harvest

Sequence of agricultural operations connected to the harvesting of ripe grain. The oldest harvesting methods included manual plucking of grain, which was preserved as an emergency method during catastrophically infertile years until the beginning of the 20th century. Grain harvesting was preserved until the end of the 19th century, and even longer in some areas of Slovakia. The sickle was used as a harvesting tool, which was replaced by a sickle and scythe from the 18th century. The harvested or mown grain was placed in bundles (guša, pomitka), which were tied with straw bundles, and in mountainous areas also with wicker bundles. At the beginning of the 20th century, twine began to be used for this in more agriculturally productive areas and in southwestern Slovakia. When tying into straw bundles, a wooden binding pin (krutel, knuteľ) was sometimes used. Sheaves were stacked in three basic forms: horizontal, vertical (used in Slovakia only from the 1880s) and on islands (typical for mountainous areas).