14-Ag Progress Section, Lancaster Fanning, Saturday Pasto Museum Features 6,000 Years Of Small Grains ROCKSPRING (Centre Co.) “Six Thou sand Years of Small Grains” will be the featured theme at the Paste Agricultural Museum during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-16. Visitors can see historic grain production items used for soil preparation, sowing, harvest ing/handling, threshing, power, cleaning, and grain handling. The collection begins with a 6,000-year-old clay sickle and concludes with a horse-drawn binder and photographs of horse-drawn com bines, according to Darwin Braund, museum cu rator. The latter items are representative of those that closed the human- and animal-power era in most of the U.S. by the 19405. “For centuries, the harvesting and threshing of small grains required more labor than grow ing them,” said Braund. “Thus, much attention was paid to improving the harvest. It was the most important event on Earth every year.” In the earliest days, the heads of grain were hand-picked from each stalk, and then threshed by rubbing them between the hands, explains Braund. A flint stone with a sharp edge was the earliest mechanized cutter. Clay sickles were made in areas with no stones. Sickles made of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, followed the clay models. They in turn were replaced when the Iron Age made sharper blades possible. New designs of the tool im proved efficiency in their use. The Pasto Agricultural Museum collection in cludes more than 750 antique implements used for farming and rural life. Visitors can tour the museum during Ag Progress Days and by ap pointment. Groups of 10 or more can schedule tours from April IS through Oct. 15 by calling (814) 863-1383, sending an e-mail to pastoag museum@psu.edu, or registering through the World Wide Web at pasto.cas.psu.edu. Because of concerns over the possible trans mission of foot-and-mouth disease and other foreign animal diseases, visitors who have been overseas within two weeks of attending Ag Prog ress Days are asked not to visit the event’s live animal exhibit areas. SEE YOUR LOCAL A] WHITE ABCO DEALER STANLEYS FARM SERVICE RD 1 - Off Rte 125 Klmgerstown, PA 570-648-2088 WITMER’S INC. Box 368 Columbiana, OH 44408 330-427-2147 HERNLEY’ S FARM EQUIPMENT, INC. 2095 S Market St Elizabethtown, PA 717-367-8867 J & M MACHINERY CO. Route 22 & 819 Greensburg, PA 412-668-2276 LEBANON VALLEY All I N @€6 IS AWWft IMPLEMENT CO., INC. 700 E. Linden St. Richland, PA 717-866-7518 MILLER EQUIPMENT CO. RD 1 Bechtelsville, PA 610-845-2911 SIBERT EQUIPMENT 1175 Bnckcrafters Road New Oxford, PA 717-624-8763 VISIT US AT AG PROGRESS DAYS AUG. 14, 15 & 16 • EAST IST STREET "I need to work smorter, not harder." Every FieIdMASTER'" delivers brilliant performance, starting with a clean-burning, fuel-efficient, turbo charged Cummins 6-cylmder diesel for rugged, dependable power Other intelligent features include • Standard 18-speed Powersoft (optional on 8310/8410 models with standard Quadrashift), creeper and super creeper options • Sculptured cast iron frame for increased maneuverability Choose from 6 FieIdMASTER” models, and get a smart, hard-working machine to make I A j you more productive Stop by today, and lest drive one for yourself IE • Fligh-capacity hydraulics with lift capacities up to 16,000 lbs • Electronic lift control 3-pomt hitch • Quiet, ergonomic, high-visibility cab with right-hand armrest control panel
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