In 1908, when this advertisement was published in The American Thresherman, the corn husker-shredder was still a fairly new addition to the farmstead. It offered huge benefit to the livestock farmer who needed a fall-back position in case the hay crop failed. In such cases, he could feed shredded corn fodder (often referred to as corn hay) to livestock.
Similar units first surfaced in the 1890s. While clearly effective, the husker-shredder had a dark side: Many were extremely dangerous to operate. Thus the claim in this Case ad: “The feeder stands 5 feet from the snapping rolls and is absolutely safe.” (Another unit of the day, produced by Safety Shredder Co., New Castle, Ind., boasted complete safety: “No more loss of hands!” The J.J. Power automatic corn self-feeder promised it would “leave no cripples.”)
Though late models clipped off as many as 150 bushels per hour, or 25-30 acres a day, increasing mechanization ended the era. Husker-shredders such as this Case model were replaced by ensilage cutters and mechanical corn pickers by World War II. FC
Advertisements from many farm publications printed at the turn of the 20th century were more than mere methods to hawk tractors and farm equipment. To share those ads from days gone by, Farm Collector periodically reproduces some of the most-spectacular ads used to promote farm equipment and products.
To submit a vintage advertisement for possible publication, send it to: Iron Age Ads, Farm Collector, 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609; or submit high-quality digital images by e-mail: editor@farmcollector.com