Hello from Hazard!
We had a mystery item and now we have a lone guess for you all to confirm or refute.
Item No. 688 (which we had numbered incorrectly as 686 the first time printed) is about 17 inches long and the rod, which is about a half inch in diameter, is a foot long. The hook at the end is a blade of some sort, sharp on the inside so that it would cut on a pull.
The gap, where the item to be cut would enter the wedge-shaped slot, is about 5/8 of an inch wide. There is also some sort of a guard for when the blade is not in use.
The blade is attached to the rod by two roundhead screws. The handle bears the name “Squanto.”
Frank Raiti of Greenville, Pa., says the item is a hay or straw puller, used in the days when farmers had stacks of hay instead of bales.
Raiti recalls his father having one with a different handle.
Does anyone agree or disagree?
Take another look and let us know what you think: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail: editorial@farmanddairy.com.
