I come from a long line of expressive individuals who use old sayings in conversations, many times at the expense of showing my age. "Separating wheat from the chaff," is one of them. In fact the expression actually appeared for perhaps the first time in the New Testament of the Bible, Matthew 3:12.
Separating wheat from chaff immediately came to mind the other day when I came across a fading photograph of an old fanning mill developed in the late 1800's by W. A. Gerolamy of nearby Tara. In the fanning-mill business at the time, he set about making improvements to the process of fanning and eventually created a new machine destined to become world famous.
In fact the heavy piece of fanning equipment (seen above) actually won prizes at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and the Paris World's Fair in 1900.
Looking back through history it is evident that innovation like this has not, and never has been, limited to Silicon Valley and futuristic sci-fi-inspired prototypes. Innovation is often born out of necessity and has gone part and parcel with rural, small community life where a practical need and independence have had a habit of intersecting.
The mother of invention, as it were.
Gerolamy's separating wheat from the chaff machine is currently on display at the Bruce County Museum and Culture Centre in Southampton.
I've got to go see it!
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