4:4: 



therefore, his first objection, that it had " not proved a useful inven- 

 tion to the public." Would farmers have made " extensive " purchases 

 of reapers in the 40*5, " before they knew the real merits of the ma- 

 chines "? 



Fifteen hundred McCormick machines were made that year, near- 

 ly as many machines as Hussey built and sold during the thirty years 

 of his business career. Hussey sold and was paid for only ten ma- 

 chines that year; yet he writes to the Extension Board that McCor- 

 mick's machines " are going out of use." Hussey followed this letter 

 t>y another one, two days later, dated Washington, February 23, 1848. 

 The letter is as follows: 



" I learned very recently that one of the strongest points upon 

 which Mr. McCormick rests his claim for the extension of his patent 

 is that he is ostensibly the inventor of the reaping machine. Our ma- 

 chines being so different it never occurred to me that such an opinion 

 could be entertained by any one, and up to the 21 st inst., the day 

 on which I became aware of that first, I had made no preparation to 

 combat it. I understand also that the Examiner in the Patent Office 

 has given it as his opinion that our machines are similar- It is natural 

 .for me to infer that this opinion was obtained to aid your Honorable 

 Board in deciding justly for all parties. The supposition that such evi- 

 dence may be concluded sufficient in the present case, in the absence 

 of more positive evidence, has given me no little concern. Our ma- 

 chines are different in principle, so far as regards these points which 

 either of us can justly claim to be the inventor of. I will admit that 

 our machines in some respects are similar, but those points of similar- 

 ity are public property and not the invention of either of us. 

 I trust that before your Honorable Board shall decide in McCormick's 

 favor, on the ground that our machines are similar, you will permit 

 me to lay before you evidence to substantiate what I have here as- 

 serted. ... I have made little money by my patent. One county 

 is the extent of territory which I have sold. My desire has been to 

 confine the manufacture, as much as possible, within my own control, 

 until I could give to the world a good reaping machine, which I have 

 done just at the expiration of my patent. With great respect. 



"(Signed) OBED HUSSEY." 



This letter could never have -been written if Mr- Hussey, in 1848, 

 "had known himself to be the inventor of the reaper. He says that the 

 knowledge that the Examiner in the Patent Office had " given it as 

 his opinion that our machines are similar has given me no little con- 

 cern." Of course it did when he knew full well that McCormick's ma- 

 chine was built two years before his and any extension of McCor- 



