threshing

A threshing machine being used to separate grain from chaff at a small farm close to Esfahan, Iran. In the near-desert conditions of central Iran, irrigation is required to grow crops and fertile land is scarce. Agricultural holdings are small and machines such as the combine harvester, which would thresh as well as cut the grain, are very uncommon.

Agricultural process of separating cereal grains from the plant. Traditionally, the work was carried out by hand in winter months using the flail, a jointed beating stick. Today, threshing is done automatically inside the combine harvester at the time of cutting.

From the late 18th century, through the work of Andrew Meikle and others, machine threshing slowly overtook the flail and made rapid progress after 1850.