Summary: Hand Cutting Oats
Key dates:
While the horse-drawn reaper reduced some of the back-breaking manual work done on farms, many smallholders continued to harvest cereal crops using a scythe or hook. The photograph shows two women, both of whom are barefoot cutting oats with a smooth hook. Oats, or corn as it was often called, provided food for horses as well as humans. Oaten bread or oatmeal was a common sight on many farmhouse tables.
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