is country and
in England to produce a reaping machine, possessing power and
simplicity and durability; most of them were complicated, and
proved too fragile.

"Soon after the arrival of your machine, I tried its power and
became readily familiar with the manner of using it; the result of
my experience will appear from the following facts:

"The wheat crop of this farm covered 104 acres, producing 2,540
shocks, 30,480 sheaves, as counted on the ground, and again when
housed in the grain barn and sheds.

"The whole crop was cut by your reaping machine in eight days,
using one team, a boy to drive and a man to manage the machine.

"The average quantity cut per day was thirteen acres.

"The largest quantity cut on any one day was seventeen acres.

"The longest period for working the machine on any one day was
nine hours.

"Seven men were stationed on the field to bind the sheaves.

"The cost of _cutting_ the wheat with your machine is
_twenty-five cents_ per acre.

"The total cost for cutting, raking, binding and shocking is
_seventy-eight cents and a fraction_ per acre.

"The cost may be stated as follows, viz:

A man and team for eight days at $1.50 per day $12.00

A boy to drive for eight days at fifty cents per day 4.00

Interest on cost of machine and for wear and tear,
say at 10 per cent 10.00
______
$26.00

"Which is equal to 25 cents per acre on 104 acres. The seven men
employed to rake and bind received, each, $1 per day for eight
days, say $56, which sum added to the cost for cutting or reaping,
gives a total cost of $82, or 78-88/100 cents per acre.

"I have compared this cost with the cost paid by my neighboring
farmers this season, and find it vastly in favor of your machine.
The individual in this town who harvested with the most economy
paid $1 13/100 per acre--other farmers have paid from $1 25/100 to
$2 per acre.

"Since the wheat harvest the machine has cut with signal advantage
about twenty acres of oats.

"The wheat and oats were cut with such neatness and precision that
the gleanings were not sufficient to pay the labor of raking.