Hay
Before there were mowing machines, mechanical rakes and balers, farmers made hay by cutting grass with scythes in the summer when it was warm. They raked the dry grass by hand with hay rakes and put it onto carts with hay forks. They lifted the hay into the hay loft using a rope sling with a pulley system.
Three pronged hay fork. Metal head with wooden handle. 2013.81.1
Hay hook with black painted or varnished wooden handle. 2013.51. D01166
Hay or harvesting fork with two prongs with a wooden handle. 2013.49.1
Emerson & Co stamped into the metal. Block and tackle system used in barn for moving around hay slings etc. 2013.212.1
Hay knife with handle at right angles to the blade. The knife has been left outside and is weathered. There is unreadable lettering on the top of blade about half way along. 2013.41.D01161
Hook of hay harpoon
Six pronged wooden hay fork with cross bracing.The handle is broken. 2013.167.D01169
Curved blade hay knife with a wooden handle. 2013.206.D01162
There are two hay hooks or hay harpoons in the collection. When one clenches the handle the hook straightens. One can push it into a pile of densely compacted hay. One can then open out the hook so pull out the hay. D01155
Handle of hay harpoon
Four pronged hay fork. One prong has been broken off. 201`3.168.D0114
Rope hay sling with two wooden supports and iron centrepiece with iron ring. Used to sling hay up into a barn. 2013.21.1
Hay knife with almost oval blade. The wooden handle is splt. It is at right angles to the blade. It has the maker mark of John E. Bleckmann (1808-1880) Solingen, Ronsdorf, Germany. He exported to steel blades to England and had an office in New York. He provided swords for the American Civil War and got special recognition at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London.
Rake with four prongs or tines and two vertical prongs one of which is no longer there. It has a metal handle and the handle is joined to the head by a metal piece which is riveted into the handle. 2013.12.2
Two pronged fork without a handle made of iron. 2013.48.1
Iron hook used for moving hay bales. 2013.22.1
Rope hay sling with two wooden supports and iron centrepiece with iron ring. Used to sling hay up into a barn. 2013.21.1
Wooden grass rack with 11 prongs, two of which are broken 2013.14.1
Straight hay knife with double- handed, wooden handle 2013.215.1
Two handled hay knife from Rawdon Township. It was used for cutting compressed hay. The blade is curved with eight teeth. 2013.10.2