[Sidenote: Results of this invention.] 322. The McCormick Reaper.--Every great staple depends for its production on some particular tool. For instance, cotton was of slight importance until the invention of the cotton gin (p. 185) made it possible cheaply to separate the seed from the fiber. The success of wheat growing depended upon the ability quickly to harvest the crop. Wheat must be allowed to stand until it is fully ripened. Then it must be quickly reaped and stored away out of the reach of the rain and wet. For a few weeks in each year there was a great demand for labor on the wheat farms. And there was little labor to be had. Cyrus H. McCormick solved this problem for the wheat growers by inventing a horse reaper. The invention was made in 1831, but it was not until 1845 that the reaper came into general use. By 1855 the use of the horse reaper was adding every year fifty-five million dollars to the wealth of the country. Each year its use moved the fringe of civilization fifty miles farther west. Without harvesting machinery the rapid settlement of the West would have been impossible. And had not the West been rapidly settled by free whites, the whole history of the country between 1845 and 1865 would have been very different from what it has been. The influence of the horse reaper on our political history, therefore, is as important as the influence of the steam locomotive or of the cotton gin. [Illustration: MODERN HARVESTER.] QUESTIONS AND TOPICS CHAPTER 28 §§ 293, 294.--Compare the condition of the United States in 1830 and 1800 as to (1) extent, (2) population, (3) interests and occupation of the people. Illustrate these changes by maps, diagrams, or tables. §§ 295, 296.--_a_. How had the use of steamboats increased? _b_. Why had this led to the separation of the West and the East? How was it proposed to overcome this difficulty? _c_. Do you think that roads should be built at national expense? Give your reasons. _d_. Mark on a map the Erie Canal, and show why it was so important. Describe the effects of its use. §§ 297, 298.--_a_. Do you think that railroads should be carried on by the state or by individuals? Why? _b_. What influence has the railroad had upon the Union? Upon people's minds? Upon the growth of cities? (Take your own city or town and think of it without railroads anywhere.) §§ 299, 300.--_a_. Explain how one discovery or invention affected other industries (as shown, for instance, in the use of anthracite coal). _b_. How did these inventions make large cities possible? _c_. Why is the education of our people so important? _d_. What were the advantages of Webster's "Dictionary"? CHAPTER 29 §§ 301, 302.--_a_. Why is this chapter called the "Reign of Andrew Jackson"? Do you think that a President should "reign"? _b_. In what respects was Jackson fitted for President? _c_. What is meant by his "kitchen cabinet"? _d_. What is a "party machine"? How was it connected with the "spoils system"?