The genius of pioneer inventors can con-found us. Countless contraptions that revolutionized farming in the 19th and early 20th centuries have become contemporary curiosities, or even mysteries. Here are three sent in by readers. Do you know what they are?
Last month’s mystery tools
A rope machine wrench and a queen bee cage. Owner of both items is Wendell Felch of Douglasville, Ga. The wrench threaded twine as it was twisted into rope. The rope strands pass through the circular notches in the top part of the object. – Identifications came from Virgil Cassill of Drakesville, Iowa; Judith Lang of Balaton, Minn.; Erwin and Polly Fullerton of So. Woodstock, Vt.; Harold Parman of Topeka, Kan.; Lester E. Pierce of Stanberry, Mo.; and Olin Pryor of Martinsburg, W.V. No one identified the queen bee cage.
HOW TO SEND ‘What-is-it?’ photos and/or identifications to Farm Collector:
Regular mail: Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609;
E-mail: editor@farmcollector.com.
For digital photos, adjust ‘image size’ to ‘full,’ ‘3:2’ or ‘UXGA.’ Adjust ‘image quality’ to ‘hi’ or ‘fine.’ For scanned photos, use ‘300 dpi’; send ‘jpeg.’