“When Walter was a small boy, his Saturday  job was to fill the feed bin with ground grain which he operated with horse power.  He also helped operate a horse powered wood saw.”  Esther Stucki

“I remember the deep mud roads, before the day of rock, oiled, or blacktopped roads.” Farmers hauled their hay, grain, and produce to Portland.  The long, steep Cornell Road was a hard pull to the summit for two horses.  So Walter, as a very young boy, would hook a third horse in front of the others to help pull the heavy load of hay to the summit, and then he would take that third horse home.  Sometimes another farmer would come along and ask Walter to hook his horse in front and give him a pull to the top.” Another farmer would have an extra team to help pull him to the top, then he would ask Walter to take his team of horses back to the barn, or to the blacksmith shop.

“These things he did when he should have been in school.” Esther Stucki

Reaper-binder Machine cut the small-grain crop and tied stems into bundles, or sheaves.

Ralph E. Stoffer drives the horses as the grain is cut and bundled. The “small tipi” shapes can be seen in the background. These shapes allowed the grain to dry several days before being threshed.

The steam engine was heated with wood.  The engine would drive the belts to the thresher which would separate the head of the grain from the straw. Then it further separates the kernel.