66 Leslie M. Scott
commonly employed and every immigrant planned either to bring horses with him or to obtain them at his destination in Oregon. The Middle West horses, evolved from 200 years of rough pioneer life, were a vigorous breed and were much improved through successive breeding in the Pacific North- west. A good stallion came across the plains in 1843 with Jcrfm G. Baker, a native of Kentucky. This animal, while not a thoroughbred, was a high class one. Another Ken- tucky stallion came across in 1851 with S. D. Ruddell from Missouri, and was taken to Thurston County, Washington, the next year. It may be in point to say that just as Ken- tucky sent to Oregon through Illinois and Missouri a large part of its pioneer settlers, so also it sent horses, and these horses, like the citizens, were most valuable in the progress of the country.
IX.
It may be appropriate here to note the methods of pioneer harvesting in Old Oregon, inasmuch as the prepress of farm machinery always keeps pace with, or precedes, the growth of an agricultural community. As may be supposed, the old- time hand sickle and flails were in use in the earliest time. The first cradles for mowing were brought by Jason Lee in 1840, on the ship Lausanne, from New York. There were three types of cradles in pioneer times: the "turkey-wing," with handle almost straight; the "muley/* with handle somewhat crooked; the "grapevine," with handle much bent. Some of the latter type are still in use. Late in the 50s the first mow- ing machines appeared and in the early 60s they had come into general use. The threshing machine arrived nearly a decade earlier. Thomas Otchin had one near Hillsboro in 18S0. Chaff pilers were employed early. Dr. Whitman had one in operation at Waiilatpu, near Walla Walla, in 1846. The first chaflf piler at Puget Sound was made by Isaac Wood and sons, and used four and one-half miles east of 01)mipia, in 1855. George W. Bush, the leader in farming at Puget Sounds introduced the first mower and reaper in 1856. Nathan
