The Cradle scythe, also known as the grain cradle, is a modification to a traditional scythe. The traditional scythe, used in the harvest of grain, had the disadvantage of scattering the grains haphazardly in the windrows. This had the effect of making sheaving and threshing the grains difficult and inefficient. The invention of the grain cradle allowed the mower to neatly set the cut grains in the windrow without even having to bend over, saving time and grain in the process. Although it had probably existed in Europe previously, it was first patented in the United States in the early 1800s. The grain cradle remained popular, especially on small farms, until the early 1900s, when it was gradually replaced first by the mechanical thresher and then the combine harvester.