old,
harvested twelve acres in a day. This was in 1826. In the _New York
Farmer and American Gardener's Magazine_ for 1834 may be found the
descriptions and illustrations of Obed Hussey's grain-cutter and Cyrus
H. McCormick's 'improved reaping-machine.' The question has been raised
as to whether either of these United States inventions owed anything to
the earlier production of Patrick Bell. It was, of course, the improved
United States reaping machines that found their way into Upper Canada
shortly after the organization of the Provincial Agricultural
Association. Our interest in this matter is quickened by the fact that
the Rev. Patrick Bell, when a young man, was for some time a tutor in
the family of a well-to-do farmer in the county of Wellington, and there
is a tradition that while there he carried on some experiments in the
origination of his machine. The suggestion of a 'mysterious visitor'
from the United States to the place where he was experimenting is
probably mere conjecture.

This period, 1846 to 1867, was one of rapid growth in population. The
free-grant land policy of the government was a great attraction for tens
of thousands of people in the British Isles, who were impelled by social
unrest, failure of crops, and general stagnation in the manufacturing
industries to seek new homes across the sea. In the twenty years
referred to the population more than doubled, and the improved lands of
the province increased fourfold. The numbers of cattle and sheep about
doubled, and the wheat production increased about threefold.

Towards the latter part of the period a new agricultural industry came
into existence--the manufacture of cheese in factories. It was in New
York State that the idea of co-operation in the manufacture of cheese
was first attempted. There, as in Canada West, it had been the practice
to make at home from time to time a quantity of soft cheese, which, of
course, would be of variable quality. To save labour, a proposition was
made to collect the milk from several farms and have the cheese made at
one central farm. The success of this method soon became known and small
factories were established. In 1863 Harvey Farrington came from New York
State to Canada West and established a factory in the county of Oxford,
about the same time that a similar factory was established in the county
of Missisquoi, Quebec. Shortly afterwards factories were built in
Hastings County, and near Brockville, in Leeds