Massey-Harris No. 21, 1942, Self-Propelled Combine

The third set of Historic Land Vehicles stamps - to be issued once again in a souvenir sheet format - depicts farm and frontier vehicles, including three used on farms and three used in off-road conditions. Massey-Harris Company Limited revolutionized harvesting in 1938 with the world's first self-propelled combine - the No. 20. Unfortunately, it was too heavy and expensive for extensive mass production. However, it served as a guide for the building of the lighter and cheaper No. 21, which was tested in 1940 and put on sale in 1941. It was ideal for many farms and being small and compact, could be loaded on a truck, making it possible for operators to follow the harvest from south to north. In 1944, permission was given to build 550 units above the imposed wartime production quota. They were used by the famous "Harvest Brigade" which achieved records that could not have been matched by using any other machine. The "Brigade" was continued in 1945, and was followed by the "Famine Fighter" program of 1946.