This is the article that appeared in 1962.
The Cradle Scythe is still on display here at the museum.
This long handled scythe and cradler allowed the reaper to stand upright. The grain is cut and the long wooden fingers cradle it to form a swath.
Ours is a four fingered cradle, in 1897 it would have sold for about $2.
A good cradler could cut two acres of wheat in a day.
