Obed Hussey Part 11

Very few of the really valuable inventions inure to the benefit of the inventors,--even to a t.i.the of the profits that are occasionally realized. His necessities often compel him to a forced sale of his patent right to some capitalist who has the tact to turn other men's wits to his own advantage; or the _Public_,--which simply means other capitalists of another description, who possess little or no inventive genius themselves, and just about as much principle as genius--seize upon the invention, and often in spite of law, justice, or right, reap the reward justly due to another.

This, however, is a digression for which we beg the reader's pardon; but we could not let the occasion pa.s.s without rendering this honest tribute to the public spirited farmer, who had the discernment to perceive its merits, and the liberality to aid its introduction, of one of the most valuable improvements of this, or any age.

The following three letters not only embrace the year 1837, but are equally good evidence from that period to the present, 1854. As they are short, and to the point, we use them all. The very appropriate and just remarks of Col. Hughes as regards the rights, and what is due to inventive talent, we most cordially respond to; as must every right minded and disinterested reader. He refers to Col. Edw. Lloyd of "Wye House" as the largest wheat grower in Maryland; we much doubt if he is not the largest in the Union. Several years since, he informed us that his average crop of wheat was from 33 to 35 thousand bushels; and a year or two ago we learned that the crop exceeded forty thousand bushels. He now, and for many years past has used Hussey's Reaper exclusively. More satisfactory and conclusive evidence cannot be given, or desired, than is afforded in these three letters, of the early use, and long proved efficiency of the invention.

"Hornewood, E. Sh.o.r.e, Md., "August 22, '54.

"Dear Sir:--In reply to your enquiry whether I recollect the time, and the success of your reaping machine at my father's in 1837, I answer that I do perfectly; and also seeing it in operation in company with my friend, Mr. J. H. Luckett, of Balto., at Col. H.

L. Edmondson's of Talbot Co. the same season.

"My father expressed himself highly satisfied with the performance of the reaper, as did other gentlemen who saw it in operation at Cheston. So well convinced was my father of the value of the machine, that he offered you a considerable advance per acre on your charge for cutting, to remain and reap his two fields, say 125 to 130 acres, which you declined, owing to prior engagements.

At an early date after this trial, my father secured one of your reapers, and the farm has since never been without.

"My brother, Dr. DeCourcy, has now one which did its work most excellently well this past harvest, and without any stoppage. With some trivial repairs, it has been in successful use nearly ten years.

"Wis.h.i.+ng you every possible success with your reaper, for which the agricultural community owe you a heavy debt,

"I am respectfully yours,

"N. H. ROZIER DE COURCEY."

"Baltimore, "October 17th, 1854.

"_To Obed Hussey, Esq.:_

"Sir--In the harvest of 1837 I saw one of your Reapers in operation in my neighborhood [West River, Anne Arundel Co., Md.] in charge of the Hon. John C. Weems, who I believe was the owner of it; and was so much pleased with its performance that I ordered one from you in the following year, 1838, which you set in motion for me. It worked most admirably, and fully met my expectations; _as it has done from that early period to the present day_.

"In a loose way, I estimated that in the saving of labor, and grain from shattering, it nearly or quite paid for itself the first harvest. Since then the machine has been much improved.

"Up to the time I purchased, very few had been used in this State.

The first, as I have always understood, was bought by that intelligent and enterprising farmer, Gen. Tench Tilghman, of Oxford, Talbot County. In 1838, Col. Edward Lloyd, of 'Wye,' Talbot Co., the largest wheat grower in Maryland, and myself, as above mentioned, availed ourselves of your invention; but I did not hear of any other orders for it in this State. It came, like most other agricultural implements, slowly into use; and I fear has not fairly compensated you for the labor and ingenuity bestowed upon it. This, however, is too often the fate of discoverers and inventors; and others reap the fruits of their toil and genius. I have long thought that governments were unjust to inventors; and could never understand why a man has not the same right of property to a machine conceived in his head, and constructed by his hands, as to that acquired in any other manner. The same that a farmer has to the lands he owns.

"Very respectfully, y'r ob't serv't,

"GEO. W. HUGHES."

"Oxford, Md., "Sept. 22d, 1854.

"_Mr. Obed Hussey:_

"Dear Sir:--I recently received from the Commissioner of Patents the Report on Mechanics for 1853, and have examined with much interest the descriptions of what claim to be improvements in the Reaping Machine.

"I was rather surprised to find that so many of then were almost identical with the notions which were tried and rejected during the season you spent with me nearly twenty years ago; when for the first time (I believe) a reaper was used throughout our entire harvest, on a farm as large as six hundred acres.

"You had just then arrived from Cincinnati with two machines--one a reaper, and the other a reaper and mower.

"They were exhibited publicly at Oxford and Easton, and their operation on wheat gave entire satisfaction. The work throughout the harvest was equally well done; the only objection being the delay caused by repairing the machinery, a difficulty common to all new machines of much power at that period.

"Since then I have used one or more reapers every year, and have watched with much interest the progress of their improvement. I have examined most of those which have the best reputation, and do not believe there is a single one in which the cutting principle has not been copied from yours.

"In attempting to avoid an infringement of your patent, variations have been made either in the cutting apparatus, or the driving machinery, by which they have been made more complicated and less efficient. Burrall's, which approaches nearest to yours in simplicity and efficiency, is so close a copy that I do not see how the courts could refuse an injunction to prohibit the use of it. The only material difference is the attempt at a side delivery which was tried by you on your first machine, and proved an entire failure.

[Sidenote: The Farmers' Debt to Mr. Hussey]

"Believing sincerely that the farmers of the U.S. owe you a debt of grat.i.tude, which a regard for themselves should prompt them to pay, and understanding that attempts have been made to question even the priority of your invention, I send you a volume of the _Genesee Farmer_ published in 1834, which will show the opinion entertained at that time by the farmers of that celebrated wheat growing region, both as to the efficiency and priority of your reaper.

"Your ob't serv't,

"TENCH TILGHMAN."

[Sidenote: Conclusive Evidence]

As we have already much exceeded the intended limits of the narrative, we might, perhaps, with propriety, here rest the enquiry, having, as we think, satisfactorily shown, and by evidence that cannot be disproved: first, that for a period of nine or ten years after the alleged invention of the reaper by C. H. McCormick in 1831 he did not sell a single machine; nor could he establish by all the evidence adduced before the Board of Extensions, in 1848, that prior to 1840 or 1841 was his reaper in any degree an effective or practical machine; for as he himself states in the letter to Philip Pusey, Esq., M. P., it was not until very material alterations--all essential it may be said--were made, some six or eight years after the date of the patent, could the machine be made to work even tolerably well. Indeed, he states, "I may say they were not of much practical value, until the improvements of my second patent in 1845," being eleven years after the date of the patent, and fourteen years after the alleged invention in 1831.

On the other hand we have shown by as good and respectable testimony as can be had in any cause, that from 1833 to 1854, a period of twenty-one years, Hussey's invention was most efficient and satisfactory, _every year_; not by cutting a patch of the fraction of an acre, but by reaping hundreds, nay thousands of acres annually, by the few machines placed in the hands of the farmers from 1833 to 1840.

As, however, we have given no direct evidence from Delaware, or Virginia, none from North Carolina, and but one from New York, we annex a few short testimonials from each, that embrace the period from 1838 to 1845; and with a few more of the same respectable character up to 1853, both in this country and in England, we will leave the decision of the question to the intelligent reader. We will, however, call the reader's attention to the concluding paragraph of Maj. J. Jones' letter, from Delaware--one of the smallest States, but containing as large a proportion of n.o.ble minded, talented men, and as good practical farmers, as any in the Union.[5]

[5] It is reported of one of her sons, that during the struggle for Independence, when a Delegate to the Convention from one of the largest and most powerful Colonies was ready to quail and almost despair of success in the unequal contest, he was encouraged and cheered on by a member from little Delaware; and told that when he found his Colony likely to be overrun by the enemy, to call on Delaware for aid--she would lend a helping hand.

It will be perceived that a reaper sold in 1838 to the St. George's and Appoquinomick Agricultural Society had, after subsequently coming into the possession of Col. Vandergrift, and prior to 1845, "cut about _seven hundred acres_ of his grain," and "was then in good repair"!

We wish it was in our power to state how many times seven hundred acres this single machine had reaped since 1838.

[Sidenote: An Important Testimonial from Delaware]

"Wheatland, Del., "July 21, 1845.

"_Mr. Hussey:_

"Dear Sir:--I have just finished cutting my oats; I finished cutting my wheat on the 28th of June, having cut over 160 acres, excepting what was cut by a cradle in opening tracks for the horses and rounding the corners so that the machine might sweep round without loss of time in turning, which it did with ease and certainty, cutting more than twenty acres a day on an average. A part of the wheat was so heavy as to require three active shockers to keep up with the cutting; the whole cost of all necessary repairs 31-1/4 cents for the harvest.

"Of the two machines which I purchased of you I used the large one, having sold the small one to Richard Millwood, who rents the farm of Dr. n.o.ble. Strange as it may appear, I could find no _landholder_ in the vicinity who had enterprise enough to risk the purchase of that machine until they could see it work; but after the performance was once witnessed, the impression it made was such as to justify me in ordering you to have ten ready by next harvest for New Castle County, Del. Mr. Millwood's wheat was very heavy, one measured acre having sixty dozen sheaves upon it, and the whole cutting time on the forty acre field was but two days, making for the small machine a full average of twenty acres per day, without any repairing or accident. None of the hands who worked it had ever seen such a machine before those you sent to me. My crop has not all pa.s.sed through the half bushel yet, but it will fall but little short of 3,000 bushels--expect it will all be in market to-morrow.

"In conversation with Col. Vandergrift, the present owner of the Reaper you sold to the St. George and Appoquinomick Agricultural Society, in 1838, he told me that he had cut about 700 acres of wheat and oats with it since he owned it, and up to that time the cost of repairs had been $1.25 for every hundred acres cut. It was then in good repair.

"Yours,

"JOHN JONES."

"Jefferson County, Va., "August 9th, 1845.

"_To Mr. Obed Hussey:_

"Dear Sir:--We, the undersigned, having used your reaping machine during the recent harvest in cutting our respective crops, take great pleasure in tendering to you this voluntary testimonial of the very high estimation in which we hold your invention. We have now tried your machines fully and fairly, and we are unanimous in the conclusion that in every case they have borne the test in a manner which has excited our highest admiration of their merits.

We were particularly pleased with their work in lodged grain; they cut and gather every straw with the utmost ease, and the only fault at all that we have had to find with them was that they did not cut wet grain with facility; this single defect, however, we are pleased to perceive you have completely remedied with the late improvement (with open guards to the knives, etc.) which the most of us saw at work in Mr. Wm. Butler's field cut wet grain and green oats as well as could possibly be desired--it will also cut timothy and clover--so that now we have no hesitation in recommending your reaper, as we hereby most cordially do, to our brother farmers, as the most complete and efficient in agricultural operations, and as one which, whilst from its simple and substantial construction, is not liable to be broken or to get out of order, will at the same time save its owner the first year more than its original cost.