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View into the barn of the mill |
Implements for tillage and harvesting exists, since people cultivated
cereals for human nutrition. The technical development started with the
wooden ridging plough and the sickle derived from Stone Age knives. The
preliminary end of the continuous advances of agricultural mechanization
presently is the combine harvester.
The fellowship of the watermill has restored and exhibited some of the
farming machinery in the barn of the mill. All machines originate from the
first half of the
20th century. Where it seemed useful, we have applied electrical motors to
those devices which were otherwise drawn by horses or even worked on by men's
energy. This enables the visitor to put them into motion by simply pressing
a button. This makes him see how they function and which characteristic
noise goes along with it.
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The plow (plough)
Tillage starts with plowing the soil. The plow breaks up, crumbles and turns
the soil in depth. Plant residues and manure promote the tilth. Both nourish
the micro organisms, loosen the soil, provide a pool of nutrients for the
plants, and by this improve the quality of the soil.
In a fertile soil there are voids in the surface soil. They are important
for the hydraulic conductivity and soil aeration.
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plow(plough) |
The cultivator |
The cultivator
Whereas the plow cuts deep into the soil, the harrow loosens the soil flat at
the surface, levels and breaks up the clods.
The cultivator not only loosens, mixes, and crumbles the soil for preparing
the seedbed, but also supports weed control
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The grain drill
Each plant needs suitable environment for producing a good yield. The proper
way of sowing determines the conditions for good yield. In sowing you discern
between
Brodcast seeding: The seed is spread in broad throws across the land: e.g. grass, clover
Row seeding:The seed is put in rows at equal depth: e.g. grain.
Dibbling, pocket drilling:he seed is put in small heaps in rows: e.g. turnips, vegetables
Precision single-grain drilling:Single seeds are put in rows at equal distances and equal depth: e.g. turnips
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The grain drill |
The fertilizer spreader |
The fertilizer spreader
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The mower
Next to the horses' leader sat another person which raised or lowered the Ableger
by foot. When raised, the Ableger would collect the mown straw.
If the amount of stalks was sufficient for forming a sheaf, the Ableger
would be lowered, and the sheaves put aside with a rake or a stick.
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The mower (by Osborne/USA c.1920) |
The horse rake |
The horse rake
The horse rake was used for raking hay or grain. After having been mowed
the grain stalks were bound into sheafs and put up in shocks for drying.
The horse rake was used to gather the remnant stalks from the ground.
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The peg-drum tresher
The sheaf would be put by hand with the ears head on into the thresher.
The drum cuts the stalks and tears them into the machine and threshes the grain.
The straw walker under the machine shakes out the straw. The grain falls
through duck-boards to the ground. Later on the grain will be cleansed by
the winnower
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The peg-drum tresher |
The winnower by Amazonenwerke c. 1920 |
The winnower
Machines for cleaning grain were used to cleanse the threshed grain from
cereals and material making it uneatable; moving sieves and blowing air
through fans helped to separate the sound grain from the unhealthy dust,
stones, or bitter vetches, and peas
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The broad tresher
This broad thresher combines the peg-drum thresher with the winnower for grain cleaning
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The broad tresher by Meyer, Twistringen c. 1930 |
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