I think the traditional understanding was that there are two types of cutting - - a scissor action via a reel and fixed bedknife. - a cutting/slash action via a moving blade.
Lawn mowing involves a certain 'grooming' for aesthetic reasons. The obvious thing is to consider a scythe as a slasher - an agricultural tool not capable of being a true lawn mower. Historically, that view is not true.
Scythes used for Grooming Scythes used in grass cutting were a different species altogether. In Australia's Quarter Acre by Peter Timms there is a good description of scythes used for genuine grooming:
"The lawn as we know it�an area of mown grass maintained primarily for its aesthetic benefits�came into being with the advent of the so-called English natural garden in the 18th century, with Lancelot �Capability� Brown bringing it to its most flamboyant expression. Brown�s vast expanses demanded a phenomenal amount of work. The scythers had to be up before dawn, sharpening their blades so as to be out before the dew dispersed, because scything gives the best result when grass is damp. They could adjust the height of the cut with great accuracy by either adding leather pads to the soles of their boots or removing them. As they slashed, the residue was removed to one side with hay rakes. Then came sweepers with besoms (twig brooms) to gather the windrows into piles so that women with baskets, following behind, could gather the clippings to be put into a cart. Between cuttings, the grass had to be rolled, weeded and poled (to remove worm-castings and animal droppings). Therefore, like the elaborate parterres of the French formal garden, the English aristocrats� sweeping parklands announced�although admittedly with far more subtlety and �lan�that a lot of people depended upon them for a living."
This was a complicated lawn mower [leather pads for height adjustment!]. You ended up with a nice groomed lawn - but the cost was enormous, and only available to the very wealthy who could afford it.
Here is a YouTube video of a scythe in action:-
[video][/video]
It is my view that the invention of the reel and then the rotary lawn mowers led to the democratisation of the lawn - working class people could finally turn their grass into lawn as mowers became cheaper and more widely available.
The rest is history. --------------------------------------- JACK
