Take a trip in Mr. Peabody’s “way-back machine” from the cartoon “Rocky and Bullwinkle,” a hit in the 1960s, and stop in 1915. The best guess of historians puts production of this threshing machine between 1913 and 1920.

Farmers could throw in bundles and collect a wagonload of oats or wheat. It replaced flailing grain by hand.

Who made this machine? Here’s a clue. While the company is no longer in business, it was a major ag equipment manufacturer of the day. Numerous obscure, short-lived companies also made threshers.

Send your guess to [email protected], or mail to 599 N., 100 W., Franklin, IN 46131. Please include your mailing address. One entry from all correct entries will receive a $25 gift card.

Identify the stove

Who made the cook stove pictured in the December issue and online? Only a couple of people knew: the New Perfection Co.

What fuel did it burn? Several readers correctly said kerosene. Some said coal oil, and for contest purposes, that was accepted. Purists would say the two aren’t the same. However, early pioneers and farmers often used the terms interchangeably.

Here’s why. According to Wikipedia, coal oil is a shale oil obtained through distillation of canned coal, mineral wax or bituminous shale. Kerosene today is produced from liquid petroleum. However, here’s where confusion lies. Kerosene was first derived from canned coal, classified as terrestrial oil shale. Wikipedia notes that even after kerosene production shifted to petroleum as the feedstock, some still referred to it as coal oil.

Congratulations to Barbara Neuenschwander, Pennville, Ind., recipient of a gift card.