The thresher, or threshing machine, is an agricultural machine that revolutionized the process of threshing wheat, speeding it up considerably, as it has the advantage of performing two complex operations at the same time: detaching the grain from the stalks and removing impurities. Originally appearing in Mendrisiotto only at the beginning of the twentieth century, the first threshers were operated manually by one or more people. Heavy to maneuver, they soon gave way to more modern machines, powered by steam, coal and finally by an electric motor. These machines were privately owned and were made available to farmers for a fee. The process was carried out in public squares where the wheat harvested in the surrounding area converged. The sheaves were inserted into the upper part of the machine and the clean wheat and straw, already separated, were collected at the bottom. The efficiency of the threshers was evident: it took a day and a half to thresh the same amount of wheat that could be beaten in twenty days with a flail. A significant example of this period is the Manghera thresher, currently part of the material heritage preserved in the Museum of Rural Civilization in Stabio. Originally operational in the Sottoceneri, first pulled by oxen, then by a tractor, this thresher moved from Stabio to Lugano, passing through Besazio, Riva San Vitale and Melano. In Stabio, it was positioned near the current railway station. When available, the machine was powered by electricity, otherwise the tractor engine was used. According to the testimony of Mr. Luigi Manghera, the thresher was already active in the 1930s and was used until the 1960s of the last century.