100 Years of Grain Cradle Patents

U.S. patents for grain cradles span an entire century, from 1823 to 1924. The broad peak of cradle development seems to coincide with that of the mechanical harvesters, suggesting that farmers still found a need for the cradle. This can be attributed to the great number of very small fields and rough, uneven and rocky ground, which presented an obstacle to the horse drawn reapers and binders. As late as 1910, one agricultural writer stated that, despite modern mechanized harvesters, there would always be a need for the cradle.

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