US Patent No. 34,781, granted March 25, 1862 to Gelston Sanford and James E. Mallory of New York, for an improved machine for scutching flax, hemp and similar fiber plants. The specification describes two series of scutching bars mounted on arms on separate hubs without connecting shafts, geared to rotate in opposite directions so the bars pass between each other and alternately bend the fiber bunch. It includes a single claim and a drawing sheet showing the flax brake in several views.