mick
bringing the machine he used at Hutchinson's, and you bringing the
one you could not on that occasion bring down the river. The day
was fine, and both machines did their best, and had a very fair
trial. My doubts were fully removed, and my mind convinced that for
the heavy wheat we raise on our river low grounds, rich bottoms,
etc., _your_ machine is superior to Mr. McCormick's, of which I
still think highly. I accordingly ordered one of yours to be made
for the approaching harvest.

"I wish you all possible success in cutting hemp in the 'Great
West.' It must be very desirable to cut that valuable plant instead
of pulling it up by the roots, and I cannot doubt that your reaper
has ample _power_ for the process.

"Most respectfully, yours, etc.,

"W. H. ROANE.

"Mr. Obed Hussey, Baltimore."

"We are not advised at what precise period subsequent to 1843 and
previous to 1847 (when C. H. McCormick patented the raker's seat), that
he changed the arrangement of his wheels, etc., so as to admit a seat for
his raker without 'tipping up the machine' as was unavoidable previously.
From evidence deemed fully reliable, _he_ was not the first even on his
own machine, to provide a seat for the raker, "and all take a ride.' It
is laborious enough to test fully the endurance of the most powerful and
muscular man, to _ride_ and _rake_; but to _walk_ and _rake_ is even more
barbarous than the old time ball and chain to the leg of the felon. The
considerate and feeling farmer would certainly 'wait for the wagon' to be
better fixed before thus undertaking to reap his grain fields if himself
or his hands had to _ride_ in this sort of style.

"We have a letter from Isaac Irvine Hite, Esq., now of Clarke County,
Va., which throws some light on the subject; he says (italicised by the
writer):

"In 1842 my father, by my request, purchased for me of _C. H. McCormick_
and _Father_, a reaper at $110, which was _drawn_ by two horses, and it
was raked off to the right hand side by a _man on foot_. The father of C.
H. McCormick stated to me at the commencement of that harvest, that it
had been _nine years since they_ had first operated with it, in pretty
much the form it was then constructed. On a recent visit to Messrs.
McCormick, who then resided on the line between Augusta and Rockbridge
Counties in this State, the old gentleman stated to me that _he_ had been
at _odd_ time