Scythes were used with a long sweeping movement which made them much less tiring for labourers to use than reaping hooks or sickles though they still involved great physical labour and considerable skill to perfect. Both hands were in use and the operator did not have to bend his back to reach down to the crop. Scythes were not used as often on farms after the mechanisation of harvesting. They were still used for cutting awkward shaped small plots and for opening a path for the tractors. This item is an example of a tool used by the early settlers of the Orbost district. A curved wooden scythe handle with two nailed grips attached with metal rings. There is no blade. There is a metal hook at the bottom.scythe agricultural tool farming

A scythe is an agricultural hand tool that cuts grass and is used by making large sweeping motions through the crop. Eventually replaced by horse-drawn or motorised machinery, they are occasionally still used as they are inexpensive and efficient. There are different types of scythes with larger or smaller blades. This particular scythe has a bored hole in the handle, probably for affixing a long wooden handle. Made by Trojans and Sons, a Melbourne based company that made a wide range of gardening and agricultural tools, this scythe formed an integral part of farming on Churchill Island. scythe with surface rust, no handle, good steel, rough welds on socket, hole for mounting handle (e.g. with screw)TROJAN/264scythe, hand tools, agriculture, churchill island heritage farm