Hello from Hazard!
We heard from three readers who quickly knew how Item No. 1076 was used. It’s a horse nose basket, or mouth basket, fastened to a bridle and used to cover a horse’s mouth while harvesting grain fields by horse-drawn equipment, so the horse couldn’t eat the grain.
The basket was needed only on the inside horse, alongside the uncut crop, adds Jacob Mast, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, who farms with horses and still uses one. Other readers who knew how it was used were Mrs. Abe M. Yoder, of Dundee, Ohio, and Urie S. Byler, of Quaker City, Ohio, who has also used one while farming.
Longtime reader Wayne Cooper of Fombell, Pennsylvania, submitted the photo.
We’ll dip into another photo from Cooper for Item No. 1077. Think you know how this tool was used? Email your responses to editorial@farmanddairy.com; or respond by mail to: Hazard a Guess, c/o Farm and Dairy, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460.
Do you have something in your kitchen, basement, shed or barn that you think would be a good item for Hazard a Guess? Send us a photo or attach a digital file to an email. Be sure to include complete dimensions and description, including markings, as well as an explanation of how the item was used. Send photos to the contact information listed above.
Item No 1077 is used to staple bows on a purse or shoes. My father had one in his shoe repair shop back in 1950-60’s