![]() In fact, Robert McCormick had been working on a reaper when Cyrus, his oldest child, was born in February 1809, so there was never a time in Cyrus’ life when reapers weren’t part of the family agenda. McCormick inherited his inventive nature from his father, a tireless tinkerer who designed and manufactured a hemp binder, a thresher and some blacksmith bellows, and sold a few of each to nearby farmers. At the time of his death, in 1884, McCormick’s company was making 50,000 reapers a year. At one time, probably before the Civil War, McCormick had almost 100 competitors, and yet he became the largest producer of reapers in America. How? His edge over his competition was simple: He was a farmer who invented, while his rivals were inventors who knew little of farming. In the end, Cyrus McCormick outmaneuvered them all. During the next two decades, numerous American inventors entered the field, literally and figuratively, each patenting reaper improvements and each manufacturing a few-or a few dozen-machines. ![]() This was the logical birthplace for a mechanical reaper, and in the 1830s, several Americans patented their designs. ![]() Over the centuries, various attempts were made to conceive such a machine, but the abundance of cheap labor-serfs, slaves or peasants-mitigated the potential economic rewards of replacing muscle with machinery.īut in the vast continent that was America, conditions were different. In the days of the Roman Empire, Pliny the Elder described an early reaping device consisting of an ox-pushed cart with a wooden comb that would cut stalks of grain. Since the earliest days of farming, people had talked of developing a tool that would ease the backbreaking drudgery of harvesting with sickles. In doing so, he brought about the greatest revolution in farming since the invention of the plow. What McCormick did do, however, was more important than mere conception: He was the first to demonstrate the labor-saving value of a reaper-and the first person to sell it on a widespread basis, across America and in other nations. Other men built reapers before McCormick, born 200 years ago in Rockbridge County, and other men manufactured them before and during his time. This combined with his marketing innovations would make him synonymous with a revolutionary farming machine.įorget what you learned in school: While historians credit Cyrus Hall McCormick as being the “father of the mechanical reaper,” the quiet farmer from the Valley of Virginia did not actually invent the famous grain-harvesting machine. Lots of people made and sold reapers in the 19th century-but McCormick made his more efficient than anybody’s. So, in order to get a special license, the rival Medio company is paying a lot of money to round up coins on the market, and they want the coins owned by Milone, so they paid Milone some money for their coins? And Milone then gives Lawrence his cut? But I thought Milone was selling those coins to the king.Cyrus McCormick, born 200 years ago in Virginia, was described by some as “cold, imperious and calculated to inspire awe.” Perhaps that’s because he spent his life obsessed with a grain-harvesting contraption known as a reaper. Then he also gives Lawrence 1000 which he explains comes from the rival company. But what is the revenue (pre-costs) in this for Milone? 350,000 - 307,112? He says Milone purchased 307,112 silver coins. In episode 6, when the dust settles Marlheit reminds Lawrence that it is agreed upon by both sides that Lawrence's cut is 5% and gives him 120 silver coins, fees deducted. ![]() In episode 4, after their meeting with Marlheit, Lawrence says to Holo his cut is 10%, which he expects to be 2000. But exactly how?Īlso, I am not sure how the final profits are calculated. So what exactly is the plan? In the anime, it is only explained that they predict that a lot of people are going to act on the false lead and buy Trenni silver coins, and if they act early, they can defeat the rival Medio Trading Company. They go to the Milone Trading Company and devise a plan together. Lawrence and Holo later learn that the opposite is true: the purity is going to reduce and thus causing the coins to eventually depreciate. Lawrence and Holo are accosted by a stranger who tells them that Trenni silver coins are going to appreciate. Plot spanning S01E04-S01E06 of "Spice and Wolf" doesn't make much sense to me.
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