McCormack’s Reaping Machine
Jul
There’s a newspaper article dated August 1852, which describes ‘the-start-of-the-end’ for the tiny farms around Rhiwbina and Whitchurch.
The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian reported on a demonstration of a reaping machine at Greenhill to a group of influential local landowners, by TW Booker MP and his son John Partridge Booker (who’d only recently been given the farm).
We’ve already discovered how TWB had acquired the farm and re-built Greenhill for his young son.
It seems that TWB had visited the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in London the previous year and had seen a celebrated piece of American agricultural machinery called a McCormack’s Reaping Machine. He was so impressed with it that he bought one and had it delivered to his estate in Herefordshire.
The machine brought industrialisation to the rural enterprise of harvest, and was considered a harbinger of change to the countryside.
The sketch shows the machine in action, being pulled by two horses. I must confess that it looks a bit ‘Heath Robinson’ to me, but it clearly worked.
The demonstration in 1852 (173 years ago) was at a time when many local farm labourers were being tempted by higher wages and guaranteed work, at the numerous collieries springing up in the valleys. As a result, there were fewer experienced men available to work the fields and to bring in the harvest.
So, on a Wednesday in August (at the height of the harvest-time), TWB brought along his reaping machine to his farm at Greenhill, to show it off to his friends. He had also brought a few men from his Herefordshire estate and a representative of the McCormack company.
The newspaper reported that a number of local landowners and ‘respectable’ farmers had been invited, to witness the demonstration. They included Mr David of Fairwater, Mr Richard Thomas of Crwys, and Mr Spencer of Llanishen. The eighteen-year-old John Partridge Booker apparently was superintending the proceedings. The newspaper went on to report that quite a few local farmers were also present – all gladly availing themselves of the opportunity for seeing the machine in action, of which they had heard so much.
They all witnessed mechanised reaping in action, with all its operation and efficiency. A bit like Jeremy Clarkson today, on TV with a mighty tractor towing a shiny piece of kit on his farm!
The day, was unfavourable, being very windy with drizzling rain – sounding very much like our typical Welsh summer weather. The demonstration field was rather exposed (it’s now part of the golf club!), with the corn ‘head down on the leeward side’. It couldn’t be cut as closely as on the ‘windward side’ of the field. In the latter (so we’re told), the cutting was admitted to be much superior to any hand reaping, the stubble being short and quite even. I wonder what that says about the standard of local hand reaping!
All in all, the newspaper article reported, the reaping machine was considered of GREAT IMPORTANCE (newspaper’s capitalisation) as a demonstration of future farming use.
TWB enquired what price had been paid that year for reaping and was told ten shillings (50p to younger readers) per acre, plus beer. He then asked the company what would be a fair price to hire the machine, with two horses and three men (although two experienced men would be the proper number) per day. He was told that the machine would cut ten acres a day and cost fifteen shillings (75p). This would work out at one shilling and sixpence (7.5p) per acre and adding a further two shillings and sixpence (12.5p) per acre for binding and stooking (whatever that was), it totalled four shillings (20p) an acre against ten shillings (50p). And of course, using far fewer men, and consuming considerably less beer!
TWB then most liberally offered to lend the machine to any farmer in the Hundred of Kibbor, or to any subscriber of the Cardiff Farmer’s Club, to try out the equipment for themselves. He even offered to pay half of the wages needed for any of the manufacturer’s men for any future demonstration. This proposal was warmly applauded by the farmers; well, they would, wouldn’t they?
After the company had satisfied their curiosity in the field, TWB invited them to his beautiful cottage-residence Greenhill, where they unexpectedly found a sumptuous lunch laid out for them, which the honourable gentleman with his usual unbounded liberality had provided. We can scarcely add (says the newspaper) that ample justice was done to the good things provided.
The newspaper article then gushingly concluded:
Greenhill as our local readers know, is beautifully situated on an eminence near Velindre; and from its windows a lovely prospect is obtained. Farming operations here seemed to be carried on to perfection. The fields, hedges, farm-buildings, garden etc were as neatly-kept as a gentleman’s drawing room, and a few hours’ inspection of the truly admirable management of this Elysium would do slovenly farmers much good. Many who know and admire the honourable member for Herefordshire in his public capacity, as the considerate and indulgent master of large numbers of men, will also esteem him for the delightful system of order and method which he seems to have established in this charming retreat.
From the near-175-year perspective, the demonstration (and flowery newspaper language) of a reaping machine on a damp and windy hill in Rhiwbina seems so unlikely. A first hint perhaps, of the industrialisation to come. A rude interruption maybe, to the bucolic innocence of the local farming practices of hundreds of years previously; perhaps, the naïve curiosity of the farmers who had no idea of the incredible changes about to happen.
I wonder what the readers of newspapers (or whatever they’ll be called) of 2198 – 173 years hence – will make of us?
Thanks to friend Terry Chard (local history buff) who has provided much of the story, and to the National Library of Wales – Newspaper Archives – for the digital information.
