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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-09-08, Page 14Displaying a way of life As the name of the event indicates, there is a lot of threshing taking place at the reunion, as experts, show their experience working with the antique threshing machines. Threshing more than... TIIE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1995. PAGE A-I5. Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion 1995 By Keith Roulston Are we really just nostalgic about the days of our youth? Is that why we, who remember threshing days, think things haven't been the same since the combine took over, or was there something really special about threshing? I sometimes wonder if youngsters growing up on the farm today will have as pleasant memories of the combine as we, who grew up in an earlier era, have of the threshing machine. I think they won't. I grew up on a Kinloss Twp. farm in a period that spanned both methods of harvesting. My earliest memories are of the threshing machine but our family was also one of the earlier families to switch to the combine. Yet, despite my pride in my family being "progressive", I somehow thought we were missing out on something when the threshing gang pulled in the lane of my friends' homes. Part of the feeling of missing out was because threshing wasn't just 'harvesting, it was a social event of the year. It brought men together to swap tall tales and memories. It brought women together to exchange talks about kids and men and swap recipes. It brought all the young bucks in the neighbourhood together to try to outdo each other lifting whole stooks to the top of the wagon and to flirt with the younger girls helping serve the food. Working on the combine, by comparison, was a lonely job. It was as dusty and noisy and hot as the worst of the threshing gang but without the camaraderie. The big threshing gangs weren't part of my early memories. Our neighbours had a threshing machine so my father and uncle worked with them doing their two farms and our two farms. Still there was excitement being around that machine and we'd wait all day when we knew that they expected to be finished at one of the other farms and move onto ours. My brother and my friends and I would go squealing "They're coming" when we saw the threshing machine coming up the road. Then there was the magic of watching them set up the threshing machine, hoist the elevator, level her up, crank out the straw blower and manoeuvre the tractor into just the right place to make it drive the engine most efficiently. I think that another reason today's kids can never have as much fun remembering combines as we had remembering threshing Steam brought changes During the mid-1700s, a number of developments took place that are today grouped in what is called the Industrial Revolution. •The introduction of steam power was one of these new/technologies. Steam power turned the world of production on its head. Its impact on agricultural production was no different. This change began, for farming, in the later years of that century. The first practical steam engine was developed by Thomas Newcomen, a Devonshire blacksmith, in the early 1700s. While this early version was developed primarily for mining, it eventually migrated to the agricultural field. This process, however, took time. The Newcomen engine really had no practical use for farming. It was very large, and used great amounts of fuel, producing only moderate output. In addition to this, it was stationary. Obviously, a more mobile version would have to be developed before farmers could reap its benefits. This shift did not really come full circle until the internal combustion engine became a reality. The steam engine was the pioneering technology of the new age of machine power. Without it, these other developments could not have come about. machines is that, efficient as they are, they just don't have the personality of an old separator. There were so many gadgets and magical noises on the old machines that they Continued on A16 Welcome to the celebrations at the 34th Annual Pioneer Thresher Reunion At Manning's We've got all the RIGHT STUFF You can save on the cost of home repairs and improvements when you do the work yourself. For most jobs all you need is a little know- how, a little patience and the right tools. We have all the tools and supplies you'll need to get professional results. Our knowledgeable staff, Gary and Bob will be happy to offer advice or answer your questions. To everyone attending the 34th Pioneer Thresher Reunion Corner of Hwy. #4 and Hamilton Street