Farmers in Morris adapted with Yankee ingenuity. Over time, they lowered overhead by reducing the number of workers they needed; they employed new technologies — substituted mechanical reapers and mowers for scythe and cradle, for instance. With better machinery, they could retire their oxen and use horses for work — animals that then doubled as transportation. Later, in the 1900s, trucks and tractors replaced horses. Other innovations — electrical milking machines, refrigeration for milk, for instance — continued to improve efficiency and productivity.