To this day, my grandpa reads a lot of ag magazines. He’s been retired for about 25 years but still enjoys staying up-to-date on the latest trends and news. But he also has what I refer to as “institutional knowledge” – meaning years of experience that he can draw upon. I recently mailed off a letter to a woman in Washington state who wrote in to a magazine with a photo of a mystery tool….and of course, my grandpa could identify it! Here’s what he had to say:
“The tool pictured in the February-March issue of Farm and Ranch Living is what we called a slip scraper. It was used to move dirt from one place to another, such as filling mud holes in a barn lot, grading around buildings, etc.
“A team of horses was hitched to the closed end of the yoke, which was attached to the scraper by joints which allowed the scraper to pivot. A wooden handle was attached to each side of the scraper and extended back far enough so that the operator of the scraper could control the cutting action. Varying amounts of upward pull determined the depth of the cut. When the scraper was full, enough upward pull was made to cause the front of the scraper to dig into the ground and the scraper turned upside down, dumping its load. The horses were stopped, the scraper returned to its cutting position and the process was repeated.
“I am 90+ years old and distinctly remember using such an implement.
“I hope that this helps to answer your questions about your mystery tool.”
That’s better than digging through an encyclopedia or searching the web. He knew what it was, how it was used, how it worked, and what it looked like! I hope she found his ag knowledge helpful.
Until we walk again …