Today in 1954, US Patent 2677378 A was issued, an invention of Florian F. Dauenhauer, for his “Method and Apparatus for Picking Hops.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that his “present invention relates to improvements in a method and apparatus for picking hops.”
An object of this invention is to provide an improved method of picking hops from vines, assuring a thorough removal of the hops, with out damaging the hops. More specifically stated, the vines are formed into wave-like configurations, defining alternate crests and valleys extending lengthwise of the vines.
The waves thus formed are advanced lengthwise of the vines to continually replace crests by valleys and vice versa, thereby undulating the vines in first one direction and then the other for causing pendulum-like movements and exposure of the hops by the continual weaving of the vines. The hops are removed during the undulating of the vines.
Moreover, the method employs the progressive increasing of the amplitudes of the waves as the hops are picked. Also, crests and valleys of the waves are interchanged abruptly as the picking of the hops continue, and the branches of the vines are spread out laterally to expose hops and preclude the vines from matting.