Hazard A Guess: Week of Jan. 22, 2009

Hello from Hazard!

First, a gentle correction of terms from reader Willis J. McCurley of New Castle, Pa., on Item No. 851, which was identified as a hay knife. It is, in fact, called a hay “fork,” used to pull loose hay from the wagon to the hay mow (in the days before bales when hay was hauled in loose).

McCurley, who admits to using this tool “many, many times” back in his younger days, explains that the hay fork is pushed down into the hay and the handle pushed to spread the points. There is an offset in the blades at the bottom, which kept the hay from falling off. After the hay was pulled into the mow, a trip rope was pulled, returning the blades to a closed position, dropping the hay.

He adds that this hay fork was replaced by the more efficient double harpoon fork (which Hazard has also featured).

Many thanks to Willis for his explanation and correction. And just thinking about making hay is enough to warm us on this ultra-chilly day!

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Kathy Breychak of Blue Egg Farm was our lone guesser on Item No. 853, and she wonders if it’s a cattle or sheep horn remover.

We’ll show it here one more week to see if anyone agrees (owner Daryl Fink of Salem, Ohio, confesses he doesn’t know how it was used). It measures about 6 inches and we’ll even include a tip: It contains the embossed information: “Pat. Feb 22 76”.

Write to: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail to: editorial@farmanddairy.com.

And if you’ve got a Hazard-ous item in your shed, barn or basement, send us a photo or digital photo file, along with a complete description of the item and its use. You can use the contact information above, or even send a photo via our Web site.