Cyrus Mccormick by Sharon Fabian
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Name Date Cyrus McCormick By Sharon Fabian For hundreds, maybe thousands, of years farmers harvested grain with a scythe. A scythe was a tool with a long curved blade and a bent handle with bars for both hands to grip. A strong farmer could cut down about an acre of grain in one day with his scythe. Cyrus McCormick was born in 1809 and, when he was growing up, farmers were still harvesting their grain by hand. It was hard work, and it required all of their time during harvest season. Farmers could plant only as much grain as they felt confident of being able to harvest in time. Cyrus' father had thought for a long time that there must be a more efficient way to harvest grain -- some way to make use of a machine to do part of the work. He tried out all kinds of ideas in his blacksmith shop on their Walnut Grove farm, in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, but never came up with an idea that worked well. Cyrus took up where his father left off. In 1831, at the age of 22, he had a machine ready to demonstrate. His reaper had a straight blade that was turned by a large wheel by way of some gears. The whole machine was pulled by a horse. One farmer would steer the horse, while another worker raked the cut stalks from the reaper's platform. Several more workers were needed to bind all of the grain cut by the reaper. With McCormick's reaper, farmers could harvest up to ten acres of wheat or oats per day. Farmers were quick to see the advantage of McCormick's machine; it meant that they could plant more grain than ever before. In 1834, McCormick patented his reaper after another inventor began trying to sell a model of his own. In 1840, McCormick began selling his reapers, which he made in his family's blacksmith shop at Walnut Grove. By 1844, McCormick had expanded to other states, and in 1847 he expanded again, moving his manufacturing operation to Chicago. In addition to being a creative inventor, McCormick was also a good businessman. In Chicago his modern, steam-powered plant used the latest techniques of mass production. He attracted buyers with easy credit and written guarantees. His business included a repair department and a parts department that were popular with the farmers. Chicago was a smart choice for the location of his business. It brought him closer to the huge, flat fields of the Midwest where the reaper would be most appreciated. From Chicago he could also ship reapers to the East, by way of the Great Lakes, and to the South, by way of the Mississippi River. McCormick's business later spread to England, when he entered his reaper in London's Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851, and then on to the rest of Europe. As McCormick's business grew, he continued to make improvements to the reaper too. In 1857, he patented the new and improved McCormick Patented Reaping Machine which featured seats for the driver and the raker. In 1858, he came up with the McCormick Automatic Self-Rake Reaper. Next was the McCormick Marsh-Type Harvester, which featured a platform where two men could stand to bind the grain as it was cut. By 1876, he had figured out a machine that would bind the grain itself. This McCormick Harvester and Binder was a marvel; it required only one man to do the whole job! Later improvements produced a twine binder. And later still, tractors -- rather than horses -- pulled McCormick's reapers. Today a McCormick-Deering Harvester Thresher can harvest 40-50 acres of grain per day. Once Cyrus McCormick got his start in the reaper business, he stayed with it. McCormick was president of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company until his death in 1884. Later, McCormick's company merged with four other companies to form the giant International Harvester Company. Name Date Cyrus McCormick Questions 1. In 1831, McCormick invented ______. A. the reaper B. the tractor C. the McCormick-Deering Harvester Thresher D. the twine binder 2. McCormick was president of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company for a long time. A. false B. true 3. McCormick's original reaper was pulled by a tractor. A. false B. true 4. McCormick grew up in ______. A. England B. Virginia C. Washington, DC D. Chicago 5. McCormick was ______. A. both B. an inventor C. neither D. a good businessman 6. One man alone could harvest ten acres of grain per day using McCormick's original reaper. A. false B. true 7. The McCormick Marsh-Type Harvester added which improvement? A. the ability to harvest 40-50 acres per day B. a self-rake feature C. a seat for the driver and the raker D. a platform for workers to stand on while they bound the stalks 8. List three words that you could use to describe Cyrus McCormick or another successful inventor..