What were tractors like in 1890?

Tractors as we know them today didn't exist in 1890. The concept of a self-propelled engine for agriculture was still in its very early stages.

Here's what you *could* find in 1890 related to agricultural machinery:

* Steam-powered traction engines: These were large, cumbersome machines primarily used for hauling heavy loads, threshing grain, and providing power for stationary machinery. They weren't typically used for plowing or other field work due to their size and complexity.

* Horse-drawn implements: The vast majority of agricultural work was still done by horses, mules, and oxen. Farmers used various horse-drawn implements like plows, harrows, reapers, and threshing machines.

* Early experiments: Some inventors were experimenting with gasoline engines for agricultural use, but these were very experimental and unreliable. The first successful gasoline-powered tractor was not built until 1892.

So, while tractors didn't exist in the way we think of them in 1890, the seeds of the tractor revolution were being sown through experimentation and development of steam-powered engines.