick's Improved Virginia Reapers in Wis- 

 consin, during the spring and summer, on trial, or conditional 

 warrantees, and now have the pleasure to inform you that they all 

 have given entire satisfaction and fulfilled the guarantee given — 

 The like circumstance is not known in any other farming imple- 

 ment sold in the Western States. 



Every Reaper has done first rate business, and many farmers 

 have told me on my calling on them, for the notes for the last 

 payments during the harvest, that their Reapers had gone far be- 

 yond their expectations, especially when the hard storms had 

 lodged the grain, and all other Machines for cutting vfere useless, 

 —such as Esterly's Harvester, and Hussey's Reaper. 



There were seven of Esterly's Harvesters in operation, for a few 

 days, in Wisconsin at the commencement of harvest, and only one 

 of them that succeeded in doing any business, while the other six 

 were laid aside, and the farmers who had purchased them, hired 

 your Improved Reaper to cut their grain, or were obliged to cut it 

 with the cradle ; and Hussey's Reaper could only cut from 7 to 8 

 acres per day by carrying the swath, as it has no reel. Hussey's 

 Reaper cannot work in lodged grain, or even leaning grain, unless 

 the Reaper be moving in an opposite direction from that to which 

 the grain leans, while your Improved Reaper, with the Reel attach- 

 ed, can cnt from 15 to 20 acres per day in the most perfect man- 

 ner. It has cut the lodged and leaning grain as well as that which 

 stood up fair, and has saved from one to two bushels of wheat per 

 acre, that they could not get with the ordinary way of cutting 

 grain. This, together with the easy draught of the Machine, ren- 

 der it the best Mac^iine for cutting grain ever introduced in this 

 western country. The Reaper can be relied on in ei'enj emergency. 

 The cutting i.-j perfect, whether the grain be stout or light. I have 

 seen them work under all of these circumstances during the past 

 harvest, and know the Reapers to have done good business, and iu 

 no case has it disappointed a farmer during this harvest. 



I sold six Reapers to farmers who had purchased, tried, and laid 

 aside, Hussey's Reaper, two or three of these men informed me 

 that they had saved the cost of your Reaper in repairs and horse 

 flesh, which would have been required, had they again attempted 

 to get through their harvest this season with Hussey's Reaper— 

 to say nothing of the great advantage your Reaper was in taking 

 off to the side, and cot requiring so much help to accomplish their 

 harvest. 



I could have procured any amount of certificates setting forth 

 the good qualities of your Reaper, and its durability; but know- 

 ing its unprecedented succe.'^s in Wisconsin. 1 thought such cer- 

 tificates would be entirely unnecessary to farther the sales for 

 next harvest. Yours, respectfully. A P. Dickey. 



Racine, August 15, 1849 



Letter of Hon. W. R. Ogden, late Mayor of Chicago. 



This may certify that I have been acquainted with McCormick's 

 Patent Virginia Reaper for three or four years past, and since its 

 introduction, to any considerable extent, into the prairie States 

 of tho West 1 was intertsted in the manufacture of £00 of them 

 at the city of Chicago for the harvest of 1848. and of 1500 of them 

 for the harvest of 18-49. The demand greatly exceeded the supply 

 in 1848, an^ was fully equal to it in 1849. 



In August last I disposed of my entire interest in connection 

 with said machines, and have now no interest or connection with 

 them, whatever. 



McCormick's Reaper, as improved and now manufactured, 

 works perfectly, and performs all the patentee claims for it. It is 

 peculiarly adapted to the wants of every grain-growing farmer 

 whose lands are suited to its use. as any ordinary land free from 

 too many stump? or large loose stones is. and it is a great labor 

 and grain-saving Machine, as has been abundantly proved by the 

 sale and successful use, under strong warrantees, of over 2500 of 

 them in the North -Western States, within the last three years. 



Several other harvesting Machines have been exhibited and 

 tried, meanwhile, at the West, and often at the outset with good 

 show of succss, but as yet none have been found as free from seri- 

 ous practical diflBcultics, when thoroughly set to work ia the fii-ld. 

 as Mcf-ormick".*: ; and many have been abandoned. None other 

 than McCormick's has been extensively introduct.ii there. 



Mr. McCormick has exhibited to me the letters of A. P. Dickey. 

 Esq., of Wisconsin, Isaac Pool, of Illinois, and S. S. Phelps & Co.. 

 of Oquawka, Illinois, which letters, with others, he advises me he 

 proposes to submit to the committee of the American institute 

 upon agricultural implements, and it gives me pleasure to say 

 thut the statements made in the letters of Messrs. Dickey, Pool, 

 and Phelps & Co.. are entirely reliable and entitled to fulV credit 

 W. B. Ogden, of Chicago. Ill 



New York, October 3, 184©. 



