Johnston Harvester Co. Self-Rake Reaper, 1878-1900

Farmers in the late 1800s saved time and labor by using horse-drawn, self-rake reapers to harvest grain crops. These machines had revolving arms that raked the cut grain off the reaper table and into a neat pile on the ground. Workers trailed behind the reaper, binding the piled grain and stacking the sheaves so they could dry before threshing.