POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Scythe for handcutting grass and hay, early 1900s

Scythe for handcutting grass and hay, early 1900s

Object No. H9448

Scythes were used to manually mow wheat or grass. Harvesting by hand is very labour intensive. In Australia where paddocks were larger and less productive and labour in less supply than in Britain, the hand harvesting of grain was replaced from the mid 19th century by mechanical means such as the horse-drawn stripper, mower and, in wetter areas, the reaper binder. The scythe is part of the early story of harvesting in Australia and is an example of a transplanted technology which changed little since the medieval period. Scythes were used with a long sweeping movement which made them much less tiring for labourers to use than reaping hooks or sickles though they still involved great physical labour and considerable skill to perfect. Both hands were in use and the operator did not have to bend his back to reach down to the crop. Using a scythe, an acre of grain could be cut in a day. A long-handled straight scythe was developed around the 9th century while this curved style was refined in the 12th century. By the 19th century gangs of mowers in Britain would begin early in the day with the leader given the name the "Lord of the Harvest". He worked slightly ahead of the group and set the pace. The gang of mowers aimed at a level cut which facilitated the drying out of the mown swathe as well as positioning the cut stalks prior to being tied into sheaves. These were then stood up in groups called stooks and left in the field for drying before being collected and the grain threshed from the stalks. Scythe blades needed constant sharpening and a scythe sharpening stone was often carried in a leather sheath on the user's belt and lubricated with spit. On farms scythes were sharpened on a sandstone wheel mounted on an axle with a crank handle on one side. This was hand powered and used with water. The slow turning speed meant the temper of the tool was not damaged by overheating as could happened with smaller, high speed grinding wheels. Cutting and gathering the crop by hand was tedious and laborious as well as time-consuming. After mechanisation of the harvesting operation, scythes were only used for cutting awkward-shaped small plots of grass and for opening a path in the wheat for a reaper binder. Nevertheless, scythes continued to have a role for another century and were still being used to cut grass by local councils in Sydney as late as the 1950s. References Blandford, Percy W. "Old Farm Tools and Machinery An Illustrated History", David & Charles, Newton Abbot, England, 1976, p.115-117. Hine, H.J. "Good Farming by Machine", The Teach Yourself Series, Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, London, 1948. Wright, Philip A., "Old Farm Implements", David & Charles, Newton Abbot, England, 1974. Tilt Hammer - Steel City Founders - The Tyzack Family at http://www.tilthammer.com/bio/tyzac.html Margaret Simpson Curator, Science, Technology & Industry September 2009

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Summary

Object Statement

Scythe, timber and metal, agricultural tool for hand cutting hay, early 1900s

Physical Description

The scythe comprises a long handle called a curved snath made of hardwood. It has two grips or doles which are positioned at a right angle to the snath and can be moved up or down to suit the height of the user. At the bottom of the snath is attached a very sharp blade strengthened with a steel rib or chine. A hook, comprising a metal rod, in the widest part of the blade connects it to the snath at the desired angle. The tip of the blade gathers in the grass to allow the blade to slice through the grass efficiently.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Gift of H H G McKern, 1979

Acquisition Date

13 July 1979

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