352 



WOMAN IN SCIENCE 



the cotton from its seed, which was after her husband's 

 death, she intrusted the making of the machine to Eli 

 Whitney, who was then boarding with her, and who had 

 a Yankee's skill in the use of tools. Whitney was several 

 times on the point of abandoning as impossible the task 

 which had been assigned to him, but Mrs. Greene's faith 

 in ultimate success never wavered, and, thanks to her per- 

 sistence in the work and the putting into execution of her 

 ideas, her great undertaking was finally crowned with suc- 

 cess. She did not apply for a patent for her invention in 

 her own name, because so opposed was public opinion to 

 woman's having part in mechanical occupation that she 

 would have exposed herself to general ridicule and to a 

 loss of position in society. The consequence was that Whit- 

 ney her employee got credit for an invention which, in 

 reality, belonged to her. She was, however, subsequently 

 able to retain a subordinate interest in it through her sec- 

 ond husband, Mr. Miller. 



This is only one of many instances in which patents, 

 taken out in the name of some man, are really due to 

 women. The earliest development of the mower and 

 reaper, as well as the clover cleaner, belongs to Mrs. A. H. 

 Manning, of Plainfield, New Jersey. The patent on the 

 clover cleaner was issued in the name of her husband ; but, 

 as he failed to apply for a patent for the mower and reaper, 

 his wife was, after his death, robbed of the fruit of her 

 brain by a neighbor, whose name appears on the list of 

 patentees of an invention which originated with Mrs. Man- 

 ning. 



A few years ago men of science awoke to the startling 

 fact that the earth's supply of nitrates was being rapidly 

 exhausted. It was then realized that, unless some new 

 store of this essential fertilizer could be found, it would 

 soon be impossible to provide the food requisite for the 

 world's teeming millions. What was to be done? Never 

 was a more important problem presented to science for 



