Threshing Stone
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A threshing stone is a roller-like tool used for the
threshing Threshing or thrashing is the process of loosening the edible part of grain (or other crop) from the straw to which it is attached. It is the step in grain preparation after reaping. Threshing does not remove the bran from the grain. History of ...
of
wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
. Similar to the use of threshing boards, the stone was pulled by horses over a circular pile of harvested wheat on a hardened dirt surface ( threshing floor), and the rolling stone knocked the grain from the head of wheat. The
straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry wikt:stalk, stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the crop yield, yield by weight of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, ry ...
was removed from the pile and the remaining grain and
chaff Chaff (; ) is dry, scale-like plant material such as the protective seed casings of cereal grains, the scale-like parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw. Chaff cannot be digested by humans, but it may be fed to livestock, ploughed into soil ...
was collected. By a process called
winnowing Winnowing is a process by which chaff is separated from grain. It can also be used to remove pests from stored grain. Winnowing usually follows threshing in grain preparation. In its simplest form, it involves throwing the mixture into the ...
, the grain was tossed into the air to allow the chaff and dirt to be blown away, leaving only the grain.


History

Evidence of the use of threshing stones in various forms date from the Roman era, but eventually it became the method of threshing grain by the
Molotschna Molotschna Colony or Molochna Colony was a Russian Mennonite settlement in what is now Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine. Today, the central village, known as Molochansk, has a population less than 10,000. The settlement is named after the Molochna R ...
Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
farmers in
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
from about 1840 to 1900. The threshing stone became the preferred method used to knock the grain from the head because it was less labor-intensive than the use of the traditional threshing flail. In the 1870s, approximately one-third of all
Russian Mennonite The Russian Mennonites ( it. "Russia Mennonites", i.e., Mennonites of or from the Russian Empire are a group of Mennonites who are the descendants of Dutch and North German Anabaptists who settled in the Vistula delta in West Prussia for about ...
s immigrated to the
Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
of North America. The immigrants in central
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
brought the threshing stone technology with them, and contracted
stone mason In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...
s in the
Florence, Kansas Florence is a city in Marion County, Kansas, Marion County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 394. The city was named after the daughter of the List of governors of Kansas, ...
area to construct stones made of
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
. The use of threshing stones quickly faded as they were superseded by mechanized forms of threshing, especially by
threshing machine A threshing machine or a thresher is a piece of agricultural machinery, farm equipment that separates grain seed from the plant stem, stalks and husks. It does so by beating the plant to make the seeds fall out. Before such machines were developed ...
s, and eventually all farmers quit using them by around 1900 to 1905.


Physical description

The threshing stone is a
cylindrical A cylinder () has traditionally been a Solid geometry, three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a Prism (geometry), prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may ...
stone with teeth carved into it. Stones made in
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
were approximately 29 to 30 inches long, 23 to 24 inches in diameter, with 7 notches (and rarely 8) resembling
gear A gear or gearwheel is a rotating machine part typically used to transmit rotational motion and/or torque by means of a series of teeth that engage with compatible teeth of another gear or other part. The teeth can be integral saliences or ...
teeth, made of
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
, and 600 to 800 pounds in weight. Some smaller stones may weigh less than 400 pounds.


Locations

In 2011, over 90 threshing stones have been located. Numerous stones in
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
are located at private residences as family historic artifacts. The following is a list of locations where threshing stones may be viewed by the public. Museums: * 4 at Zmeinogorsk Museum of Mining in Zmeinogorsk (Russia). * 3 at Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum in
Goessel, Kansas Goessel is a city in Marion County, Kansas, Marion County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 556. The city was named after Captain :de:Kurt von Goessel, Kurt von Goessel (1 ...
. * 3 at Mennonite Settlement Museum in Hillsboro, Kansas. * 2 at Kauffman Museum at Bethel College in
North Newton, Kansas North Newton is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,814. It is located between the north side of the city of Newton (separate entity) and the south side of Interstate I-1 ...
. * 2 at Inman Museum in Inman, Kansas. * 2 at Mennonite Heritage Village in
Steinbach, Manitoba Steinbach () is the List of cities in Manitoba, third-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada, and with a population of 17,806, the largest community in the Eastman Region, Manitoba, Eastman region. The city, located about southeast of ...
, Canada. * 1 at Halstead Heritage Museum in
Halstead, Kansas Halstead is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. Halstead was named in honor of Murat Halstead, a respected Civil War correspondent and newspaper editor. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,179. History F ...
. * 1 at McPherson Museum in
McPherson, Kansas McPherson ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 14,082. The city is named after Union (American Civil War), Union General ...
. * 1 at Kansas Museum of History in
Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...
. * 1 at American Historical Society of Germans from Russia in
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...
. Various: * 4 at Buhler High School in Buhler, Kansas. * 2 at Administration Building and Bookstore at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. * 1 at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church near Goessel, Kansas. * 1 in Mennonite Centennial Memorial Monument in Peabody, Kansas.


Other uses

The ''Thresher'' is the official mascot of Bethel College in
North Newton, Kansas North Newton is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,814. It is located between the north side of the city of Newton (separate entity) and the south side of Interstate I-1 ...
and named after the threshing stone.


References


Further reading

* ''Leave No Threshing Stone Unturned''; Glen Ediger; 192 pages; 2012; .


External links


Top questions about Threshing Stones
History:
Threshing Stone History

Researching Threshing Stones
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Threshing Stone photos

Inman Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Threshing stone Harvest Agricultural terminology Agricultural machinery History of agriculture German-Russian culture in the United States Mennonitism in Ukraine