Hand Corn Husker
This fall, as you drive by a field of corn ready to be harvested, imagine doing that job by hand. No combines. No tractors. Just a man, a horse, and a wagon. Beginning in the 1920s, labor-saving machinery was available for the corn harvest. But even into the '40s, horses still plodded along on many farms, as men hand-husked corn, then threw ears into a high-sided wagon. A hand-husked field was picked clean, and the ears were virtually free of shucks, which meant the ears could be air-dried in cribs. Plus, horses had the easy work, so feed wasn't as heavy a requirement. It's hard to imagine improving the efficiency of the process ... unless, of course, you were the one doing the hand husking.
A little wrist or thumb hook was used to rip the husk open, so the ear could be easily broken off the shank leading to the stalk, making the ear ready to throw into the wagon. It was tedious, exhausting work. Most farmers – loath to waste even one ear of corn – saw no alternative.
Donor: Unknown
Adopted by: Timothy Martin
This fall, as you drive by a field of corn ready to be harvested, imagine doing that job by hand. No combines. No tractors. Just a man, a horse, and a wagon. Beginning in the 1920s, labor-saving machinery was available for the corn harvest. But even into the '40s, horses still plodded along on many farms, as men hand-husked corn, then threw ears into a high-sided wagon. A hand-husked field was picked clean, and the ears were virtually free of shucks, which meant the ears could be air-dried in cribs. Plus, horses had the easy work, so feed wasn't as heavy a requirement. It's hard to imagine improving the efficiency of the process ... unless, of course, you were the one doing the hand husking.
A little wrist or thumb hook was used to rip the husk open, so the ear could be easily broken off the shank leading to the stalk, making the ear ready to throw into the wagon. It was tedious, exhausting work. Most farmers – loath to waste even one ear of corn – saw no alternative.
Donor: Unknown
Adopted by: Timothy Martin