At first, lawnmowers were machines consisting of a cylinder with blades. Remarkably similar to those with manual propulsion that exist nowadays. As they evolved, they caught the tall stem of the grass and pressed it against a fixed barrier, producing a smooth cut. More than ten years later, it was adapted so that animals were responsible for generating movement, thus significantly reducing human wear and tear. In 1883 a patent was filed for a steam-powered lawnmower. This allowed covering almost ten times more area per hour, which was more effective than using animal-pulled lawnmowers and nearly 30 times faster than manual grass trimmers. They were still not very efficient as they used kerosene to heat the water and could take a long time to steam.