■P!'*i^T^?W'!PPP *? -V-".,^*" 'J 'f*J'J'JJ'"^'!l"'**''WP' * .'; ■ 



in the morning, but it will be soon that be- 

 fore the close of the trial that the odds 

 were as largely in its favor. This was 

 driven by two horses. 



Next came in line the automaton of J. 

 S. Wright & Co., Chicago, under charge 

 of W. C. Barrett & Co., West Urbana, 

 Agents, and operated by Mr. Webster of 

 Bloomington and Mr. Dexter. No one can 

 see this machine in motion without admiring 

 the life-like evolutions of the raking appar- 

 atus, and regret that the giant genius of 

 Atkins was so early stilled in death. But 

 his name will long live when waves the 

 ripened harvest, on the wide savanahs of 

 the West. This has a scolloped sickle- 

 edged, sickle cutting over wrought guards. 

 It cnts five feet two inches inside of guards 

 and was driven by four horses. 



Next came the Manny Reaper, by J. N. 

 Boutwell, Agent West TJrbana, also driven 

 by lour horses. Over sixty of these mach- 

 ines have been sold by Mr. B. decidedly 

 taking the lead ip this market and before 

 the trial sharing with the Atkins Reaper 

 the general admiration. The sickle is 

 acute scolloped sickle edged, after the pat- 

 tern of the Hussey Cutter, cutting over east 

 guards, which are placed to an even sur- 

 face, giving a close fit and enabling it to cut 

 grass without clogging, with a smooth 

 knife. 



Mr. Curtis entered one of Danford's 

 Reapers, but it broke down early in the tri- 

 al, and no record was made of its operation, 

 A Reaper is made at Urbana but from 

 some cause was not on the ground. Wheth- 

 er the makers had no confidence in sustain- 

 ing its reputation, in competition with 

 machines of such world-wide reputation as 

 those on the ground, or a lack of that public 

 spirit laudable m such trials, we know not ; 

 but we do know that a great many farmers 

 were disappointed in its non-appearance. 



Lands were laid off, — 66 rods long and 

 12 rods wide containing five acres each. 

 At about 11 o'clock the meeting of farmers 

 was called to order by Mr. Curtis, and on 

 motion, Col. Btuart- of Champaign County, 

 was elected chairman, and M. L. Dunlap 

 secretary. A committee consisting of J. 

 Curtis, Archa Campbell, and Dr. Pearce 

 were appointed to nominate an awarding 

 committee of seven, who would take charge 

 of the trial and report the proceedings. 

 They nominated B. S, Buckley of Iroquois 

 county ; Joseph M. Sallivant ; Dr. Page; 

 Ezekiel Boyden;E. 0. Chester; P. Stead- 

 ham and John S. Beasly, of Champaign 

 county, such committee, — which nomination 



was adopted by the meeting. An adjourn- 

 ment was then had for dinner, and most of 

 the large number present availed themselves 

 of the hospitality of Mr. Curtis, where they 

 partook of an excellent dinner. For our 

 part, we drove to the farm of Messrs. Kelly 

 and Campbell, not only for the purpose of 

 enjoying a good dinner, but to see the farm 

 which is probably under the best manage- 

 ment of any farm in the County. Onr old 

 friend Campbell, always does up things to a 

 T. whether selling laud, playing mine host 

 at the Doane House, or farming. Last 

 spring C. K. purchased this farm, con- 

 taining 760 acres including the crops in the 

 ground, for $34 acre, old fogies predicted 

 that John would hold this a long time be- 

 fore he would see his money; but before 

 three months he had sold it for $40 per 

 acre, retaining the crops and use of the farm 

 to the next April. It is one of, if not the 

 verv best, located and beautiful sites for a 

 farm in this County,containing as it does so 

 many advantage and adjoining the farm of 

 Mr. Curtis on the north. The fine farms, crops 

 consist of : 



so 



25 



200 



SO 



10 



lO 



acres 



winter wheat, 



spring wheat, 



Com, 



Timothy Meadow 



CloTer " 



Rye, in which a droTe of 



hoga are flUing'themselTeB for the corn crops. A fine bear, 

 leg orchard, garden, Ac, closes the catalogue. 



At 20 minutes past one o'clock the sig- 

 nal was given for the machines to start, 

 which they did in fine style, followed by a 

 large concourse of farmers, mostly on horse- 

 back. We followed on foot, intending to 

 make a careful examination of the work of 

 each. We first examined the work of the 

 Atkins Reaper. The parties in charge 

 fancy they are on a horse race where speed 

 is the only consideration ; and the arm of 

 iron, with its sinews of steel, is hurled 

 through its evolutions to the discredit of a 

 still, sober individual as it should be, and the 

 consequence is that scatterings abound, 

 and the bundles are made of all sizes de- 

 pending on the growth of grain, while the 

 clutch, that ingenious contrivance by the use 

 of which the bundles are made of any size 

 at the driver's pleasure, remaining in its 

 place. We suppose the object of the Self- 

 raker is to save labor, but in this case we 

 cannot perceive it; when the bundles are 

 small and unequal, requiring them to be 

 doubled before binding thereby taking the 

 time of an extra hand. We would like to 

 see this noble machine used as intended by 

 its inventor, walking majestically into the 

 standing grain and with a deliberate and 

 graceful sweep of its iron fingers, grasp a 



U 



