Obed Hussey, Who, of All Inventors, Made Bread Cheap
History
Obed Hussey, Who, of All Inventors, Made Bread Cheap
Harvesting machinery; Hussey, Obed, 1792-1860
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 noble 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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