The height of the header could be changed to keep it out of the dirt, and to make sure all the wheat was cut. To keep the wheat from falling on the ground, a reel circled around and paddles knocked the wheat into the header (Doty). Sliding back and forth in a blur, they touched the wheat stalk first and sliced it. On the front edge of the header was a row of sharp teeth called sickles (Brumfield). Pushing from the back reduced crop trampling. ![]() The header was pushed through the field by six horses from the back of the machine (Keith). But through the1800s, the header and the thresher were king. It was successful because it made farming safer, more profitable, and brought food to many. After it did become the dominant harvesting method, it revolutionized the way the world ran. Change wasn’t accepted so it would have to wait till the end of the century for its turn. ![]() The first combine was made by Hiram Moore in 1836 and was ahead of its time (Keith). The combine is tied to the Midwest it also had a great impact on the Northwest and specifically Washington State. It’s called a combine because it “combines” the job of the header and thresher which were its predecessors. The combine harvester is the most modern harvester of wheat. ![]() Christopher, an eighth-grade student of teacher Dean Smith at Housel Middle School in Prosser, Benton County, traces the invention and evolution of this vital piece of farm equipment and its huge contribution to agriculture in general, and to Washington state in particular. This essay by Christopher Wiley on the development of the combine harvester won the 2010 Washington State History Day award presented by for Outstanding Essay on Washington State History in the Junior Division.
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