Today in 1956, US Patent 2750945 A was issued, an invention of Millard E. Crowley, for his “Hop-Picking Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Having set forth the invention broadly, included among the objects thereof are the following: to provide a hop picking machine capable of the simultaneous raking of hops from vines and short arms; to provide apparatus capable of multi-directional combing of hop vines and arms; to combine in a single machine, functions heretofore deemed characteristic of separate machines, as well as, to produce additional functions without the necessity of employing all parts required by the separate machines; to combine in a single machine, capable of continuous operation over extended time intervals, the functions of hop vine and arm picking; and to provide a short arm picker per se capable of optimum picking action.