Back-scratcher for cows!

We're in Ohio and this morning we went to Creek Bend Farm and Wilson Nature Center, just outside Lindsey, OH, http://www.lovemyparks.com/parks/creek_bend_farm

The Overmyer-Waggoner-Roush Farm is an historic farmstead begun in 1862 and is now managed by the Sandusky County Park District. We walked the nature path and encountered this “artifact,” which is unlabeled and unexplained except for the manufacturer's plate at the top.

I took a closer shot of the manufacturer's plate (“inset”) and Googled the name of the device and manufacturer, “Old Scratch.”

Turns out this is — and I swear I am not making this up — a cattle-scratcher!

Old Scratch, Inc. was the name of the company and the owner appeared on the game show, "What's My Line?" back in 1963, http://www.tv.com/shows/whats-my-line/episode-667-97671/ » “Game 1: Mrs. Viola Scott - ‘Makes Back-Scratchers For Cows’ (self-employed; she owns the company ‘Old Scratch Incorporated’; the back-scratcher apparatus also contains tanks that automatically apply an insecticide to the cows; fewer flies result in more contented and happier cows which in turn produce more milk; from Amarillo, TX).”

Old Scratch also turned up in the history of an airstrip, http://www.airfields-freeman.com/TX/Airfields_TX_Amarillo.htm » “According to Jim Foreman, ‘Amarillo Municipal closed around 1950 and a company called Old Scratch bought it to manufacture a machine for cattle to scratch themselves on to get rid of Common Cattle Grubs under the skin on their backs.

When it went out of business, the building was bought by a company to build anhydrous ammonia tanks to store & spread fertilizer.

It was owned by Billy Sol Estes who became more or less famous in his association with Lyndon Johnson and a multi-million dollar scam in which the government financed the tanks for farmers.’”

1 year ago (“Fuzzy silo”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2015-06-24
2 years ago (“One person’s ‘invasive’…”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-06-24
3 years ago (“Widow skimmer”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2013-06-24
4 years ago (“Ghostly Amberwing”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-06-24
5 years ago (“Natural fireworks”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-06-24

[ DSCN0805S9x12APstm :: P&S ]

[GaryW]

My Pawpaw had a homemade one, Cool shot!