Let the Wind Blow

In 1893, the removal of straw and chaff was further mechanized by the introduction of a wind stacker. A large fan mounted at the rear end of the machine provided the force for blowing chopped straw out a large galvanized metal tube into a pile. The tube could be raised and rotated, thus offering more flexibility in terms of the size and location of straw stacks.

Advertisement for a ‘Maple Leaf’ Wind Stacker

Due to the increased threshing capacity of these machines, it was no longer feasible to manually bag grain. Instead, an enclosed bucket elevator carried grain directly from the pan into a wagon positioned beside the threshing machine. By the turn of the century, most elevators were equipped with bushel counters that automatically measured the grain as it was fed into the wagon. Manufacturers could now safely claim that their machines offered a threshing capacity of more than 1,000 bushels per day — a figure easily doubled by some of the largest machines.

Although the advent of highly mechanized threshing machines contributed to a decrease in the size of crews directly involved in their operation, there was still an increase in the general labour force. Larger, more efficient machines required more bundle wagons to keep the machine supplied with sheaves. The machine itself required two labourers to load the self-feeder, and a machine operator to ensure that all mechanisms were lubricated and operating properly. A teamster was required to drive the truck or wagon that was being loaded with grain. Another crew of labourers was required to operate the traction engine. Thus, even with increased mechanization, threshing remained a labour-intensive operation. The scale and cost of this equipment limited its use to threshing contractors and the owners of seven-hundred-acre bonanza farms, who rationalized the purchase in terms of operating speed and efficiency. In the first decade after 1900, one could expect to pay $4,000.00 for a large steam traction engine and threshing machine.