80 THE BOOK OF WHEAT 



only. As the scythe evolved, the blade became lighter and the 

 handle passed through many forms before it permanently as- 

 sumed the crooked wooden pattern. When fingers were fas^ 

 tened to the snath to assist in collecting the grain into bunches 

 or gavels, the scythe became a cradle. The latter implement 

 was perfected in America during the last quarter of the 

 eighteenth century. 



The scythe seems to have appeared first among the ancient 

 Romans. Before 1850, the scythe or cradle and the sickle were 

 the implements almost universally used in harvesting grain. 

 The perfected American cradle spread rapidly to other coun- 



AN EARLY CRADLE A MODERN CRADLE 



tries, but not without opposition. In England such violent op- 

 position developed at Essex that the farmers were "deterred 

 from the practice." The scythe and cradle are still frequently 

 found in use in Russia and in various other parts of Europe. 

 They are also found in America under conditions which render 

 other implements impracticable. Within fifty miles of New 

 York City are farms on which the grain is still reaped with the 

 cradle. Brewer gives l 1 /^ acres a day as the amount of grain 

 cradled in this country by one man. It required two others 

 to rake, bind and "stook" it. Others say 4 acres a day could 

 be cradled by a good worker while another raked and bound it. 



HARVESTING MACHINERY 



The Header. All reaping devices thus far considered have 

 aimed at mechanical advantages alone. All of those subse- 



