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Ingenium Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

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White “No. 6” Thresher

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Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday
Address
901 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, ON
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Browse all Visitor Information for Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
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White “No. 6” Thresher

White “No. 6” Thresher

Current Location:

Collection Storage Facility

Provenance:

Acquisition from the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, Ontario, in 1968

History:

George White immigrated to Canada in 1857 and began making farm implements in London, Ontario. As George White & Sons Company Limited, the firm produced traction engines and threshers for the eastern and western Canadian markets. This White Thresher Model “No. 6” bears serial number 4241FJ. The casing has been cut away to expose the thresher’s mechanical operation, suggesting this machine was used for demonstration and marketing purposes.

Technical History:

Threshing machines separate grain from the harvested plant, which is reduced to straw and chaff. The first threshing machines were stationary: powered by hand or treadmill, they increased the amount of grain a farmer could separate in a day. Wheeled threshing machines began to replace stationary threshers in the 1860s and further mechanized grain harvesting. Threshers were initially built of wood and powered by horse-powered windlasses; they were later built of steel and powered by steam traction engines and gas tractors. Threshers were in turn replaced through the twentieth century by combine harvesters, which merged harvesting and threshing operations in one machine.

The White Thresher No. 6 represents the shift in the early twentieth century to all-metal construction, and suggests how technologies overlap, as threshers remained in production while combine harvesters were becoming more popular. You can view this thresher in operation at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFKlVD4vcWQ.

Transcript

This threshing machine has had its side panels removed and is driven by an electric motor for use as a teaching aid by its previous owners, The University of Guelph. We're preparing it for demonstration as part of an upcoming exhibit at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.

In use, the thresher would have been powered by a tractor or a stationary gasoline engine. As it's set up now, it's running at a fraction of its actual operating speed, allowing visitors to see the internal workings clearly and safely.

AGRICULTURE
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
Artifact No.
1968.0634
Manufacturer
George White & Sons Co. Ltd
Manufacturer Location
London, Ontario
Manufacture Date
1935
Acquisition Date
1968
  • View all the collection highlights at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
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About Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
Located on a national heritage site, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is the world’s only working farm in the heart of a capital city.
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Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
901 Prince of Wales Drive
Ottawa ON K2C 3K1
Canada

613-991-3044
1-866-442-4416
contact@IngeniumCanada.org
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  • Plan Your Visit
    • Browse All Visitor Information
    • Buy Tickets
    • Admission
    • Hours
    • Location and Directions
    • Accessibility
    • Health and Safety
    • About the Museum
  • What's On at the Museum
    • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Spaces and Studios
  • Bookings and Rentals
    • School Programs
    • Summer Camps
    • Venue Rentals
    • Travelling Exhibitions
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Group Visits
  • Educational Programs
    • School Programs
    • Host a Program
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Program Location
      • At the Museum
      • At Your School
      • Online
      • Browse all Educational Programs
    • Popular Links
      • 3D Educational Resources
      • Online Resources for Science at Home
      • Digital Learning Kits
      • Games and Apps
      • Recipes
      • Try This Out
  • Collection and Research
    • Research Institute
    • Research Projects
    • Collection Resources
      • Ingenium Collection
      • Collection Highlights
      • Conservation and Collection Services
    • Library and Archives
      • Library and Archives Services
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    • Open Access
      • Ingenium APIs
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      • Open Documents
  • Projects and Initiatives
    • Ingenium Channel
    • Aquaculture Initiatives
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    • Draw with Rob Canada
    • Canola! Seeds of Innovation
    • Food for Health