The mower is ready! This craftsman brings the scythe back into fashion

Durbuy (Belgium), report

In the lower part of the garden, dotted with islands of vegetation suitable for certain species, Petr, with a beret on his head and a checkered shirt on his back, demonstrates mowing with a scythe under a thin curtain of rain. First with the Ardennes crank, which he designed himself. “ I like it, it’s just so simple, a little archaic », he said. Then with the Austrian model, “ more suitable for mountains ». With a quick and confident movement, the mower traces the arcs in front of it, swinging its trunk from right to left, elbow slightly bent. The metal caresses the grass, which instantly bends the spine. After five minutes, Petr pulls out a bunch of grass, wipes the still wet blade, which he sharpens with a stone. “ In Belgium, the ancients added homemade vinegar, the acidity of which increased the bite of the stone »says Peter.

From its workshop, the reaper brings out a special stool with a rounded seat, stuck at the end with a large-headed anvil. He sits down, places the blade on the metal and begins hammering the bevel. It then alternates with a portable model with a narrow head, which it pushes directly into the ground. “ If the metal moves a little, it’s good », comments. This technique, called “ thrashing »allows you to keep your tool sharp.

A man and a scythe

Since 2010, Peter de Schepper has been running mowing courses for groups of eight people every year from May to September throughout Wallonia. Individuals owning a piece of lawn, independents in parks and gardens, farmers tending several hectares of land, groups of citizens creating a forest garden… The profile of trainees varies, as does age.

He and his wife Christina also sell cutting equipment, imported mainly from Italy and Austria, two countries renowned for their know-how in this area. “ This is an area where it is important to advise and not just sell to make money. »points out Christina, who takes the time to guide customers by email and phone.

After living in Ireland and several Gandhian communities in the south of France, the American-Flemish couple settled in this Ardennes village in 2003. “ We made the house ourselves, using as much recycling as possible. », Christina reveals, with solar energy. Self-taught and skilled in old-fashioned woodworking, Peter built a traditional mortise and tenon frame. A neighboring workshop, built in advance, served as a prototype. Today, a craftsman there makes various wooden objects without a motor or electricity with arm strength and hand tools.

In addition to the chopping equipment, he sells his works through the micro-enterprise Le Pic vert, which owes its name to the common hammerbird in the area, but also to the material Peter uses to make some of his pieces, green wood from local forests and small-diameter trees for heating.

His love affair with the scythe began in 1988. When Peter left the suburbs of Antwerp, where he grew up, to live in the countryside. “ I didn’t want a motor vehicle on a lot with grass borders. », he says, sitting on a rocking chair shaped by his hands in a living room with a cozy atmosphere. Then he bought a scythe at the hardware store, he used it to cut the grass, but… “ it didn’t work very well ». “ I didn’t know the potential of this tool yet. »

A few years later, he and Christina rented a cottage in the Ardennes with more space for mowing. One day at a festival of old crafts, Peter saw a man beating an anvil with a scythe. “ I asked him what he was doing, he showed me his very sharp blade. At that moment, my light bulb came on »the man confides in his soft voice.

By observing, reading and practicing with the elders, Peter improved his technique and expanded his knowledge on the subject. His part-time job at the tourist office, where he took care of green maintenance, even allowed him to pay for his practice. “ In the forests, brambles and nettles had to be removed for pedestrians. The other two workers did it with a brushcutter, I with a scythe. I went as fast as they did »Peter smiled.

A more economical and ecological tool

For more than two millennia, the scythe was common in our countryside, used for mowing, haying and harvesting cereals. “ Before that, farmers did everything with a scythe. Then the horses came and took the tractors », Peter summarizes. If in the last century a few furriers still mowed to feed their animals, these animals stopped passing on their knowledge, especially threshing. “ The gesture got worse, we chopped the herbs rather than cutting them. The scythe has earned a bad reputation. » THE “ machinery »as well as the mower and brushcutter, considered more efficient, then became necessary.

In fact, the scythe has nothing to envy its mechanized colleagues. It even has several advantages: “ The machine weighs, emits exhaust gases, creates unpleasant vibrations. While the scythe is lighter, you only need a sharpener around your waist », notes Peter. The scythe is also more “ pleasant » than the bushwhacker and his whole army. “ When you are equipped as if you are going to war, people don’t dare to come near. We can have a few words with the scythe. »

According to several studies and restoration programs conducted around the world, traditional mowing is the best way to promote biodiversity in grassland management. However, it is important to respect certain rules, such as “ leave at least 10 % of refuge areas » and don’t cut too close.

For those who want to make hay, “ it is possible to reconcile performance and ecology », Peter assures. How ? “ By staggering your mowing season so you don’t shave everything at once and leave food for other species. » Finally, contrary to popular belief, mowing with a scythe does not necessarily take longer than mowing with a machine. “ As long as you learn the proper technique »warns the expert.

Goal: spread the scythe across the entire territory

Since Peter has been training to cut, “ the only one who teaches this knowledge in Wallonia », demands from all sides. In order to respond to the requests for internships, which increase every year, the couple made a decision in 2020: to train more trainers.

“ Our goal is that those who want to learn how to hack do not have to travel hundreds of kilometers »Christina explains. “ Network development is also a way to increase the visibility of the scythe », Peter adds. Success was achieved there as well. “ We expected to have 1 or 2 people, just enough to take over. In the end, we had around fifteen requests ! » Christina rejoices.

Each training is tailor-made depending on the level and goal of the trainee. Only two people have completed the training so far, but more will follow soon. Enough for Peter to take a breather and have time to devote himself to his other pursuits: artisan carpenter… and peasant woodcutter. “ I chop trees with an ax and would like to volunteer in nature reserves. To try and enjoy… »