Pitchfork

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

This article is about the tool. For the online music magazine see Pitchfork Media.

A pitchfork next to a compost bin

Pitching hay

A pitchfork is a tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines (also called prongs) used to lift and throw loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, or other agricultural products. Pitchforks typically have from 2 to 6 tines and have different lengths and spacing depending on purpose.

The pitchfork has also frequently been used as a weapon by those who couldn't afford or didn't have access to more expensive weapons such as swords, or, later, guns. As a result, pitchforks are stereotypically carried by angry mobs or gangs of enraged peasants.

A spading fork (sometimes called a garden fork or graip) is another tool that is forklike and is sometimes also mistakenly called a pitchfork; it is used for loosening and lifting soil in a garden or farm and is used similarly to a spade. Its tines are usually shorter than for a pitchfork, are flat and wide rather than thin and round, and are more closely spaced. The handle is shorter than for a pitchfork and usually has a D handle. This fork is also useful for lifting potatoes from the ground.

In Europe, the pitchfork was first used in the early Middle Ages, at about the same time as the harrow. The pitchfork was originally made entirely of wood; today, the tines are usually made of hard metal.

Because of its association with peasantry, the pitchfork is often a populist symbol and part of the nickname of populist leaders, thus:

• "Pitchfork Ben" (Benjamin Tillman)
• "Pitchfork Pat" (Pat Buchanan)