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The Iowa Agriculturist
Haying
Hay is a mixture of many grasses and other plants. To the farmer, hay
is a very important plant. For the most part hay is used for livestock
feed. Horses, cattle, hogs and sheep use hay for food. It was, therefore,
an important crop on the early farms of Iowa. For many years hay had been
cut by a scythe, or sharp knife.
Around the time of the Civil War, workable sickle mowers
were invented. The earliest mower was the horse-rake. It was a toothed
sickle, which moved rapidly back and forth on a frame and was pulled by
a horse. The revolving horse-rake replaced about six people with hand
rakes.
During the late 1860's a seat for a driver was added to
the horse rake. This "sulky" had a lever from the rake to the drive, enabling
the operator to trip the load when the rake was full.
The other
types of rakes, including the side-delivery and sweep types, followed
shortly. Each of these rakes attempted to make mowing hay easier for the
farmer.
From: Explorations in Iowa History Project, Price Laboratory
School, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA
Photos used by permission from the State Historical Society
of Iowa.
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