Grain shovel

The grain shovel is one of the basic tools on the old country farm. It was primarily used for transferring cereal grain into storage vessels such as sowing boxes, crates, baskets and sacks. They were used to scrape the grain to the side of the threshing floor during threshing with tacks and to spin the grain, i.e. to separate the grain from the chaff. The grain shovel is actually a heavily indented shovel, with a more rectangular or elongated working section, as in the case of the object described. On the museum piece, attention is drawn to the heavily worn blade of the working part, clearly indicating long-term use of the tool. This is also evidenced by two holes left by fallen knots. The tool was made using artisanal woodworking with tools typical of carpentry, as well as coopering or joinery: axe, concave chisel, various types of planers and knives. Accurate collection of all grains during farm work in a traditional agricultural culture, with a constant shortage of raw materials, was very important. Little changed even in the 19th century with the introduction of new cropping systems and technical inventions such as the cultivator, the mower, the threshing machine, and the agricultural implements previously used were improved. Iwona Karwowska