"Evolution of the sickle and flail, 33-horse team combined harvester, Walla Walla, Washington."From Wikimedia Commons, via Retronaut [sepia tone removed by me]
"Evolution of the sickle and flail, 33-horse team combined harvester, Walla Walla, Washington."From Wikimedia Commons, via Retronaut [sepia tone removed by me]
Is there a reason the horses are divided into mostly white and black teams? Perhaps the farmer is sharing teams with another who had mostly white/black horses while he had the other?
ReplyDeleteTeamsters take pride in having matched pairs.
DeleteA print of that, and other historical photos, is on one of the ferries that I take frequently across Puget Sound. Each boat has a different set relating to the name of the boat. This is on (of course) the "Walla Walla".
ReplyDeleteMy mind. Are they going down and then up a hill? Are they curving? Is the picture just warped?! Haha
ReplyDeleteI think it must be hilly terrain, which would be the reason for harnessing so many draft animals to one harvester.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6zDCLcia6w&feature=player_embedded
ReplyDeleteHere's a local guy driving 46 horses.
Obviously, more horses = more pulling power, so in heavy soil, or with heavy or large equipment or difficult terrain, more horses would be needed. Driving that many horses is not an easy feat.