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