Poets, artists and songwriters, have for many years have observed the annual harvest period. A major agricultural point in the year celebrated culturally and socially, especially in our earlier times. The time of the year to gather in the results of seeds sown months before as the Summer comes to an end is joyous and melancholic all at the same time.
The symbolism of the harvest has been evident across many of our societies for thousands of years and used in some famous sayings –
‘Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant’
(Robert Louis Stevenson)
‘You reap what you sow’ – meaning your actions have consequences. Generally thought to originate from Galatians 6:7 in The New Testament – “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”.
There are metaphors for being patient too. A Chinese proverb is ‘pulling up a crop to help it grow’ and is about an impatient man being eager to see his rice seedlings grow quickly. So he would pull up each plant a few inches and was happy that his crop seemed to have ‘grown’ taller. But his joy was short-lived as the next day, the plants had begun to wither because their roots were no longer deep. This can be likened to another popular saying – ‘haste makes waste’.
Reflect on this special time of year reading the poem by Hilaire Belloc and enjoy the photos of a time of harvest caught in vintage photos we have put together from our vast archive that show traditional farming methods and the advent and use of new machinery.
‘September’
By Hilaire Belloc
Lo! a ripe sheaf of many golden days
Gleaned by the year in autumn’s harvest ways,
With here and there, blood-tinted as an ember,
Some crimson poppy of a late delight
Atoning in its splendor for the flight
Of summer blooms and joys
This is September.
Agriculture, Farmers harvesting hay with an oxcart, Engadine, Grisons, Switzerland, Historical, around 1900. (credit: Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group) 
Farmer standing in Field of Wheat, during Harvest, Nebraska, USA, Warren K. Leffler, US News & World Report Magazine Collection, July 1959 (credit: Circa Images/GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group) 
Manure Spreader Followed by Tractor Plowing Sod, near Omaha, Nebraska, Magic Lantern Slide, circa 1910. (credit: Robert Zash Studio/Glasshouse Images/Universal Images Group) 
Farmers Harvesting and Loading Silage Corn, Wisconsin, USA, Magic Lantern Slide, circa 1915. (credit: Robert Zash Studio/Glasshouse Images/Universal Images Group) 
Two Men in Cornfield, Kansas, USA, Magic Lantern Slide, circa 1910. (credit: Robert Zash Studio/Glasshouse Images/Universal Images Group) 
Handling Alfalfa Hay with Hay Loader on Farm of William Jennings Bryan, near Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, Magic Lantern Slide, circa 1910. (credit: Robert Zash Studio/Glasshouse Images/Universal Images Group) 
Threshing Wheat, Red River Valley, North Dakota, USA, Magic Lantern Slide, circa 1910. (credit: Robert Zash Studio/Glasshouse Images/Universal Images Group) 
Lemont, Illinois: August 4, 1942. Sister Mary Othelia drives one of the Mount Asissi Convent’s tractors across the fields where the nuns do all of the planting and harvesting on the 100 acre farm. (credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group) 
Victorian trade card for Ruddy Harvester Oil – The Farmers Friend. A woman shows she daughter the oil can and points to the farmer, dad, on the thresher gathering bales of wheat, 1889 (credit: Buyenlarge/Universal Images Group) 
Bill Stagg, Homesteader, Harvesting his Pinto Beans, Pie Town, New Mexico, USA, Russell Lee for Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information, October 1940. (credit: Circa Images/GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group) 
Lemont, Illinois: August 4, 1942. Two of the nuns at at the Mount Asissi Convent head across the oat fields of the 100 acre farm with scythe and rake to do the harvesting. (credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group) 
Hauling crates of peaches from the orchard to the shipping shed, Delta County, Colo September 1940. (credit: HUM Images/Universal Images Group) 
Plowing Prairie Soil with Tractor, South Dakota, USA, Magic Lantern Slide, circa 1910. (credit: Robert Zash Studio/Glasshouse Images/Universal Images Group) 
Hauling crates of peaches from the orchard to the shipping shed, Delta County, Colo. September 1940. (credit: HUM Images/Universal Images Group) 
Farmer Harvesting new corn New Mexico October 1940. (credit: HUM Images/Universal Images Group) 
Tractor Drawing Double Disc and 3 Section Tooth Harrows, South Dakota, USA, Magic Lantern Slide, circa 1910. (credit: Robert Zash Studio/Glasshouse Images/Universal Images Group) 
Farmer on horse-drawn Digger on Small Farm near Caribou, Maine, USA, Jack Delano, U.S. Farm Security Administration, U.S. Office of War Information Photograph Collection, October 1940. (credit: Circa Images/GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group) 
Display of food for the Salvation Army Harvest Festival at Wealdstone, Salvation Army Harvest Festival (title on object), Hebblewhite (mentioned on object), Wealdstone, c. 1920 – c. 1930. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group) 
Harvest, exhibition poster, Ludwig Hohlwein, Hamburg 1935. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group) 
Raalte. Stoppelhaenefeest. Harvest festival, offering sheaves of corn, August 25, 1955. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group) 
Orange harvest in South Africa. (credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group) 
Ile-De-Sein. French department: 29 – Finistere. Region: Brittany. Postcard End of 19th century – beginning of 20th century. (credit: Photo12/Universal Images Group) 
Cherry harvest festival in Mierlo, July 1, 1951. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group) 
Harvest festival in Lier Westland. The grape princess with court ladies or fruit corso, September 1, 1963. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group) 
Harvest Festival in Raalte. Farmer’s dancers, August 21, 1952. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group) 
Raalte. Stoppelhaenefeest. Harvest festival, parade of boxcar, August 25, 1955. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group) 
Having a break, cereal harvest at Altmuehltal valley, Germany 1930s. (credit: United Archives/Universal Images Group) 
Cereal harvest at Altmuehltal valley, Germany 1930s. (credit: United Archives/Universal Images Group) 
Farmers doing the hay harvest, East Prussia, Germany 1930s. (credit: United Archives/Universal Images Group) 
Farmers harvesting hay at Wesfalia, Germany 1930s. (credit: United Archives/Universal Images Group) 
Farmer family harvesting grain, Germany 1930s. (credit: United Archives/Universal Images Group) 
Agriculture, Gathering and cutting the mulberry leaves for silkworm breeding, 1860, Japan. (credit: Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group) 
Tea plantation, cultivation and harvesting of tea, around 1870, Japan. (credit: Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group) 
Harvesting ears of grain; gleaning, hay wagon, haystack, 1945. (credit: RDB/Dukas/Universal Images Group) 
Dance at the harvest festival La Benichon in Treyvaux, 1943. (credit: RDB/Dukas/Universal Images Group) 
Potato field, potato harvest in the city centre; 1942. (credit: RDB/Dukas/Universal Images Group) 
Grape harvest in Castagnole, Monferrato, 1958 (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
Harvesting 1960. (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
Combine harvesters in a wheat field in Manitoba, Canada. Circa 1955. (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
Rice treshing in a farm near Vercelli 1958. (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
Rice harvesting in the countryside of Vercelli 1958. (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
Wheat harvesting 1960 in Buonconvento, Italy. (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
Wheat harvesting 1955. (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
Harvesting 1940. (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
A series of images about port wine production in Portugal c 1960 – people harvesting grapes in baskets. (credit: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group) 
A series of images about port wine production in Portugal c 1960 – people harvesting grapes on steep hillside terraces. (credit: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group) 
Rice harvest in China. 1930-1950. (credit: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group) 
Through sorghum from a field, Photo by Martynov, Art album Manchuria, Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Martynov’s edition, Golike and Vilborg Partnership, St. Petersburg, 1906. (credit: Photobureau/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group) 
Anders Beer Wilse, The Potato Harvester Autumn Mood 5/9 1908. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group) 
Anders Beer Wilse, Kornaker, 1929. (credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group)
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Sources
ymi.today/2015/02/odb-chinese-proverbs/
https://www.poetrysoup.com/hilaire_belloc
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robert_louis_stevenson_101230