Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Threshing


Threshing.  An ancient process used to separate grain from straw.  First invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture.  It was invented (c. 1784)

Early threshing machines were hand-fed and horse powered.  They were the size of an upright piano.  Later machines were steam powered, driven by a portable engine or traction engine.  In 1834 John Avery and Hiram Abial Pitts devised significant improvements to a machine that automatically threshes and separated grain from chaff.  Avery and Pitts were granted a patent in the United States on December 29, 1837.  The last picture is of the straw being baled after it has gone through the threshing process.  If you notice in the first video, the straw is coming out from the threshing machine at the top and the grain is coming down the chute from the side of the machine and they had bags at the end of the chute that would catch the grain and then tied them shut.  Sunday's post was the grain that was being bagged.

5 comments:

5 Starr's Farm said...

Hi Lisa, I love old stuff like that...there's a place here called the Patrick Ranch Museum, that puts on a Thrashing Bee every year, Fun Stuff.

Crystal said...

How cool, a couple years ago we went to an antique museum that had a threshing machine going, amazing how long the belts on them were.

I love old stuff like that, especially when it has draft horses involved.

Jinglebob said...

My grandfather and his brother had the first threshing machine in this area. I have pictures of them and a crew threshing, but they used teams of horses on a "power plant" to run it. I will have to try and find it and post it on my blog.

Anonymous said...

How hard those folks worked. Farming is still hard. Things don't get a whole lot easier do they? Love Mom

lisa said...

Sam,
That had to be a neat museum to see!

Crystal,
I agree those belts are pretty darn long!

JB,
Though would be neat to see! The horses were used before the engines that is for sure.

Mom
Yes, farmers and ranchers sure do have it hard still!