American Farm

Cane mills are used to squeeze the juice from sorghum cane or sugar cane. The extracted juice is then reduced to a syrup in a suitable evaporator pan. Many communities had at least one such cane mill to provide a source of corn syrup and sorghum for the kitchen. Eventually, most of this work was taken over by commercial refiners. But even today, a few cane mills remain for the annual production of these products. As with many kinds of farm equipment, cane mills and related items have almost no value to someone uninterested in them, but have substantial value to those who wish to perpetuate and preserve the art.

Prior to the 1880s, cane mills were rarely found on farms. Commercial establishments were found in nearby towns. Aside from animal power, there was no way to operate the crushing rolls, unlike commercial establishments with steam engines. Companies like Blymyer probably were established around a foundry business, making the heavy cane mill a natural addition.

By the 1880s, several companies were offering cane mills, sometimes calling them sorghum mills. This one was made by N.O. Nelson & Co., St. Louis. It was a powered mill and could be driven either by attaching a belt pulley to the countershaft or by driving it from the tumbling rod on a horsepower.

An 1887 advertisement shows the Pioneer Cane Mill as built by George K. Oyler Co., St. Louis. This one was attached to four sturdy posts set in the ground. The large casting at the very top carried one or two sweep arms. One or more horses was hooked to the sweeps and walking “round-and-round,” they turned the massive iron rolls.

In an 1887 issue of Farm Machinery, an extensive article detailed the various makes and models of cane mills built in St. Louis. Included was The St. Louis, made by Alex. Magee & Co. Rather than use vertical rolls, this one featured horizontal crushing rolls. Sweep arms were attached to the large gear atop the mill, and the horsepower used to operate the mill was genuine animate horsepower.

A 1907 advertisement details the vertical cane mill from Cook Cane Mill & Evaporator Co., St. Louis. During the 1880s, the Cook mill and the Cook evaporator appear to have been built and sold by Geo. K. Oyler Co., St. Louis, with Cook eventually coming to dominate the market. Thousands of these mills were built, but only a few remain. The sorghum cane was first stripped of its leaves and heads and the stalks were fed through the rolls. The offal came out the other side, while the sweet juices were caught in a vessel below.

A 1922 catalog of Cook Cane Mill & Evaporator Co., illustrates numerous sizes and styles of cane mills, with this Superior model being one of the largest. Squeezing all the juice from the cane required considerable power, but by the 1920s this could be derived from various sources. Eventually, the popularity of the home-made product declined and commercially produced syrups came to a dominant position.

By the 1880s, Cook’s Rocking Portable Evaporator was an established product. The operator was constantly busy stoking the fire and skimming the foam and offal from the surface of the boiling syrup. During this process, the volume of the juice was reduced by perhaps 90%. Finally, the entire unit could be rocked or tilted slightly and the finished sorghum could be released from a convenient tap on the side of the pan.

For permanent locations, Cooks’ Stationary Evaporator could be set up, using either the best quality of galvanized steel or even better, a cold-rolled copper pan. Gates were used to regulate the flow of juice, and, as the juice boiled down in its section, it was transferred to the next and so on, until finally being released into waiting barrels and finally into jars. The first cold autumn day was an ideal time to sample the new batch of sorghum over a platter of buckwheat pancakes!

While not truly a farm implement, small cement mixers became very popular in the early 1900s. No longer did farmers have to rely on plank or stone floors; they could now mix concrete by themselves for enduring walls, floors or for other purposes. With the development of the cement mixer, it was but a short time until there were a few in almost every community. When it came time for a major concrete job, everyone pitched in to help. Although drum mixers are still made at the present time, the older machines, especially those with their own gasoline engine, can oftentimes bring several hundred dollars. However, in these cases, the buyer usually places much more value on the engine than on the mixer itself.

An unusual cement mixer design was the 20th century, offered in 1912 by Cherokee Manufacturing Co., Cherokee, Iowa. This one dry-mixed the materials for the first six feet of travel, at which point water was added for the final part of the mix. When it emerged at the rear of the machine, the concrete dropped into waiting wheelbarrows. According to advertising of the time, the company used its own engine, an example of which is shown in this illustration.

Cement Tile Machinery Co., Waterloo, Iowa, helped popularize the cement mixer with this 1913 version. The drum was loaded with sand, gravel, cement and water in certain proportions; after a short mixing time, it was ready to be discharged into a waiting wheelbarrow. The engine appears to have come from Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co., in Waterloo.

Continuous mixers enjoyed a certain popularity (as shown by this Majestic from Hartman Co., Chicago. This $40 outfit was illustrated in its 1919 catalog. Mixing concrete was a very labor intensive job, requiring one man to scoop sand, another man or two with gravel, another with cement and water, someone to run the machine, several more to push loaded wheelbarrows to the site and still more men to level and smooth the new concrete.

Standard Scale & Supply Co., had a factory at Pittsburgh but also maintained offices in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. Its Standard Low Charging Mixer of 1912 used a drum design, vaguely familiar with today’s “ready-mix” trucks. From the position shown, the drum turned clockwise. After being loaded, the mixer operated for a suitable time, after which a discharge door on the opposite end of the drum was opened. Depending on the circumstances, the entire load could be discharged at once or parceled out to waiting wheelbarrows.

Jaeger Machine Co., Columbus, Ohio, became widely known for its famous Jaeger Line of mixers and other construction equipment. This offering of 1920 included a gasoline engine mounted in the house at the rear of the machine and usually consisting of an engine of 2 to 3 horsepower. Many thousands of these batch mixers were sold by Jaeger and many other companies, with a substantial number being owned by a group of farmers within a neighborhood.

Beginning about 1912 and continuing for several years, Associated Manufacturers in Waterloo, Iowa, offered its Amanco concrete mixer. Advertising of the time noted that it would “meet the needs of the farmer and small contractor.” This one sold for $115, complete with a 2-1/4 horsepower Associated engine. The mixer was of the continuous design. On today’s market, a complete unit, like this one, could bring somewhat more than just the value of the engine; the latter would by itself likely fetch more than $300 in reasonably good condition.

Trade Names

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Butter churns have a long history and, in some form or other, go back to the beginning of butter. However, the 1880s saw new developments, necessitated by the rapid settlement of the Midwest and Western states. The transportation system at the time was poorly developed, so the transport of sweet milk or cream was nearly impossible. To best use this cash commodity, the cream was separated from the milk, with the cream being converted into butter.

Like many aspects of American life, this too came to an end. Of interest, though, many farmers churned their own butter, at least occasionally, during World War II, due to the scarcity of many commodities. The author churned many a batch with an old Dazey churn. Sometimes, it was easy, taking but 15 or 20 minutes. Other times, it was a lot of cranking, taking 45 minutes or more to get that ripened cream to turn into butter. Today’s prices vary widely. An ancient box or barrel churn can oftentimes fetch $500 or more, while the smaller and more common paddle churns often sell for $50 or more.

Did You Know?

A simple 7-inch foot-operated lathe from W.F. &John Barnes Co., sold for $40 in 1903; today, its value as a collectible could be $400.

This barrel churn of 1887 was built in many variations by numerous companies. Most consisted of a wooden barrel with a removable lid. Once it was loaded with ripened sour cream, it was slowly turned until the conversion to butter came; this could take nearly an hour. Of course, after the job was done came the task of thoroughly cleaning up the churn so as to leave it sweet and clean for the next batch. This one was made by H.G. Batch-eller & Son, Rock Falls, Ill.

Numerous companies of the 1880s and onward made churns as well as a “dog power” to do the work. In this 1892 advertisement, C. Mears & Son, Bloomsburg, Pa., offered a combination of its “Washer,” “Propeller Churn” and “Dog Power.” Its claim was that a 40-pound dog could operate either machine with no problem at all.

Anyone having additional
materials and resources
relating to American farm
implements is invited to contact
C.H. Wendel, in care of
Krause Publications, 700 E. State St.,
Iola, WI 54990-0001.

Many small churns were available for household use. These included the inimitable Dazey churn with its glass jar, as well as many others with a metal or wood container. Of the latter, the Oval Churn of Goshen Churn & Ladder Co., Goshen, Ind., typifies the lot. This one of 1903 was intended for making fresh butter for the household, as compared to making larger quantities for private or commercial sale.

Among its many other interests in 1913, the M. Rumely Co., LaPorte, Ind., offered its Rumely Home Creamery as part of its line. Ostensibly, the company was much more famous for its Ideal threshers and OilPull tractors than for its churns; consequently, it wasn’t in the churn business for very long. The advertising accompanying the Rumely Home Creamery pointedly noted that it could “add creamery profits to the farmer’s profits” to woo potential purchasers.

The cider mill, as illustrated here, had taken its general form by the 1860s. Two major components were needed, the grinder, which reduced the apples to a pulpy mass, and the press, which squeezed out the juice. Fresh apple cider has long been a delicacy, with a fair portion being made into apple wine, hard cider and other products. Only a few styles and sizes are shown here; today’s values vary widely. A small single drum unit might sell for $50 to $100, while a fancy double-drum unit might bring twice that figure. Again, the value is largely dependent on the condition of the machine, as well as its popularity in a given area.

An 1887 advertisement shows the Champion Cider Mill from P.P. Mast & Co., Springfield, Ohio. This one was made in three different sizes and was of the double-drum design. While one person fed apples into the hopper, another turned the crank, reducing them to pulp and filling the slatted open drum below. While this was taking place, another person was busy squeezing the juice from the pulp, using a heavy lever on the top of the feed screw. A barrel or vat below the floor of the mill caught the delicious apple juice. Exactly a year later, the identical engraving is shown in an advertisement from the Superior Drill Co., also at Springfield.

The Improved Buckeye Cider Mill from P.P. Mast & Co., was patented already in 1864. It was a big machine, and, with enough manpower, it could reduce many bushels of apples to cider in a short time. This Springfield, Ohio, company pioneered a great many farm implements, in addition to the cider mill shown here.

A pioneer farm implement builder, the Hocking Valley Manufacturing Co., was located in Lancaster, Ohio. Its implements and machines were built to the highest standards rather than building to a price. This 1904 example shows its Junior cider mill; it featured a cast-iron case for the grinder, along with other important features. Virtually all these machines were built to last a lifetime; in fact, a substantial number have survived for several lifetimes.

The American Cider Mill of A.B. Farquhar Co., featured a substantial flywheel to assist the grinding of the apples. Of course, this added still more weight to the machine, but added weight was not a deterring factor in most early farm-machine design. Note the heavy wooden bar on the floor. It was furnished with the machine. After turning the screw down by hand as far as possible, the lever raised the pressure still more, until almost all the juice was extracted, leaving a rather solid cake of pumice at the bottom. This was hauled away for livestock feed. Meanwhile, a full drum was moved under the screw while the empty one went back beneath the grinder.

By the 1920s, the cider mill had undergone noticeable changes. Many of them were of much lighter design, and, while still substantial, the lighter design also lowered the price. This Majestic double-tub cider mill of 1920 came from the Hartman Co., in Chicago. It sold for the princely sum of $19.85, plus freight.

For household use, Hartman Co., of Chicago, offered this single-tub design in 1920. It was priced at only $13.75, but the lower price meant a sacrifice in convenience. With this unit, the tub was filled from the grinder and then squeezed by the screw. As an additional inducement, Hartman offered easy credit terms with a full year to pay.

Trade Names

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Clover was recognized as an important crop in England as early as 1650. With the earliest settlements in America, clover became an important forage crop, its greatest problem being that of securing the seed. Eventually, farmers learned to cut the first crop for hay. Then, if the seed failed to develop on the second crop, all was not lost for the season. Secondly, by cutting the second crop, the seed heads ripened more uniformly, resulting in a much better chance at getting a yield. For many years, a yield of two bushels of seed per acre was worthwhile, while four or five bushels was an excellent return. Getting as high as eight bushels of seed per acre was a virtual bonanza.

A study of early U.S. Patent Office records shows a small amount of activity up to the 1850s. However, the most significant development was that of John Comley Birdsell, who was granted his first clover-huller patent in 1855. He commenced building hullers on his farm at that time, continuing at West Henrietta, N.Y., until 1863, when he moved to South Bend, Ind. Testifying to his designs, the Birdsell hullers saw little change from 1881 until the end of the company in 1931. At that time, it was bought out by Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co.; the latter was developing an All-Crop combine that could successfully harvest clover seed right in the field. That put an end to the need for clover hullers.

Several other manufacturers built clover hullers in competition with the Birdsell. While some may have matched it in quality, it is unlikely that any exceeded it. Others attempted to market combination machines—that is, a grain thresher and clover huller in a single unit. These met with mediocre success.

This New Birdsell clover huller of 1895 marked the 40th anniversary of the first Birdsell huller in 1855. John C. Birdsell gained his first huller patent that year, beginning the manufacture of clover hullers on his farm near West Henrietta, N.Y. This continued until 1863 when he moved the entire operation to South Bend, Ind. A major factor in this move might well have been the fact that, at the time, Indiana was the leading producer of seed clover.

The Birdsell Clover Huller of the 1920s was built in several sizes and could be equipped in several different ways. The machine shown here with its feed board swung back over the top for transportation was a hand-fed machine, requiring people to fork the clover toward the threshing cylinder. However, it was equipped with a wind stacker to carry away the leaves and stems. Birdsell huller owners never ceased to praise their machines. One owner from Elgin, Ill., reported to the company that he had a machine built in 1860, and it had been in used every season for 55 years, with not more than $5 in expense during that time.

Aultman & Taylor Machinery Co., Mansfield, Ohio, illustrated its clover huller in an 1893 catalog. Its salient feature was the method of driving both cylinders with a single belt. The upper cylinder was designed to remove the heads from the stems, with the hulling or rubbing out of the seeds being achieved in the lower cylinder. For many hullers, a capacity of five or six bushels per hour was the maximum; even the largest machines only had a capacity of perhaps 15 bushels per hour.

Newark Machine Co., Newark, Ohio, offered its Victor Double Huller in this 1895 advertisement. The clover was fed by hand into the threshing cylinder, with the straw passing out over vibrating racksto the rear. Hulling was achieved in a drum beneath the threshing cylinder. Since much of the seed escaped with its husk the first time through, a large tailings or return elevator carried it back for a second pass. After this, the seed went through a small re-cleaner seen here on the side of the machine.

As otherwise noted, a few companies attempted to market a combination grain thresher/clover huller on a single frame. One of these was the New Combined Champion from Orrville Machine Co., Or-rville, Ohio. This 1895 model had already been on the market for 20 years, but little further information has been found on this machine after the early 1900s. The market was limited first to those who would likely be harvesting clover seed; most of these farmers preferred a thresher for threshing and a clover huller for hulling.

A few of the large threshing-machine builders opted into the clover-huller market. One of these was the M. Rumely Co., LaPorte, Ind.; after 1914, this was known as the Advance-Rumely Thresher Co. This 1904 model was built largely along the lines of the Rumely grain threshers and it is likely that a great many parts were interchangeable. The re-cleaner is obvious above the left rear wheel. Re-cleaning was necessary to help remove weed seed and other foreign material left behind by the huller.

Reeves & Co., Columbus, Ind., was another large thresher manufacturer that entered the clover-huller business, at least for a brief time. Reeves was bought out by Emerson-Brantingham Co., Rockford, Ill., in 1912. Thus, the company’s career in the huller business was rather brief, if, in fact, it continued up to the time of the E-B takeover. With the advent of the Allis-Chalmers All-Crop combine in the 1930s, clover hullers quickly fell into obsolescence, since farmers were able to harvest the seed crop directly in the field. One man with an All-Crop combine instantly replaced the large crew needed with the time-honored clover huller.

The word “combine” is actually an abridgment of the earlier term, “combined harvester-thresher.” The idea of combining the two operations of harvesting the standing grain and taking the grain to the bin, while leaving the straw in the field, had been extant for many years prior to the 1900 Holt. This machine gained but slight interest, but the company persisted and finally was completely successful by 1915. International Harvester was another major player at the time and was hard at work developing a combine of its own. Other companies took notice of the new developments and, by the early 1920s, there was a number of companies with combines in the field.

It is not the purpose of this book to delineate the entire development of the combine industry. That has been done in various other books, especially the author’s book 150 Years of International Harvester (Crestline/Motorbooks, 1981). This title provides an in-depth look at Harvester’s long struggle to market a completely successful machine. This came rather slowly, despite the fact that Harvester poured more money into new product research than almost any other American farm-implement maker.

To completely overlook the combine in this book would likewise, be a grave error, so the author had chosen a middle-ground to present a few examples of early combine design, doing so in a limited space, lest other significant machines and implements be left out completely.

Until the development of the Allis-Chalmers All-Crop combine in the early 1930s, virtually all combines used the time-honored spike-tooth cylinder featured in the threshing machine. The early machines were big, heavy and rather complicated. It could well be said that these early combines were essentially a small threshing machine mounted so that a cutterhead could feed the cut grain into the cylinder. The All-Crop combine constituted the first major change in combine design and heralded a new era for the combine.

Another significant design emerged from the work of Curtis C. Baldwin of Kansas. Already in 1913, he developed his vacuum thresher, followed later by more-or-less conventional designs. The Baldwin combines gained a considerable reputation, finally being acquired by Allis-Chalmers.

Not to be forgotten was the significant work of Massey-Harris Co., developing the first successful self-propelled combine in the late 1930s. From this first design sprang today’s ultra-modern machines.

Caterpillar combines were a direct descendant of the Holt combine, development of which began as early as 1900. This 1930 model epitomized combine development of the time, even including Timken roller bearings to reduce friction and consequent power losses. Holt Manufacturing Co., was an early pioneer in the combine business, but opted to concentrate on its tractor and construction machinery business, selling the combine line to John Deere in 1935.

The Savage combined tractor-harvester-thresher was a 1920 design of Curtis C. Baldwin. At the time, Joplin, Mo., was hoping to acquire a new factory to be built for this unique machine. For reasons unknown, this design did not meet with great success, although later Baldwin designs were very popular, especially in the wheat belt.

The McCormick Harvester-Thresher of 1920 was capable of harvesting from 15 to 20 acres per day. It was ordinarily furnished with a four-cylinder engine, but could also be furnished with a ground-drive, omitting the engine. In this case, anywhere from eight to 12 horses were required to pull and operate the machine.

Avery Farm Machinery Co., at Peoria, Ill., developed a combine in the 1920s, continuing to market it in small numbers into the 1930s. Like virtually all combines of the time, it cut the grain and delivered it sideways to the threshing cylinder. Avery offered several sizes and styles, with headers ranging up to 16 feet in width.

Minneapolis-Moline Co., resulted from a 1929 merger; prior to that time, one of the partners, Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co., had been busy developing a combine. As with most others of 1930, the cut grain was delivered by a conveyor into the cylinder. To leave the field and travel down a road, the header was detached and remounted on its own wheels for separate transportation from the threshing unit.

Massey-Harris Harvester Co., was headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but had a factory at Batavia, N.Y. Massey developed its own combine during the 1920s, marketing this big No. 9 Combined Reaper-Thresher in 1927. It was made in 12-foot and 15-foot sizes. Its smaller machine, the No. 6, used a 10-foot cut.

Massey-Harris tested its No. 20 self-propelled combine in late 1937. Limited production of this machine ensued in the 1938-40 period. Originally tested in Argentina, the No. 20 was especially designed for and marketed on the West Coast. Even though production was limited and the machine had its shortcomings, it marked the beginning of the new era of self-propelled combines.

Massey-Harris No. 21 self-propelled combines first emerged in 1940. Even though the demands of World War II were great, the company was able to build a limited number of these machines during the war, since they were able to bring in the crop, even with the limited manpower then available. Thus came the famous Massey-Harris Harvest Brigade. These combines were to be sold only to custom operators who would harvest at least 2,000 acres of grain per season and under the supervision of Massey-Harris.

Deere & Co., Moline, Ill., was another of the major companies to enter the combine business during the 1920s. Its No. 1 combine of 1928 is shown here, being pulled by a John Deere Model D tractor. The combine is equipped with its own independent engine, as evidenced by the high intake pipe and the high exhaust well above the dust zone of the combine. At this point in time, two men were required—one to drive the tractor and the other at the controls of the combine.

Advance-Rumely Thresher Co., LaPorte, Ind., came forth with its combine in the mid-1920s. It followed the same general design as others of the period, with a side-mounted header, independent engine and heavy construction. The Rumely was offered in numerous sizes and styles, even including a special hillside model. Rumely was absorbed by Allis-Chalmers in 1931.

Of all the old-line thresher manufacturers, Nichols & Shepard at Battle Creek, Mich., was one of the most conservative in its designs. However, while many of the thresher builders refused to get into the combine business, N&S came out with its own design in the 1920s, offering several sizes and styles. This rugged machine typifies the N&S design and apparently was sold to some extent, particularly in the wheat belt. Nichols & Shepard merged with others to form the Oliver Farm Equipment Co., 1931.

Allis-Chalmers ventured forth with its All-Crop Harvester in 1931. Early production saw the need for further changes; by 1932 the All-Crop had come into its own realm as the combine to imitate. Soon, the side-mounted header came to an end. In its place came the direct-cut machine, such as the All-Crop. Another innovation was the standard use of a PTO shaft on this light-weight machine, obviating the necessity of an auxiliary engine. Only the earliest of the All-Crop combines were equipped with the steel wheels shown here; the remainder used rubber tires. One exception may have been the production of a few All-Crop combines on steel during World War II, due to the scarcity of rubber.

In 1940, J.I. Case Co., offered this Model F combine as part of its overall line. Case had pioneered in the threshing machine business and had been building combines since the 1920s. However, Case, like most others, was soon to adopt the in-line method of combining grain, just as had been pioneered by the Allis-Chalmers All-Crop. The Case Model F combine shown here cut a 54-inch swath.

Wood Bros. Thresher Co., Des Moines, Iowa Wood Bros., Thresher Co., Des Moines, Iowa, was a

Wood Bros., Thresher Co., Des Moines, Iowa, was a well-known threshing machine manufacturer. During the 1930s, the Wood brothers developed several new and innovative machines, including this all-steel combine with a 5-foot cut and using a threshing cylinder the full width of the machine. However, Wood Bros. was a small company compared to Case, International Harvester and others. Thus, it faced tremendous competition and World War II, severely limited farm-equipment production. Eventually, Wood Bros. was taken over by the Farm Equipment Division of Ford Motor Co.

Although limited activity probably took place sooner, there were no commercially practical corn binders prior to 1890. At that time, D.M. Osborne Co., Auburn, N.Y., came out with a practical machine. About the same time, McCormick Harvesting Machine Co., Chicago, introduced a unique push-type corn harvester, but it was not a success. Despite this, McCormick later went on to claim that it had built the first “corn harvester.” Technically, at least, that may have been true; in practical terms, though, it was Osborne who led the field.

Agriculturists of the 1880s were promulgating the concept of converting standing corn into silage, regarding the latter as very palatable and nutritious for livestock. The idea caught on; during the 1890s, there was a flurry of activity to build corn binders for harvesting the standing corn. Likewise, there was a boom in the ensilage cutter business (of course, the business of erecting silos was doing quite well, too).

There’s little to be said about corn binders—their purpose is obvious and for those who have worked around them, lugging those heavy bundles of green corn was hard work. However, there was little other choice until the field cutter began impacting the market in the 1940s. Today, a good corn binder is not easy to find. They were completely useless for any other purpose, so the great majority were scrapped. A corn binder in reasonably good condition will bring in excess of $200 today. A nicely kept one in original condition might bring substantially more.

An early advertisement of International Harvester Co., illustrates McCormick’s “Self-Binding Corn Harvester.” The term was later shortened simply as “corn binder.” McCormick claimed it was the first on the market, although it appears that Osborne at Auburn, N.Y., was the first with a commercially successful machine. International Harvester continued to offer this machine at least up to 1953.

Deering Harvester Co., Chicago, was a strong competitor to the McCormick interests. In 1899, Deering came out with this “horizontal corn binder.” It was uniquely different, in that it cut the standing corn, laid it down for binding and discharged the finished bundles. Despite its unique design, the Deering was eminently successful and remained in the Harvester line for many years. The artist’s rendition gives the reader an idea of how it was done. It’s more than a little unlikely that the farmer would have been dressed in suit coat, vest and tie, nor would one have been accustomed to seeing fancy, fine-boned driving horses pulling the binder.

The Milwaukee corn binder of 1902 was a vertical design and came from Milwaukee Harvester Co., Milwaukee. In 1902, this company became a part of International Harvester. The Milwaukee corn binder also remained in the IHC line for some years, partially because the company maintained separate product lines under a single corporate umbrella into the early 1920s.

Aultman-Miller & Co., Akron, Ohio, was well known for its Buckeye line of mowers, reapers and other implements. In the late 1890s it came out with its own corn binder, illustrating it in its 1901 catalog. My copy is written in German. This was not uncommon, since many immigrants were not conversant in the English language. To give the best possible impression of its machine, Aultman-Miller noted that “it is grounded on the right principles,” to loosely translate the German version.

Frost & Wood at Smith’s Falls, Ontario, Canada, offered a rather complete line of harvesting equipment, including this 1910 version of its corn and sunflower binder. Certain areas of the northern United States and southern Canada were well suited for raising sunflowers, thus this company’s reference to the crop.

D.M. Osborne & Co., Auburn, N.Y., was the first to successfully market a corn binder, doing so in 1890. Its machine was on exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. No wonder this 1900 version was called the Osborne Columbia Corn Harvester. Note the interesting design of the cast-iron drive wheel.

Johnston Harvester Co., Batavia, N.Y., illustrated this version of its corn binder in 1908. By that time, many farmers, especially dairy farmers, were convinced of the value from ensilage, so there was a ready market for silos, silo fillers, corn binders and related equipment.

Acme Harvester Co., Peoria, Ill., was a relatively small competitor in a land of giant manufacturers. Nevertheless, Acme offered this corn binder in 1914. It featured an all-steel design and this would be the trend of the future. Acme only remained in business for a few years.

Massey-Harris was based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and its equipment was widely sold in Canada. However, the company also made many excursions into the United States, the most famous being its 1928 purchase of the J.I. Case Plow Works at Racine, Wis. Prior to that time, Massey-Harris had acquired a few smaller concerns, so the company’s status was well established when this No. 3A corn binder was offered to the market in 1919.

International Harvester divested itself of the Osborne factories in 1918, having acquired this operation some years before. In turn, Emerson-Brantingham bought up the Osborne line, offering it virtually intact for a few years. Included was the E-B Osborne corn binder of 1919 shown here. However, Emerson-Brantingham fell into financial hard times and only survived until 1928.

John Deere slowly and deliberately built its product line over the years. Until about 1912, numerous products were jobbed from other manufacturers and sold by the various John Deere branch houses. Eventually, the company acquired enough companies and developed enough of its own products to become a full-line company with everything being sold under the John Deere name. Such was the case with this John Deere corn binder of 1927.

When J.I. Case Co., bought out Emerson-Brantingham in 1928, it also acquired the Osborne line that E-B had bought only a few years before. For several years after the acquisition, Case continued to market many Osborne machines under the Case-Osborne trademark. Included was this attractive corn binder that featured all-steel construction. This machine continued on the market until after World War II.

Lest it be thought that the idea of a temporary corn crib was unique to 20th century thought, comes this Adam’s Portable Corn Crib of 1894. The manufacturer, W.J. Adam, Joliet, Ill., received Patent No. 500,459 for his invention in June 1893. The patent covered the wire picket sections used in the crib, as well as a special access door when it came time to shell the corn. Scooping the corn over the top as shown, must have been a thrilling task!

By the 1880s, farmers were deluged with new ideas, inventions and concepts. Researchers were finding new ways to make livestock-raising more efficient. Great efforts were made to make livestock feed more palatable. This included a variety of corn cutters, crushers and slicers. Undoubtedly, there were hundreds of different machines produced for this purpose, many of them having a localized sale. Others were offered by major manufacturers, which likely sold many thousands of their machines. With the passage of time, new and better ways of handling ear corn were developed. Ear-corn cutters slowly faded from the scene, almost completely disappearing by 1940. Early machines have a certain nostalgic value, ranging from $20 to $25 for one in poor condition to $100 or more for one in good condition.

The Dean Patent Ear Corn Cutter was built by Sandwich Enterprise Co., Sandwich, Ill. Patented under No. 309,773, 1884, this machine was developed earlier by George B. Dean and Jeremiah Y. Burnett of Lamoille, Ill. By the time this 1887 advetisement appeared, Sandwich Enterprise Co., was already a major manufacturer of windmills, pumps, planters, cultivators, feed grinders and many other implements.

Barnes Manufacturing Co., Freeport, Ill., advertised this National Ear Corn Cutter in 1887. As noted in the engraving, two vertical tubes were used to feed corn into the machine; each ear had to be fed individually from the side-mounted storage box. No particulars have been found concerning the operating mechanism of this machine.

J.S. Bloom, Independence, Iowa, developed his ear corn cutter and crusher sometime prior to 1915; by that time, his company was building thousands of them for sale to farmers everywhere. The machine shown here could handle 100 to 250 bushels per hour, probably depending on the stamina of the operator.

The concept of the Bloom ear corn cutter and crusher came to J.S. Bloom in 1899, resulting from his efforts to secure more palatable feed for his livestock. By 1915, the company was offering numerous sizes and styles, including this large machine with its own gasoline engine. Curiously, the engine is marked “The Bloom,” but, in fact, it is from Enterprise Engine Works, also in Independence, Iowa.

Appleton Manufacturing Co., Batavia, Ill., offered its own version of a corn slicer in its 1917 catalog. This one used a pair of 6-inch knives attached to heavy cast arms. This heavy casting also served as a flywheel. When operated by hand, the cutters made two revolutions to every turn of the crank. Eventually, the need for corn slic-ers faded, as farmers turned to labor-saving grinders that could handle a combination of tasks.

World War II is the great dividing line between the old and the new. Many of the time-honored farming practices of the pre-war years were replaced with new ideas and new methods after 1945. Grain farming was becoming more popular; with it came a bad growing season in 1947. This resulted in millions of bushels of soft corn. Storing this high moisture ear corn in large cribs would have been disastrous. Extra air ventilators and many other ideas were used in an effort to save as much of the crop as possible. Thus came the crop dryer, now widely used in most of the corn belt, as well as for other crops.

In 1947, Peirson-Moore Co., Lexington, Ky., was one of the firms offering an all-purpose farm dryer. It was equipped with a 5-horsepower electric motor and used a large oil burner for heat. It is shown here, ducted into a steel bin. The warm air was ducted below the grain; as the warm air circulated upward, it carried with it the excess moisture. Within a short time, there were numerous companies offering grain dryers in various sizes and styles. Virtually all grain-dryer designs use propane gas for fuel, although a few operate on alternative fuels.

Until farmers began using hybrid corn varieties in the 1930s, most farmers used open pollinated corn. When harvesting corn, the best ears were selected and carefully dried for next year’s seed. After shelling, it was also advantageous to grade the corn so that a uniform kernel size was planted in every hill. To that end, many companies manufactured seed-corn graders suitable for every farm. Oftentimes, a group of farmers would buy a grader together, each using it in turn for the new seed crop. Seldom seen today, a corn grader in nice shape will bring $100 or more.

Nora Springs Manufacturing Co., Nora Springs, Iowa, advertised its corn graders at the 1908 National Corn Exposition in Omaha, Neb. Shelled corn was fed into the hopper and traveled through a series of revolving screens. Three separate discharge spouts were provided for large, medium and small-sized kernels.

Meadows Manufacturing Co., Meadows, Ill., built various farm implements, including elevators and hoists. In 1910, it offered The Improved Peoria seed corn grader, noting that it delivered four different grades of seed; besides that, it was “Indorsed by the State University.” Also of note is the complete lack of guards around the open gears. In those days it was generally presumed that the operator had sense enough to keep fingers and other body parts away from the gears!

More than 40 years ago, the author salvaged a More Corn No. 2 seed corn grader from an attic. It had resided there for many years and was one of many sold in Central Iowa. This machine was made by the Universal Hoist & Manufacturing Co., Cedar Falls, Iowa. The company made an all-out effort to market these corn graders for several years and met with good success. However, the coming of hybrid corn obviated any further need for these machines, so the company entered and left the market within two or three decades.

Corn harvesters are generally considered to be those machines that cut the corn slightly above ground level. Afterward, it was stood up into shocks for curing and later use. Many different companies built corn harvesters, particularly in the late 1880s and into the 1890s. With the coming of the corn binder during the 1890s, this task was mechanized, quickly relegating the corn harvester to obsolescence.

The 1892 advertisement for the Badger Corn Harvester noted that “with it one man can cut and shock from three to five acres of corn in a day.” One can only imagine what it was like using this strap-on device with a knife mounted near the ground. It was offered for sale by I.Z. Merriam, Whitewater, Wis., and was patented under No. 471,881. The patent was granted to James W. Parker at Viola, Ill.

Clipper Plow Co., Defiance, Ohio, advertised its Defiance Sulky Corn Cutter in 1889. At the time, this was one of the few corn harvesters built on a wheeled frame. Two men stood back-to-back on the harvester, catching the stalks of corn as they were cut. When enough had been gathered for a bundle, they were tied and dropped in the field. Later, the individual bundles were stood up in a stook or shock, bound into place and remained there to dry.

Standard Harrow Co., Utica, N.Y., offered its Peterson Corn Harvester to the trade in 1895, continuing with the same machine for several years. The hinged steel wings carried the cutting knives. With both wings down, two rows could be cut at a time; but in case there was only one man available, one wing was folded out of position for a single-row machine. This machine was built under the Peterson patent, No. 443,055 of Dec. 16, 1890.

The Daisy Corn Harvester was similar to its contemporaries in that it utilized side-mounted and hinged knives. An 1895 advertisement noted that the machine had already been on the market for six years. The company rated this machine as being capable of cutting eight to 10 acres per day, and a strong sales point was the value of corn fodder as compared to hay, especially when the hay crop was short. This machine was made by the A.W. Butt Implement Co., Springfield, Ohio.

Licensed by the American Corn Harvester Co., the Foos Scientific Steel Corn Harvester was yet another approach to easy harvesting of standing corn. A substantial seat mounting permitted two men to sit back-to-back while catching the stalks as they were cut. When not in use, the side wings could be folded up out of the way. The Scientific used an all-steel frame, but Foos also offered a wood-frame machine called the Buckeye. Both came from Foos Manufacturing Co., Springfield, Ohio. The machine shown here is from an 1895 advertisement.

Dain Manufacturing Co., Ottumwa, Iowa, eventually became a part of Deere & Co. Originally established at Carrollton, Mo., this firm came out with many innovative machines, including this all-steel Dain Steel Corn Cutter in 1895. The Dain used a somewhat different design, mounting the cutting knives farther back on the frame than its contemporaries. By 1895, the days of the corn harvester were approaching their end, since the corn binder would mechanize this laborious job.

Superior Hay Stacker Co., Linneus, Mo., offered this automatic corn harvester in 1915. It was marketed by Parlin & Orendorff Plow Co., and Rock Island Implement Co., through its branch houses. Advertising of the time indicated that as this machine cut the stalks, theywere held in an upright position and, when a sufficient number were gathered, the bundle of corn could then be removed to a shock or to a wagon, as desired. Outside of this 1915 advertisement, little more is known of the Superior Automatic Corn Harvester.

A specialized device was this Eagle Kaffir Corn Header, offered in 1905 by Eagle Manufacturing Co., Kansas City. At the time, the company claimed that this was “the only machine made that will successfully head and elevate kaffir corn.” As shown here, the device was mounted on the side of a wagon and as it passed alongside the row, the heads were cut and elevated directly to the wagon box.

Farmers of the 1890s were looking at corn fodder as an alternative to feeding hay. Poor hay crops were always a risk for the livestock farmer; shredded corn fodder was an excellent alternative. Thus came the husker-shredder in the 1890s. The standing corn was harvested just as the leaves started to turn brown or just before full maturity. With favorable fall weather, the corn was placed into shocks for drying and subsequent winter use. Initially, harvesting was achieved with the Corn Harvester by the late 1890s with a corn binder (see previous section on corn binders).

Some companies offered corn shredders with no husker mechanism. A few offered corn huskers that had no shredder. The great majority were combination machines, embodying both mechanisms. The cured corn stalks were fed into the machine where snapping rolls delivered the ear corn one direction and delivered the shredded corn stover in another. Many of these machines, especially the early designs, were extremely dangerous. This was because it was relatively easy for those feeding the shredder to become entangled in the mechanism and be drawn into the snapping rolls. Numerous farmers lost a hand, an arm or even their life while operating one of these machines. Later models were modified so that it was much more difficult to become caught in the mechanism.

Husker-shredders were fairly popular for some years, but were coming to an end in the 1930s. By that time, ensilage cutters were well established and the mechanical corn picker was becoming a reality, rather than a dream.

This St. Albans Shredder of 1898 was, as the name implies, strictly a shredder, having no husking attachment. The St. Albans is shown to the left, with the end-product being illustrated as it drops to the floor. St. Albans also produced a smaller unit, The Leslie, shown to the right. It was designed for smaller requirements and required less power to operate. Both were built by St. Albans Foundry Co., St. Albans, Vt.

Crown Point Manufacturing Co., Crown Point, Ind., announced this combination husker-shredder in 1897. A self-feed mechanism was used, with the manufacturer noting that “there is positively no danger of losing the hands.” The snapped ears of corn dropped to a table below and were carried by elevator to a waiting wagon. The shredded fodder was moved by a large elevator to a stack or to a waiting wagon.

Improved for 1895, the Keystone Corn Husker and Fodder Shredder had been on the market for a short time prior to this advertisement. This engraving shows the shredder placed near the barn so that the shredded fodder could be kept dry. Keystone offered this machine in three sizes; No. 1 for threshermen or large farms; No. 2 for medium farms or neighbors and; No. 3 for small farms. It was built by Keystone Manufacturing Co., Sterling, Ill. This firm was eventually purchased by International Harvester Co.

Manufacturers, large and small, attempted to capitalize on the burgeoning market in husker-shredders. This 1898 advertisement represents the Carrey Perfect Corn Shredder by DeSoto Agricultural Implement Manufacturing Co., DeSoto, Mo. Made in four sizes, the company represented its machines as having greater capacity than any other shredder made. Instead of an elevator for the shredded fodder, this machine used a pneumatic blower.

Safety Shredder Co., New Castle, Ind., used a completely automatic feeder to keep the operator’s hands away from the shredder’s mechanism. Its 1903 advertising noted, “No More Loss of Hands!” and, with this machine, to quote its advertising, “You put the corn on the feeder and the machine does the rest.” Undoubtedly, the fear that many farmers had of injury while feeding a shredder was sufficient cause to take a serious look at buying the Safety shredder instead of another make.

Another approach to husker-shredder design was this 1895 model from E.A. Porter & Bros., Bowling Green, Ky. Billed as the Porter Corn Thresher, the engraving here illustrates the method of feeding the corn into the machine, with the fodder emerging from the rear. After snapping the ears from the stalks, this machine shelled the corn, cleaned it and delivered it from a small side elevator.

Rosenthal Corn Husker Co., Milwaukee, was a pioneer firm in this field, having begun with this machine in 1896. It was extremely simple, and the company opted to specialize in husker-shredders. Instead of manufacturing a broad line of implements, Rosenthal made husker-shredders and ensilage cutters for many years.

By 1908, the Rosenthal husker-shredder had taken on a new appearance over the 1896 model. Sold as the Big Cyclone, this machine had great capacity and used a pneumatic stacker to deposit the shredded fodder in a barn or shed. Meanwhile, the ear corn was elevated to a waiting wagon.

Following the evolution of the Rosenthal husker-shredder, this Special 4 machine was offered in 1924. It was smaller and lighter than its ancestors, yet offered great capacity. It also had the advantage of requiring small power; most farm tractors could operate the Special 4. However, by 1930, the husker-shredder was losing in popularity and slowly faded from the scene.

The Port Huron husker-shredder of 1903 was billed as being the only one made with a full-fledged band cutter and feeder. At the time, it was also the only shredder on the market with an all-steel design. Port Huron Engine & Thresher Co., was a major manufacturer of steam-traction engines and threshers and was located in Port Huron, Mich.

Milwaukee Hay Tool Co., Milwaukee, offered this small husker-shredder in 1893. Regarding the husker itself, Milwaukee claimed its machine would husk the smallest nubbins as well as the full-sized ears of corn. This company went on to expand its line of shredders in the following years.

The Milwaukee husker-shredder of 1895 was much more sophisticated than the original 1893 machine. This one had a somewhat larger husking and cleaning section for the ear corn and even included a cleaning screen beneath. Depending on the available power and other conditions, the feeder speed could be varied by the use of interchangeable feed gears. This machine was made by Milwaukee Hay Tool Co., Milwaukee, Wis.

By 1898, the Milwaukee husker-shredder had taken on the same general design, as is shown with this 1904 model. A pneumatic blower was used for the fodder, and the corn husker had been greatly improved. Note the substantial foot board beneath the feeder. With most of these machines it was necessary to feed the stalks into the throat of the husker by hand.

American Shredder Co., Madison, Wis., announced this husker-shredder in 1903, having been in the business since before 1880. It was designed with the J.J. Power Automatic Corn Self Feeder. With this system, all danger was removed, as its 1903 advertising noted, “[it] leaves no cripples.”

The A.W. Stevens Co. announced its new and improved Big 4 corn husker to the 1903 market. Stevens was an old company, first operating at Auburn, N.Y., and later removing to Marinette, Wis. The Stevens machine followed the same general lines as its contemporaries, although this machine shelled the corn and cleaned it.

Janney Manufacturing Co., Ottumwa, Iowa, was an early entrant in the husker-shredder business; shown here is its 1899 model. This was a small hand-fed machine and was distinctive for its all-steel construction. At the time, the majority of these machines were built on a wooden frame and utilized mainly wood construction.

Janney Manufacturing Co., remained in the husker-shredder business for several years, with this 1903 model being substantially larger and more refined than its 1899 version. At this point, the feeder mechanism was much better than before, plus the machine could also shell the snapped corn, clean it and deliver it to a waiting wagon. Oftentimes, shredded corn fodder was referred to as corn hay.

U.S. Wind Engine & Pump Co., Batavia, Ill., offered its U.S. Standard Husker at least into the 1920s. All of its machines built after 1915 could be retrofitted with a special silo-filling attachment. With this system, the corn could be husked and the stalks cut into 1/2-inch pieces for storage in a silo. This company also built husker-shredders. The machine shown here is of 1920 vintage.

In 1905, the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co., offered its Case Husker-Shredder. This machine embodied some of the same features found in its threshing machines and demonstrated the same rugged design. This company, located in Racine, Wis., continued producing husker-shredders until about 1920.

Appleton Manufacturing Co., Batavia, Ill., was established in 1872. This company had a long history in the husker-shredder business and refined its 1917 line to include several innovative machines. Shown here is the No. 14 Appleton Corn Snapper. This machine was designed to snap the ears from the stalks, dropping them to the elevator below, meanwhile shredding or cutting the stalks as desired and blowing this material to a stack or into a barn.

The Appleton Snapped Corn Husker of 1917 was a stationary machine used only for husking corn that had been snapped by a shredder. In other words, this machine was essentially a husking bed. The husks and debris left via the elevator to the left, while the clean ear corn was carried up the elevator to the right.

Appleton’s four-roll corn husker of 1917 was one of several sizes available at the time. This machine used both a cutter head and the shredding saws commonly found on most of these machines. Of all-steel construction, the Appleton was widely sold and used.

Success husker-shredders were built by Parsons Band Cutter & Self Feeder Co., Newton, Iowa. Of wooden construction, this machine was available for several years; this particular machine was illustrated in its 1910 catalog. The Success followed many of the design features common to husker-shredders, including the pneumatic stacker that permitted blowing the shredded fodder directly into a barn.

A 1900 catalog of McCormick Harvesting Machine Co., Chicago, illustrates its husker-shredder in operation. The man at the left is feeding the stalks into the machine, while the two men on the right are getting material up to the feeder. At the rear, another man can be seen stacking the shredded fodder.

International Harvester Co., continued building husker-shredders up to about 1940. However, production had dropped to very low levels. The onset of World War II ended it completely. By the time production ended, these machines were somewhat more sophisticated than their ancestors, including shellers, cleaners and other devices.

New Idea Co., Coldwater, Ohio, offered this six-roll husker shredder in 1927, continuing production for a few years. These machines were usually classed as two-roll, four-roll, six-roll and so on. This indicated the number of snapping rolls in the machine and was a general guide to its capacity.

Many of the major farm equipment manufacturers offered husker-shredders up to about 1920. Included was the Advance-Rumely Thresher Co., LaPorte, Ind. While each company pronounced its machine to be the best on the market, all of them had good features, along with some that weren’t so good. Much of the final decision rested on product loyalty and for those enamored of the Advance-Rumely line, this machine was undoubtedly their choice.

In 1923, E.H. Daniel, designer of the London Motor Plow, announced plans to build the Mota-Husker. As shown in this photograph, the idea was to husk corn from a standing shock. The husked corn was delivered to a waiting wagon, while the fodder was deposited separately. This machine was built by the Daniel Engineering Co., Kenton, Ohio.

One of the most unusual machines associated with the husker-shredder business was the Parsons-Schuman shock loader. With this device, the farmer could mechanically load up to six shocks of corn and bring them to a waiting shredder for processing. This machine was designed in 1909 by the Schuman Corn Handling Machinery Co., Indianapolis. In 1910, Maytag Co., Newton, Iowa, announced the machine under the Parsons-Schuman trade name. Little more is known of it after the 1910 introduction.

In the 1930s, the corn picker was finally perfected. With its coming ended the annual “battle of the bangboards,” as well as the “school holiday” while rural kids helped bring in the crop. Beginning about 1900, there were numerous attempts to build and market a corn picker. McCormick even attempted to market one in 1904, but it was not successful.

A 1908 article in Farm Machinery discussed the efforts of Monroe Glick at Metcalf, Ill. He designed a machine that was to pick three rows at a time. Weighing more than two tons, it was equipped with a big 35-horsepower engine. Plans were to dispense with the horses needed to pull the machine, once the mechanism was perfected, leading to a self-propelled corn picker. Despite the publicity at the time, this attempt to build a commercially successful corn picker eluded Glick, as well as thousands of other inventors. Another early corn picker was developed by Appleton Manufacturing Co., Batavia, Ill. The firm brought a machine to the market in 1917, noting that it had been working on its design since about 1904. Like many others that showed some promise by 1917, the Appleton was another that beat a hasty retreat from the market.

International Harvester Co., poured huge sums of money into corn picker development, seeing the corn picker as the last major piece of farm mechanization, outside of the cotton picker. For the company coming out with a machine acceptable to the farmer, there was a huge bonanza waiting to be had. Thus, of all the major companies, International Harvester undoubtedly expended more research and development money than any other. Its work paid off, for, in the 1920s, Harvester made major strides in corn picker development. The company built on its experience derived over various corn picker models built in the 1904-1920 period. Although the early machines eliminated hand picking and did a reasonably good job of plucking the ears from the stalks, they also dropped most of the shucks and some of the stalks into the wagon. Farmers were most unhappy with this prospect, since hand-picked corn was not thus disadvantaged.

Goodhue Manufacturing Co., St. Charles, Ill., made a valiant effort to perfect a corn picker, offering what it considered to be a practical machine in 1908. As with others attempting to achieve this goal, success was elusive. During the 1930s, major strides were made, particularly with the concept of a tractor-mounted corn picker. By the late 1930s, the majority of ear corn was picked by machine instead of by hand. Progress continued apace until temporarily slowed by World War II. After its end, corn picker design renewed itself with a fury, continuing into the 1960s. However, the corn picker, like many other farm machines, had enjoyed its supremacy. The corn combine was on the way.

International Harvester marketed its first corn picker in 1904. It was driven through gearing from a large drive wheel and required four or five horses to pull the machine and operate the mechanism. A wagon was driven alongside the picker to receive the newly harvested corn. One farmer happily reported that he had picked 25 bushels of corn in 23 minutes with this machine. Considering that 100 bushels per day picking by hand was a high average, this was indeed something to gloat about.

In 1906, Jesse H. Johnson of New Paris, Ohio, gained considerable attention with his new corn picker design. This one cut the stalks at the desired height, after which the ears and stalks were fed through combination snapping and husking rolls. Beyond this announcement, little more was heard of the Johnson machine.

Appleton Manufacturing Co., Batavia, Ill., began corn picker development as early as 1904. After years of research, this machine appeared in 1917. Weighing more than 3,000 pounds, it was equipped with a ground-drive system for the mechanism, but could also be furnished with an auxiliary engine drive. The company noted that three horses were needed when the engine was used, but for the ground drive it took five horses. The 1917 Appleton could also be furnished with a tractor hitch, if desired.

Advance-Rumely Thresher Co., LaPorte, Ind., was a well-known engine and thresher builder. It also gained world-wide recognition for the inimitable OilPull tractors. In the 1920s, this firm attempted to build and market a corn picker, a prototype of which is shown here. Beyond this effort, little else is known of Rumely’s venture.

In 1928, Belle City Manufacturing Co., Racine, Wis., offered its Continental mounted corn picker. With this one-row machine, Belle City claimed that a farmer could pick anywhere from six to 10 acres per day. This machine was moderately successful, with a very few early mounted corn pickers appearing at vintage tractor meets. This one is mounted on a McCormick-Deering tractor, although mounting equipment was available for the Fordson and a few other tractor makes.

John Deere Plow Co., entered the corn picker market in the 1920s, with this horse-drawn one-row model being available in 1928. It could be operated with ground power, auxiliary engine or from a tractor PTO shaft, as desired. Deere went on to develop an extensive corn picker line, both in pull-type and tractor-mounted models.

Nichols & Shepard advertised its mounted corn picker in 1928, noting that a farmer could pick his corn for a cost of 6 cents to 8 cents per bushel. Like most pickers of the time, it was necessary to synchronize a wagon beneath the corn spout, as the picker made its way through the field. Nichols & Shepard later joined with other partners to form Oliver Farm Equipment Co.

Of all the early corn picker designs, International Harvester was a genuine pioneer. The company had already spent more than a quarter-century searching for a practical corn picker when this pull-type machine came out in 1931. It also had the advantage of an overhead storage tank for dumping directly into a wagon; this eliminated the need for a wagon to come alongside as the picker made its way back and forth through the field.

J.I. Case Co., came along with its new corn harvester, a two-row machine, in 1931. This one was a companion to its one-row model. The Case model was designed for a one-man operation. It utilized a side-mounted wagon hitch, enabling the wagon to travel with the picker.

Wood Bros., at Des Moines, Iowa, attempted to diversify in the 1930s. Prior to that time, it had concentrated on the steam engine and thresher business. Its corn picker of the 1930s was light in weight and included a rear-mounted corn elevator and wagon hitch. Eventually, all corn pickers would follow this idea.

In 1935, Oliver Corp., came out with its Corn Master corn pickers. Undoubtedly, the company built on the ideas pioneered with the earlier Nichols & Shepard corn picker. A major feature was the use of rubber tires and the light weight of the machine; the Oliver Corn Master weighed less than 3,000 pounds.

In this overhead view, an Allis-Chalmers tractor is coupled to a New Idea picker of the 1930s. While the earliest New Idea design used steel wheels, the company quickly changed over to pneumatic tires to lessen the draft. The overhead view illustrates the unique side-hitch used by New Idea. A simple chain attachment was hooked to the wagon tongue. It engaged a dog in the side-hitch. Through a control rope, the operator could shift the wagon forward or back, relative to the spout, thus filling the wagon from front to back without leaving the driver’s seat.

This 1941 illustration shows the New Idea one-row model. This one used a rear-mounted elevator and embodied many features that remained in the New Idea corn picker line throughout a long production run. While some farmers preferred the one-row design, the vast majority opted for a two-row picker.

The Sargent corn harvester was a fully mounted machine that emerged in 1947. With this unique design, the stalk was cut at the ground and cutting continued until the ear was cut from the stalk. Sargent even equipped this machine with a removable husking bed for picking sweet corn. It was built by McGrath Manufacturing Co., Omaha, Neb.

Corn cultivation has been pursued for centuries. Until the late 19th century, corn was planted with a hoe, with seeds being dropped into each hill by hand. This was a very laborious task and thousands of inventors were at work trying to perfect a machine that would plant corn. To cultivate the crop, it was planted in rows; during the 1850s, the idea of planting in check rows developed (the field could be cultivated lengthwise and crosswise to minimize weed infestations).

A few planters appeared in the 1840s, but, in the 1850s, real progress appeared. The George W. Brown patent (No. 9893) of 1853 was the first major development in corn planters. Brown set up a factory at Galesburg, Ill., and began building his new invention. This was the first planter to use runners to open the furrow and press wheels to firm the seed in the row. To plant the seed in check rows, it was first necessary to mark the field. This was achieved with a specially built marker that was pulled across the field, first lengthwise and then crosswise to mark the exact location for each hill of corn. The planter had two seats, one for the driver and one for the dropper. The latter operated a hand-lever each time he reached the intersection of the lines. Corn planters continued to be built under this pattern for a number of years, although there were many attempts to build an automatic check-row planter.

Guide markers first appeared in the late 1850s. Galt &Tracy, later Keystone Manufacturing Co., Sterling, Ill., made major improvements, introducing the open-heel runner, which permitted the kernels to drop inside the open heel, after which they were covered. Deere & Mansur were instrumental in developing the rotary-drop system, using rotating plates in the bottom of the seed canisters. Numerous other developments came along, but there still was not a successful automatic check-row planter.

Already, in the 1850s, attempts were made to check automatically, using a chain with buttons spaced periodically. Others attempted using rope with knots at the appropriate spacing, but none of these plans were entirely satisfactory. The initial success with a check-row planter is generally ascribed to G.D. Haworth. During the 1870s, Haworth made considerable progress, and, with the development of steel wire suitable for the purpose, the check-row planter became a reality. Once this happened, improvements were needed in the dropping mechanism, and this led to the development of the rotary-drop design.

The author’s first inclination was to arrange the development of the corn planter in some sort of chronological order. This created a major problem in maintaining the developmental continuity of several manufacturers, so these machines are arranged alphabetically, by company.

Of further interest, some of the early corn planters, especially those prior to the automatic check-row designs, are essentially museum pieces. If available, they can command $500 or perhaps much more. Later models, particularly those after 1930, often have little value. In this same connection, the cast-iron lids from the seed boxes have now become a rarity. Depending on the scarcity of a certain style, these can be valuable but, on average, bring $20 to $30 in good condition.

This Evans Simplex corn planter of 1903 was equipped with disc openers instead of the usual planter runners. A.C. Evans Manufacturing Co., Springfield had long been established with its Buckeye grain drills and other farm implements. In 1903, Evans joined with several other firms to incorporate the American Seeding Machine Co., headquartered at Springfield, but maintaining the factories of most partners to the reorganized firm.

Avery Planter Co., was organized at Galesburg, Ill., in 1874. Robert Avery had developed some ideas about corn planters in the 1860s, an example of which is shown here. Eventually, he and his brother Cyrus M. Avery organized a company to manufacture the planters. In 1884, the company relocated to Peoria,Ill., all the while expanding its implement line. In 1891, the company began building steam engines and threshing machines. Eventually, the company opted for this endeavor, gradually going out of the implement business.

From its humble beginnings in the corn planter business, Avery eventually grew to be an industry leader, manufacturing engines, tractors, and threshers. By the early 1920s, through difficulties not entirely of its own, Avery essentially was bankrupt. Reorganized as Avery Power Machinery Co., it never again rose to prominence due to market saturation, overproduction, and a failure to develop new machines to meet with ever-changing power farming requirements.

By 1899, Avery Co. had developed its Corn King and Corn Queen planters; the latter style is shown here. By this time, the company offered several different types of furrow openers as well as other options. For instance, the press wheels could be flat, concave or open design, as desired. Avery continued to build this planter at least until about 1910.

In 1908, Avery Co. announced its new Perfection planter. Options included three styles of press wheels and pointed, sled or disc runners. The Avery Perfection used an automatic self-lift device and the guide markers were automatic in their operation. By 1912, Avery was opting out of the farm implement market in favor of its growing tractor and thresher business.

B.F. Avery began making plows at Louisville in 1845. The company grew and diversified, but we have established no precise date for the introduction of the Avery corn planters. Its 1916 line included the Avery Sure Drop planter, an all-steel unit that was ordinarily furnished with open press wheels as show. Like other planters of the period, this one featured an adjustable row width for various crop requirements.

The Avery Plainsman lister of 1916 was but one item in the extensive B.F. Avery line. The lister or lister-planter was developed about 1880, with most of the credit going to William Parlin of Parlin & Orendorff Co., Canton, Ill. From his efforts, came the majority of lister design as used for many years to follow. However, each manufacturer had its own designs and the Avery, like the others, had its own salient features. This company had no connection or relation to Avery Co., Peoria, Ill.

By the 1880s, there were literally hundreds of companies attempting to build corn planters. Due to the great demand, there was room for everyone for a time, but as the market became saturated, many of the smaller firms were forced out of business. One small firm was Beedle & Kelly Co., Troy, Ohio. Shown here is its 1898 version of the ideal corn planter. Except for this advertisement, little else is known of the firm.

In 1903, Belcher & Taylor advertised this Eclipse Two-Row Two-Horse Corn Planter, claiming it to have all the good features of the Eclipse one-row model. Also included was a dry fertilizer attachment; it banded soil nutrients either into or beside the row. This firm was a well-known manufacturer of farm implements for many years.

Virtually nothing is known of Briggs & Enoch outside of this 1898 advertisement for its Rockford corn planter. Although this planter is obviously equipped as an automatic check-row machine, it also appears that it could be operated as formerly, using a separate person to work the valve lever and drop the corn into the row manually.

Anyone having additional materials
and resources relating to American
farm implements is invited to contact
C.H. Wendel, in care of Krause
Publications, 700 E. State St.,
Iola, WI 54990-0001.

This artist’s conception shows the Brown corn planter of the 1850s. One of the earliest to demonstrate any success, the Brown required two men, one to drive the team and the other to work the drop lever. The work of the dropper was exacting and very tiring for it required the accurate working of the valve lever each time the planter crossed one of the marks previously made in the seedbed. George W. Brown received many corn planter patents beginning in the 1850s.

An 1887 magazine article on corn planters noted that this Excelsior corn planter from Geo. W. Brown & Co., had been on the market for some years. It was equipped with Brown’s Universal Checkrower, this company’s solution to getting automatic checkrows. As with virtually all check-row machines, the check-row wire was stretched across the field and held at each end by steel stakes. As the planter traversed the field, the wire ran through the device pictured here. The buttons secured to the wire tripped a device to drop corn kernels precisely as desired.

An 1899 showing from Geo. W. Brown & Co., illustrates its Admiral Dewey corn planter. This machine was somewhat improved over the earlier Excelsior model. The check-row wire was stored on the reel as shown. Once a suitable wire was found, it could be used for several years before replacement was necessary.

A relative latecomer to the corn planter business, J.I. Case Plow Works offered this Round Hole Plate Planter in 1908. This referred to the company’s method of metering the seed. Cast iron disks or plates were placed beneath the seed boxes. In this instance, the plates were designed with holes around their periphery. The plates revolved beneath the seed boxes, thus picking up two, three or four kernels as desired for each hill of corn.

In 1912, Case announced its Power Drive planters with three exclusive features. These included, 1) no clutch on the drill shaft, the latter often being a troublesome feature on other planters; 2) round hole plates which Case claimed were more accurate than the common edge drop plates and 3) the Case accurate and positive Changeable Drop permitted the dropping of 2, 3 or 4 kernels in a hill in different parts of the field, at the will of the driver.

By 1920, the Case Power Drive Planter had changed very little from the 1912 model. This model could drill or check corn as desired and this was a valuable feature when a farmer wished to plant beans, peas or other drilled crops. The planter shown here is equipped with an optional dry fertilizer attachment.

An 1887 advertisement from Challenge Corn Planter Co. noted that at the time, there were over 30,000 Challenge corn planters in use. This was the planter that created a furor, finally being settled in the 1888 term of the United States Supreme Court. Farmer’s Friend Manufacturing Co., at Dayton, Ohio, sued Challenge for infringement of certain patent rights. After years of litigation the Supreme Court ruled that the original patent claims of No. 231,104 of 1880 were valid, but that a subsequent reissue, two years later, did nothing but further broaden the original patent. Therefore, the court ruled in favor of Challenge. For many years this was referred to in legal circles as the Corn Planter Case.

In 1890, the Challenge Leader Planter was introduced. It featured the Leader Drill Attachment, along with the Improved Wonder Check Rower Attachment. The company began manufacturing farm implements in 1872, but after the 1890 advertising, little more can be found concerning Challenge Corn Planter Co.

For small fields and very small farms, Challenge offered its one-row, one-horse drill and check planter in 1890. By this time, the open heel runner was in wide use. As the runner moved through the soil the seedbed was opened, with the kernels dropping through a boot and the open heal directly to their proper placement. As the soil dropped back behind the runner, a press wheel firmed the soil around the seed. This one-row planter was also available with the fertilizing attachment shown here.

An 1890 advertisement of Chambers, Bering, Quinlan, manufacturers of the “CB&Q” line, noted that the company had been building corn planters for five years. Of course, the company hailed its machine as the “most compact, substantial, best working, easiest planters to operate made.” With this machine it was possible to drill or plant in check-rows, as desired. The company appears in product listings as late as 1909, but was later acquired by International Harvester Co. Product listings show Harvester as building the CB&Q planters in 1914.

Cockshutt Plow Co., began making plows and other farm implements in the 1870s. This company remained in place until merging with others into White Farm Equipment Co., in the 1960s. The Cockshutt corn planter of 1910 was a very modern machine using all-steel construction. It also featured a frame drilled so that the farmer could change the planting width anywhere from 28 to 44 inches, as desired.

Columbia Drill Co., announced its new line of corn drills in 1894. This single-row style was known as the “Duke” and displayed some interesting features. It did not use the open heel runner as most of its contemporaries, but instead used an open runner with the seed boot directly behind. Curved sweeps behind the seed mechanism tended to squeeze the soil around the newly planted seed and also tended to hill the rows slightly.

The Paragon Double Corn Drill was offered by Columbia Drill Co., in 1894. It was designed somewhat on the same principles as the smaller one-row unit. Planting depth was regulated by the hand levers shown here; they also were used to raise and lower the planting units, as well as to throw the planting mechanism out of gear. No further information has been found on Columbia Drill Co.

A flurry of manufacturing activity was evident in the corn planter business during the 1890s. Farmers hurried to buy corn planters and oftentimes had to buy what was available rather than having a significant choice in the matter. The 1893 Common Sense Champion planter was made by Common Sense Engine Co., Muncie, Ind. This was the first planter with a steel frame and was patented by G. Campbell Janney, Springfield, Ohio. Unfortunately, the company went into receivership in 1893.

Deere & Mansur Co. was established by the Deere interests in 1877 to build corn planters. Twenty years later the company advertised this all-steel planter that came to a dominant position in the corn planter trade. Deere had numerous branch houses throughout the United States and this gave the company a marketing ability far beyond most of the competitors. The quality of the design and considerable product loyalty to John Deere implements all helped to propel this planter to its leading position in the industry.

By 1906, the No. 9 planter was being offered by Deere & Mansur. This planter would be the direct ancestor of John Deere planter design for decades to come. Special attention was paid to getting an accurate drop and in this regard the No. 9 was eminently successful.

Deere & Mansur was merged into Deere & Co., 1911. Its No. 999 corn planter emerged about 1912 and was a great advance over the earlierNo. 9 planter. With the No. 999 the farmer could plant various kinds of kernels, using different planter plates. The company also supplied plates for kaffir corn, sorghum, milo, maize, beans, peas and other row crops. With the variable drop feature, seed could be placed anywhere from 6-1/2 to 24 inches in the row. This planter remained on the market for many years, finally being replaced with planters redesigned for use with tractors; this resulted in the famous 290 and 490 John Deere tractor planters.

H.P. Deuscher Co. was organized in 1878, incorporating 10 years later. In 1892 A. J. Welliver became general manager; he had many years of experience in the farm implement business. The Hamilton corn planter of 1887 was a hand-operated check-rower and the identical engraving advertises this planter in 1898. A special feature was the clod fenders each side of the runners; thus the corn was covered only with loose soil.

In 1900, Deuscher advertised “The Excelsior” corn drill as part of its extensive implement line. Included at the time were disc and drag harrow, corn planters, cultivators and other items. This interesting design even included a guide marker, something unique to the majority of corn drills.

In 1906, Deuscher, advertised its Ideal corn planter. This design was a “Combined Hand Dropper, Driller and Check-Rower Planter.” For reasons unknown the company still retained the hand-dropper portion of the design and probably was one of the last to do so. The company still appears in the 1909 implement directories but fell out of sight shortly afterward.

Emerson-Brantingham Co., was founded in 1852 and was acquired by J.I. Case in 1928. The No. 25 Emerson Edge Drop Planter shown here was on the market in 1907, and the company continued building corn planters until being absorbed by J.I. Case. In fact, this No. 25 was eventually replaced by the No. 26; but except for a few improvements, it was essentially of the same design. E-B implements were very popular and thousands of these planters were sold.

A 1907 Emerson catalog illustrates its No. 4 Foot-Lift 4-Wheel Lister. This rather sophisticated design utilized the Emerson concept of “foot-lift” implements designed for easy manipulation by the driver. In certain areas of the South and West, the lister was an ideal method of planting corn and other crops. Advertising of the time noted that this machine would “take care of itself.”

The No. B 19 combined corn and cotton planters were another new innovation for the 1907 market. This planter was designed especially for cotton growers, but could also used to plant corn, if so desired. Production of this and similar models continued until Emerson-Brantingham became a part of J.I. Case Co., 1928.

The Farmer’s Friend corn planter of 1887 was a hand dropper, as noted by the small seat located over the runners, plus the hand-lever that operated the slide valve. As noted previously under the Challenge Corn Planter Co., section, Farmer’s Friend attempted to sue Challenge for infringement of its patents, taking its case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1888. Farmer’s Friend lost the case.

By 1892, Farmer’s Friend had come out with an entirely new automatic check-row planter. It was built along the same lines as its earlier planter and even retained the hand dropper mechanism, if so desired. The special dropper’s seat is noted beneath the planter and could be attached with two bolts.

Farquhar entered the farm implement business in the 1850s, making threshing machines. The firm prospered and expanded during the following years; by the 1890s, it was offering the Farquhar Keystone Planter. This simple device was intended for acreages too small for a larger two-row planter and was widely used for truck gardening, and for planting sweet corn.

Did You Know?

Today, vintage flour mills often sell at a considerable figure; a nicely restored small mill might bring up to $1,000. However, a mill with a poor framework or a broken stone will bring but a fraction of that figure.

The Farquhar Star two-row planter of the 1920s had several unique features, one of them being the single center-mounted guide marker. It also used disc closers instead of press wheels; thus its exceptionally wide footprint. Farquhar was acquired by Oliver Corp., in 1952.

Fuller & Johnson entered the corn planter business in the 1880s, using the design of Nils O. Starks, a former school teacher. This resulted in the Starks Force Drop Steel Corn Planter, with an 1895 example shown here. The company was overwhelmed with orders, selling everything it could produce. This advertisement is from the German-language edition of the famous American Agriculturist Magazine.

Hand corn planters were, of course, developed prior to the larger models. Even after the advent of the corn planter, the hand planters were often used for garden and truck farm work. In addition, they were used to “plug” corn where it was missing in the row. Oftentimes, farmers would walk the field as the corn was emerging, looking for missing hills of their new crop. Pushing the Empire Rotary Hand Planter into the soil and squeezing the levers together dropped seed into the ground; as the farmer walked away, he packed the soil with his heel.

The Haworth corn planter was the first successful check-row machine. George D. Haworth began perfecting this machine in the 1850s, building a successful one-row planter in 1859 and following with a two-row planter shortly after. In the late 1860s, the check-row design was fully developed; from it came most of the later developments along these lines. This 1896 model was typical of the Haworth design for many years and was the first four-wheel planter on the market. For reasons unknown, the Haworth dropped from view in the early 1900s.

Eugenio K. Hayes set up his business at Galva, Ill., in 1886, having first begun at Kewanee. In 1887, the E.K. Hayes’ Check-Row Planter appeared. It featured the patented Hayes wire reel for rolling and unrolling the check wire. It also featured the Hayes four-wheel press wheel design; the latter feature predominated the Hayes planter line from that time forward. The 1887 planter is shown here.

Did You Know?

Old feed grinders have appreciated in value considerably over the years. Sometimes, a rare or popular model will bring well more than $100.

By the 1890s, the Hayes planters were well known and were widely sold as “The Original 4-Wheel Planter.” After building 10 planters in 1887, production increased 10-fold the following year. In 1892, the company made 2,500 planters, doubling this figure in 1894 and planning for sales of some 7,000 planters in 1895. This Hayes planter was equipped with solid press wheels, instead of the usual four-wheel pattern that characterized the Hayes’ design.

By 1902, the Hayes 4-Wheel planter had again been modified to include an all-steel design. By that time, the company had sold more than 40,000 of its planters, and production continued at high levels for years to come. This 1915 model has all the salient features found in the 1902 version, except of course, for a few incidental refinements.

In the face of many company mergers, Hayes and three other firms reorganized in 1930 to form Farm Tools, Inc. The latter firm was in a better sales position, due to the merger, and production continued, despite the Great Depression. This No. 44 Hayes planter of the 1930s typified the line at that time and was, in fact, little different from the 1902 model. Eventually, though, Farm Tools, Inc., also withered away, bringing an end to the Hayes planters. By the mid-1950s, only repair parts were available from the Farm Tools, Inc., Division of Pittsburgh Forgings Co., Coraopolis, Pa.

By 1908, perhaps earlier, Hench & Dromgold Co., was offering this single-row corn planter. Designed for small acreages, this planter featured the round-plate design instead of the more common edge-drop pattern. This unit is also equipped with an optional fertilizer box. The company never opted into the two-row planter market and continued to offer this unit at least into the 1920s.

During the 1890s, Hoosier Drill Co., perfected its one- and two-horse corn drills; the single-row model is shown here. Hoosier also perfected a conventional two-row corn planter about 1895. By this time, Hoosier had a wide reputation for the most extensive line of grain drills in the industry. However, in 1903, Hoosier joined numerous other firms to form the American Seeding Machine Co. The latter consolidated with additional companies to form Oliver Farm Equipment Co., in 1929.

Implement Manufacturing Co., was organized in 1899 (perhaps a year earlier) to manufacture the unique Davenport Wireless Check Rower and Planter. Instead of the usual guide marker, this planter was equipped with the two large spade wheels shown in the engraving; they were mounted flexibly to accommodate variations encountered through the field. Although the company and its new planter received considerable attention for a short time, the Davenport planter soon faded from the scene.

International Harvester Co. acquired a corn planter line with its 1904 acquisition of Keystone Manufacturing Co. This was further enhanced with the later acquisition of Chambers, Bering, Quinlan Co. In 1919, IHC bought out P&O Plow Co., at Canton, Ill., and again, gained a corn planter line. Representative samples of these early IHC planters will be found under those respective headings. The IHC No. 1 planter shown here was built in the 1911-25 period. It was essentially the same as the CB&Q planter that preceded it. The company followed in 1926 with the No. 102 planter, its last horse-drawn model. Production of this style continued until 1946. Early IHC tractor planters included the No. 112. It was essentially a pair of No. 102 planters adapted to a tractor hitch. The IHC tractor planter developments are covered extensively in the author’s book 150 Years of International Harvester (Crestline/Motorbooks, 1981).

Hand corn planters remained popular, despite the introduction of two-row check-row planters. This 1887 version of the Keeney & Harrison rotary-drop hand corn planter was one of many different hand corn planters available over the years. With this one, as with most hand planters, the point was pushed into the ground, the levers were brought together and the seeds dropped into the ground at the proper planting depth. Today, hand corn planters are often sought as a collectible farm antique. Prices range from $10 to $30, depending on the age and the condition of the planter.

In the 1860s, the firm of Galt & Tracy was organized at Rock Falls, Ill., to build farm implements; in 1880, the firm was reorganized as Keystone Manufacturing Co. Already in 1867 Galt & Tracy was building Keystone corn planters. The popularity of this machine led to the selection of “Keystone Manufacturing Co.,” when the company was reorganized. The Galt Rotary Planter, as advertised in 1887, was a hand dropper; this engraving illustrates how the rows were marked out before planting with a marking sled or, in its absence, a bob sled. The driver attempted to drive a straight line while the “dropper” worked the hand lever at each intersecting line.

While Keystone still offered a hand dropper planter in 1887, the company had also introduced its automatic check-row design. This new feature, plus the use of a guide marker, eliminated the need to mark the field in advance, as well as eliminating the need for a “dropper” to work the slide valve as the planter traversed the field.

Keystone planters were very popular, as was the entire Keystone implement line. This humorous photograph relates that, “This corn was grown on ground prepared by a Keystone Disc Harrow, was planted by a Keystone Corn Planter, husked and shredded by a Giant Keystone Shredder and will by shelled by a Keystone Sheller that will be driven by a Keystone Horse Power. If the farmer determines to bale the fodder we hope to sell him a Keystone Baler.” In reality, this 1903 advertisement was quite prophetic—within a year, Keystone Manufacturing Co., would come under the umbrella of International Harvester Co., and would be the foundation for its corn planter line.

Madison Plow Co. went back to about 1880. At that time, it was merged into what became Fuller & Johnson Manufacturing Co., also at Madison. The Madison Plow name virtually disappeared until Fuller & Johnson sold out its farm implement line in 1911 to concentrate on manufacturing gasoline engines. At that point, Madison Plow reappeared, continuing in the implement business for some years. The Madison Variable Drop Disc Planter pictured here is of about 1917 vintage and likely is a direct descendant of Stark’s planter, introduced some years earlier by Fuller & Johnson.

Moline Plow Co. began building tillage implements in 1865 and was a pioneer in the corn planter business. Moline introduced the concept of gearing the planter mechanism to the wheels. When it was desired to drill the corn or other seeds, the check-rower was not used and the drill delivered one seed at a time. Moline offered a wide variety of planters; this 1903 advertisement shows its Gretchen planter.

In 1904, Moline Plow Co. announced this lister planter, designed especially for cotton growers. Since the draft of the lister moldboard could be considerable in heavy soil, this unit was designed sufficiently heavy that four horses could be used. With the passage of time, Moline offered many sizes and styles of lister planters for both the cotton and the corn crops.

By 1908, Moline Plow Co. was offering its new Gilt Edge planter. Its simple drive mechanism continued on the Moline planter line for many years. In addition, the all-steel frame permitted adjustment of the planting width to suit various crops, growing practices or personal preference. The Moline planters were quite popular with farmers and many thousands were sold.

During the 1920s, Moline Plow Co., like its competitors, continued the development of new designs. This four-row planter was one such development. An interesting feature was the use of very small press wheels, compared to press wheels at least twice as large on many of the competing machines of the day. In 1929, Moline Plow Co. merged with two other firms to form the Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Co. The latter continued to market Moline planters, using many of the design features pioneered by Moline Plow Co.

Boyd planters were first made by Galva Heater Co., Galva, Ill., about 1900. About 1918, Hayes Pump & Planter Co., also of Gal-va, bought out Galva Heater Co. Since the Boyd planter was quite similar to the Hayes, the latter sold out the patents, patterns and inventory of the Boyd planter to Monmouth Plow Co. However, Monmouth’s career in the planter business did not long prevail; by 1924, parts only were available for the Boyd planter and the place to go was Galva Heater Co.

Black Hawk corn planters were pioneered by D.M. Sechler Implement & Carriage Co., Moline, Ill. After Sechler went out of business, sometime in the 1920s, the Black Hawk planter line was acquired by Ohio Cultivator Co., which continued to build these planters for several years. Shown here is a 1927 model.

Ohio Rake acquired the Sure Drop Planter from Gale Manufacturing Co., Albion, Mich., about 1920. Ohio Rake developed an extensive implement line by this time, concentrating on various types of rakes and a wide variety of spring-tooth and spike-tooth harrows. While the Sure Drop had its own distinctive features, most planters of 1920 had resolved themselves into the same general designs.

Parlin & Orendorff Co. was established by Wm. Parlin in 1842. Plows, cultivators and other implements were available from P&O in the 1860s; about 1869, the company marketed the first lister. Shown here is a Canton lister, as built in the 1890s, although it differed little from the one introduced some 30 years earlier.

The ever-expanding P&O line included corn planters at least by 1900, perhaps earlier. This No. 66 combined check-row and drill planter was offered in 1912. The planter shown here was equipped with runner openers, but disc openers were also available. Another option was a dry fertilizer attachment; it could accurately sow anywhere from 40 to 500 pounds of fertilizer per acre, as desired.

When International Harvester purchased P&O in 1919, it acquired the No. 1 Tip-Top cotton and corn planter developed by P&O. Designed especially for the cotton grower, this planter could also be used for planting corn or other crops, as desired. IHC continued with the P&O line, expanding it and using it as a foundation for entirely new planters and related equipment.

The No. 71 variable edge-drop planter from P&O immediately became part of the IHC line upon its 1919 acquisition of the P&O factories. Except for changing the paint color and the stencils on the seed boxes, the No. 71 was amalgamated into the IHC line and was the basis for future developments in the planter line of International Harvester Co.

Numerous companies built and marketed corn drills; this 1887 offering of the Pekin Plow Co., was part of the chorus. Like many corn drills, it used a knife opener and a unique seed shoe with a front-mounted shovel. The seed dropped into the furrow directly behind the shovel and was covered by the knives to the rear. Little information has been found concerning this company.

A 1903 advertisement lists this company at Kewanee, Ill. Curiously, a substantial number of corn planter manufacturers were located in Illinois, perhaps more than in any other state. Its 1903 line included the Peter’s Ratchet Drop Planter, and the company claimed it to have fewer wearing parts than any other planter. Peter’s was fortunate in having branch houses in several Midwestern cities; this helped immensely in marketing its products.

The Peter’s Force Feed Planter of 1906 was built along somewhat the same lines as the 1903 Ratchet Drop design. By this time, though, the company was advocating its Force Feed Shuttle that represented substantial improvements to the dropping device over the competing brands. In addition to corn planters, the company also built a wide variety of pumps and other equipment.

Peter’s 1907 Kewanee planter evolved from the earlier designs andincluded certain improvements, even though the basic machine was the same as before. The Peter’s planters were available at least into the 1920s, with repair parts still being available from the company into the late 1930s.

From the May 3, 1851, issue of the Boston Cultivator comes this engraving of Pratt’s Patent Seed Sower and Corn Planter. Patent No. 3562 was issued to Leoa Pratt on April 25, 1844, for this little planter, with the accompanying article noting that the machine had been on the market for the past five years. This is the earliest graphic record we have found concerning a corn planter.

During the 1850s, considerable interest was shown in the corn planter. Initially this included various kinds of hand corn planters; it probably seemed incredulous that a mechanical corn planter could ever be perfected. Thus came the Randall and Jones two-row hand-operated planter. It was patented by S.G. Randall and J.H. Jones of Rockton, Ill., in 1855, bearing Patent No. 13,401. Perhaps this was an improvement over planting a single row at a time, but surely it must have been back-breaking work going up and down the field with this device. Incredibly, this was a very popular unit at the time.

By the time this 1898 Rock Island planter appeared, Rock Island Plow Co. was a major manufacturer of plows and other implements. The planter shown here was of the four-wheel design, using a flexible joint between each pair of press wheels. Rock Island called this “the best selling corn planter on the market,” and, while this claim would be hard to substantiate, there’s no doubt that it was a strong competitor.

By 1903, the Rock Island planter line had assumed essentially the form it would follow for some years to come. Rock Island noted that by simplifying the construction of this machine, it weighed some 200 pounds less than many of its competitors. The Balance Frame design was also an advantage as it took most of the weight off the horses. Rock Island Plow Co. was acquired by J.I. Case in 1937.

Sattley was an early plow manufacturer; over the years, the company expanded its line of tillage implements. By 1900, the company was manufacturing corn planters, with the style shown here being advertised in 1903. These planters were available with many different options, including open wheels, concave wheels or flat wheels.

Another Sattley model was the No. 7 planter shown here. This was a two-row combined cotton and corn planter; this was especially convenient for farmers growing both crops, since they could plant either crop with the same planter. It was a combination planter, that is, it was equipped with the check-rower and could also be used for drilling, when so desired.

About 1907, Sattley merged with Racine Wagon Co. to form the Racine-Sattley Co. One of its offerings was the New Way Corn Planter, a redesigned machine from the earlier models. Racine-Sattley eventually took a contract with Montgomery Ward & Co., with the latter marketing the Sattley implement line. In 1916, Montgomery-Ward purchased part of the company, including the Sattley engine plant at Jackson, Mich.

In 1908, Sechler offered its No. 3 Black Hawk planter. This unit was an updated version of earlier designs and featured an all-steel frame. For reasons unknown, D.M. Sechler Carriage Co., eventually quit business, with the implement line being acquired by Ohio Cultivator Co. Its version of the Black Hawk planter is shown under that section.

Skandia offered this corn planter and check-rower in 1887. Little information has been found on Skandia, either regarding its earlier development of the corn planter or its subsequent activities. This design carried the check wire (or perhaps knotted rope) over a pulley, across the frame of the planter and exiting on the opposite side.

For 1899, F.B. Tait Manufacturing Co. offered its New Decatur planter; it featured an all-steel design. This planter was obviously a check-rower and the flat-face press wheels were probably optional, with concave or open wheels being other possibilities. Outside of this 1899 advertisement, little else has been found concerning the New Decatur planters.

Many people considered the Barlow check-row planter to be the first successful check-rower on the market, although this was a point of hot contention at the time. An 1887 advertisement claimed however, the Barlow to be “The Best Corn Planter and Check Rower in the World.” This may or may not have been true, but it is a certainty that the Barlow planter was very popular upon its introduction.

J.C. Barlow made numerous improvements to the original Van-diver corn planter; the latter dated back to 1863. However, at some point after this 1887 model appeared, Barlow went on his own to form the Barlow Corn Planter Co. Little is known of this venture. The 1887 Barlow planter from Vandiver illustrates the plan for carrying the check wire. Unrolling it when entering a field was fairly simple, but putting it back on the reel upon completion of the job was sometimes a different story, since the wire had to be threaded evenly across the reel if one was to plan on wrapping 80 rods of wire on a single spool.

By 1907, perhaps earlier, Wistrand was offering its Blue Star planters. The company was a major pump manufacturer and apparently diversified for a time into the corn planter business. The company remained in the planter business for some years; by the late 1930s, repair parts only were available from Blue Star Manufacturing Co., Galva, Ill.

Trade Names

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9780873495684_0068_004

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In 1850, the corn sheller was virtually unknown, but during that decade various ideas were tried, a few having some success. Until that time, corn was shelled by hand. The recognized founder of the corn sheller industry was Augustus Adams at Sandwich, Ill. He perfected the original spring sheller. During the 1850s, progress was also made on the cylinder sheller, with several designs showing some promise. Of the sheller designers, Thomas A. Galt at Sterling, Ill., was a moving force; his efforts culminated in the Keystone Manufacturing Co., Sterling. The latter, like Sandwich Manufacturing Co., Sandwich, Ill., predominated the corn sheller market for many years.

At Ottawa, Ill., the firm of King & Hamilton began building cylinder shellers in the 1860s; the latter firm continued in this business for many years. Another important maker was Joliet Manufacturing Co., Joliet, Ill. This firm owed much of its inventive genius to A.H. Shreffler. Yet, another Illinois firm was Marseilles Manufacturing Co., Marseilles. The latter was also very well known for its corn shellers.

Eventually, the major farm equipment builders got into the corn sheller business. International Harvester acquired the Keystone Manufacturing Co., and John Deere ended up with the Marseilles line. Yet, the corn sheller business was not to endure. The coming of the corn combine in the 1950s signaled the end for the harvesting of ear corn, precluding the need for corn shellers.

Today, antique corn shellers are a popular farm collectible. Small one-hole and two-hole designs usually bring $50 or more, depending on age, condition and various other factors. Larger four-hole and six-hole spring shellers usually command a higher price because they are much more difficult to find; a nice four-hole spring sheller might fetch $250 to $500 today. Cylinder shellers are still used to some extent and their price varies considerably, depending on mechanical condition, the local market and other factors.

The M. Rumely Co., acquired many product lines in the 1910-12 period. Included was the Rumely-Watts sheller, although research has failed to determine the “Watts” portion of the title. The Rumely-Watts shellers were of the cylinder type and were capable of far more capacity than competing spring shellers.

The No. 6 Rumely was a double-cylinder sheller; this represented a rather unusual design. In principle, most cylinder shellers operated by feeding the ear corn into one end of a closed cylinder, whose periphery consisted of round steel bars. Inside the cylinder a revolving shaft carried numerous heavy iron paddles. By the time the corn and cobs made their way through the iron grates, the kernels were shelled away. With suitable screens, the cobs went one direction, while the shelled corn was cleaned and elevated to a waiting wagon.

American Well Works offered its American Improved Corn Sheller No. 2, in 1887; from all indications, the company had been making shellers for a few years prior to this time. American Well Works was a large company that had made a great name for itself with its well drilling equipment; this, too, was an essential part of the developing Midwestern farm lands.

By 1905, Appleton was offering its New Hero corn sheller; the unit shown here being a two-hole design. Spring shellers used a force-feed system to push the ears of corn into the shelling mechanism. It consisted of picker wheels having countless nibs protruding from their sides. Rag irons above them were held by heavy steel springs that forced the ears of corn over the picker wheels and removing the kernels from the cobs. This model is especially interesting, since it is geared for use with a horsepower.

In addition to power shellers Appleton offered various small corn shellers. The Royal was a one-hole design that was fed by hand and one ear at a time. The shelled corn dropped out of the bottom of the sheller while the cobs were spit out of the opening at the back of the machine. This was strictly a hand-operated machine.

Badger two-hole spring shellers could be furnished for hand or power operation. The belt pulley was standard equipment. When used with power, the hand-crank was removed. Two sets of picker wheels made this a two-hole sheller; due to its greater capacity, a small cob elevator was furnished. This one also included a small cleaning fan.

Appleton’s New Hero 6-hole Force Feed Corn Sheller of 1917 used an all-steel design, compared to the wooden construction of earlier years. The feeder was arranged with separate feed chains having special lugs spaced about a foot apart. As they traveled upward to the sheller, the ears of corn arranged themselves in the slots and were fed into the separate holes of the sheller. Six-hole shellers were common, although a few companies made eight-hole shellers and a very few were even larger.

Cylinder shellers had much more capacity than the spring shellers and had much less mechanism than the latter. By the time this 1917 Appleton No. 2 Cylinder Sheller appeared, the cylinder sheller was becoming immensely popular. The cleaning system had been greatly improved. Now the corn shucks were blown away by a large fan, the cobs were elevated to a waiting wagon and the shelled corn to another.

This company was famous for its well drilling equipment. Its product line included many other farm items, including ensilage cutters and corn shellers. This Austin Sheller of 1889 was typical of the time; one person cranked the sheller while another fed the ears of corn one at a time. Shelled corn dropped into the basket below, while the cobs made their exit from the rear of the machine. Note the ornate striping evident on this sheller. This was common for many machines of the period.

The No. 7 Pennsylvania corn sheller of 1899 featured a shaker-screen system for cleaning the shelled corn. Also of interest are the two small casters at the bottom of the frame, permitting the machine to be moved about like a small cart. Although this firm was actively manufacturing numerous farm machines and implements at the time, few specifics have been found of its activities.

Challenge was building windmills already in the 1890s, although it is unknown when the company began making corn shellers. This 1910 model of its Dandy one-hole sheller is shown with an optional cleaning fan for 80 cents. An optional feed table also shown here was priced at 40 cents. With a base price of $8, this brought the total list price to $9.20.

The Challenge Dandy two-hole corn sheller of 1910 weighed 300 pounds, required one or two horsepower and could shell 35 bushels per hour. The complete unit shown here was priced at $23 for 1910. Although it could be operated by hand, a pulley was ordinarily furnished for use with a gas engine or perhaps a sweep power.

Deere & Co. (or properly, John Deere Plow Co.), marketed this No. 2 Deere & Mansur sheller in 1908 and probably for some years before and after this time. Deere & Mansur was essentially a part of the Plow Co., prior to all the various companies coming together in one unit during 1911.

Deere & Co., marketed many corn shellers, especially those made by Marseilles Manufacturing Co., Marseilles, Ill. The latter was founded already in 1859 and had a long career in the farm implement business. At an early date, the company developed an excellent corn sheller line; in 1911, Deere & Co., gained stock control of Marseilles, thus bringing it into the fold.

During the late 1930s, the John Deere No. 6 sheller appeared; it would soon become one of the most popular models used by custom corn shellers. Its foundations began already in the 1920s with this 1925 Deere cylinder sheller. While somewhat smaller than the famous No. 6, this 1925 model had tremendous capacity and made short work of the corn shelling job.

In 1901, Dickey was offering its Racine corn sheller. Billed as “A marvel of perfection,” the Racine shown here was equipped with a pulley drive suitable for operation with a gas engine, steam engine or a tractor. Outside of this 1901 advertisement, little else can be found concerning the Racine corn sheller line.

Into the early 1900s, Farquhar continued to offer the Smith’s Patent or Cannon corn sheller. This design was one of the earliest cylinder shellers, apparently resulting from the efforts of J.P. Smith, Hummelstown, Pa. The latter received numerous corn sheller patents in the 1853-1869 period.

Rugged and plain, the Lancaster corn sheller from A.B. Farqu-har was built for many years. Its makers claimed it to be capable of 200 bushels per day, but that undoubtedly took a great many turns of the hand-crank. Farquhar continued to build similar shellers at least into the 1920s.

While Farquhar’s Lancaster sheller was a one-hole design, the Daisy was a two-hole machine. Many of the early corn shellers were just that, a plain sheller with no frills of any kind. Farquhar offered the Daisy in this manner, leaving the cleaning fan as an option. After a long and illustrious career in the implement and machinery business, Farquhar was bought out by Oliver Corp., in 1952.

By 1888, Foos Manufacturing Co., had emerged with its Foos Scientific corn sheller. This one differed from anything on the market; the entire case was made of cast iron, as compared to the wooden construction of virtually all others of the time. This one is shown complete with the feed table, cleaning fan and the cob elevator.

The Foos Scientific corn sheller of 1888 was available in various forms, with this one including a sacking elevator. Although a hand-crank is shown, the extension of the picker wheel shaft indicates that it was possible to add a belt-pulley for power operation. Foos eventually left the implement business to concentrate on its line of gasoline engines.

Hartman Co., was a large mail-order house, offering virtually everything for the farm and home. Included was the Majestic Square Frame Corn Sheller. These small table-top shellers were often used for shelling ear corn that had previously been selected for next year’s seed. Thus, Hartman included a “butting and tipping attachment.” It enabled the farmer to remove undesirable kernels from the butts and tips of the ears prior to shelling the remainder for seed.

This Hocking Valley self-feed sheller was offered in 1890; apparently, the firm had been building shellers for some years prior to this time. The design was essentially the same that the company continued to use for many years to come; Hocking Valley appears in the various implement directories as late as 1948, but dropped from sight by the 1950s. The author restored a Hocking Valley sheller similar to this one some years ago.

Hocking Valley single-hole shellers were priced at $8.40, plus freight, in 1904. When the optional cleaning fan was included the price came to $9.15. Very few ads appear for the Hocking Valley shellers and implements. Despite more than a quarter of century researching the history of farm implement manufacturers, the author has yet to see a single piece of literature from this company.

In 1899, the Hutchinson Dustless Sheller was advertised; it was a cylinder sheller and it was probably far from being dustless. Five feet long and three feet high, this was a stationary machine, probably intended for commercial use in grain elevators and similar locations. Very little is known of the company or its manufacturing activities.

In 1910, Joliet advertised its Eureka Ironsides shellers in two, four- and six-hole sizes. However, these outfits were also available with a self-contained two-cylinder engine mounted as shown beneath the sheller frame. Joliet shellers owed much of its design to A.H. Shreffler, who was associated with the company for some years.

The Joliet spring shellers were offered in various sizes; a four-hole model is shown here. This one was complete with a cob stacker and a shelled corn elevator. While the company offered this machine for belt power, it could also be equipped as shown with the necessary gearing and tumbling rods for use with a horse power, sometimes called a sweep power.

For many years, Joliet offered its Rural Hand Feed Sheller. It was a two-hole spring sheller; the company claimed itcapable of shelling anywhere from 25 to 50 bushels of corn per hour. As shown, it is equipped with a cleaning fan and the requisite belt pulley. Corn shellers in particular were usually highly adorned with fancy pin-striping and lettering. This was all done by hand and added to the cost of the machine. By the end of World War I, most machinery was using very little of the ornate pin-striping of earlier years.

By World War I, Joliet was offering its No. 2 Dustless Cylinder Corn Sheller to the market. Shown here in transport position, it could be easily pulled from farm to farm by a team. When setting up, two or three men set the cob stacker in place, along with setting the drag feeder in place alongside the corn crib. The corn combine ended the great need for corn shellers, beginning in the late 1950s.

Keystone Manufacturing Co. began with Thomas A. Galt, who established a shop at Sterling in 1857, forming the firm of Galt &Tracy in 1863. Its development of the Keystone corn shellers took place subsequently. When the firm was incorporated as Keystone Manufacturing Co., in 1870, it was thus named because of the eminently successful Keystone shellers. This 1905 advertisement illustrates the Keystone sheller and is representative of its design for some years before this time. In 1905, Keystone came under ownership of International Harvester Co. Thomas A. Galt died in 1912.

King & Hamilton was an early contender in the corn sheller business, aiming primarily at the development of the cylinder sheller. Its Ottawa “C” Dustless Cylinder Sheller of the 1920s typified the line at the time, with this big machine capable of anywhere from 4,000 to 8,000 bushels per day. Ottawa shellers remained on the market for many years, being available at least into the 1950s.

Often billed as, “The best sheller on earth,” the Ottawa was offered in various models, but the “C” and the “F” shellers seem to have been very popular over a long production run. This Ottawa “F” sheller is shown ready for the road; the shuck stacker is folded in its saddle atop the machine, the cob stacker is secured and the corn drag, partially visible here, is loaded and ready for the next job.

By 1887, Marseilles was offering its Cyclone self-feed corn sheller. This two-hole spring sheller was available with numerous options; the machine shown here was equipped with a cob stacker and a shelled corn elevator. Also obvious is the special gearing required for operation with a horse power. Thus equipped, it could likely shell 200 to 300 bushels per day.

Marseilles offered its New Process Dustless Cylinder Corn Sheller already in 1895. At this time, though, the New Process was not equipped with the necessary mechanism for drag feeders to pull corn into the large ear corn elevator. However, it was equipped with the other features salient to the cylinder sheller; these included the cleaning fan, shuck fan, cob stacker and shelled corn elevator.

For 1895, the Marseilles line included three sizes of shuck corn shellers of the spring sheller design. These were made in three different sizes and could be mounted as shown or could be supplied “down,” that is to say, in a stationary design. At the purchaser’s wish, these machines could be operated with either steam- or horse power. In 1895, Marseilles claimed to offer the largest line of corn shellers in the country.

Marseilles was founded in 1859, coming under stock control of Deere & Co., in 1911. That year, the company offered its shuck corn shellers in three sizes. The acquisition of this company by John Deere led directly to the latter’s own innovations in corn sheller design. In fact, the Deere corn shellers of the 1920s still had a strong resemblance to the original Marseilles designs.

In addition to large corn shellers, Marseilles sold thousands of its small one-hole Diamond spring shellers. This small, hand-operated sheller weighed about 135 pounds, as did most of its competitors. After the 1911 Deere takeover, Diamond shellers continued on the market for some years to come.

Favorite spring-type corn shellers from Marseilles were offered in one- and two-hole models. Some were even equipped with the optional sacking elevator for the shelled corn. A very simple design, it could be operated with a small engine or, in lieu of that, could be cranked by hand. When cranking by hand, the ideal speed was to crank at about 80 to 100 revolutions per minute.

Offered for many years, the Farmer spring sheller from Marseilles was strictly a power machine. Although it was a hand-feed model, the Farmer was ordinarily furnished with a sacking elevator, along with a much larger cleaning fan than found on lighter and smaller models. This two-hole model weighed nearly 500 pounds.

Minneapolis entered the corn sheller business about 1910 with its big No. 2 cylinder sheller. This machine is shown with a section of the drag feeder mounted for transport. Several men picked it up and placed it in position for attachment to the boot of the ear corn elevator (at the left of the illustration). The No. 2 led to many other Minneapolis corn sheller designs. When the firm entered the 1929 merger that formed Minneapolis-Moline, the corn sheller line was enhanced considerably. M-M corn shellers were probably the strongest competitors with the John Deere cylinder shellers of the 1930-1950 period.

In the early 1930s, New Idea bought out Sandwich Manufacturing Co., Sandwich, Ill. Subsequently, New Idea continued making corn shellers for a number of years. Included was this attractive all-steel design. It was a one-hole spring sheller and could be operated with a hand-crank or could be powered, as desired. These small shellers were popular because they enabled the farmer to shell a small quantity of corn when hiring a large custom-sheller was impractical.

Sandwich-New Idea spring shellers of the 1930s were of an all-steel design, representing a bold move forward from time-honored wooden construction. The same held true for this all-steel cylinder sheller of the 1930s. It was a small machine, large enough for small- to medium-sized farms, but probably too small and too slow for custom operators. Apparently, this machine was only built for a few years.

An 1884 advertisement in the Industrial Gazette, published in St. Louis, illustrates the Oyler corn sheller of the time, complete with the horsepower and speed-jack required for power operation. Oyler was an early corn sheller manufacturer in the St. Louis area.

The Peony sheller from Geo. K. Oyler was typical for spring shellers of the day. This one was, of course, of wooden construction, with iron castings used as necessary. When it is considered that corn shellers of any form were a rarity in 1860, farmers of 20 years later probably considered this hand-operated machine to be a real treat.

For 1887, Geo. K. Oyler offered its Peerless self-feeding power corn sheller. This one was a major step forward, but required either a horsepower or a steam engine for its operation; successful gas engines were a bit of a rarity in 1887. After considerable advertising in the 1880s, Oyler essentially drops from sight, probably being bought out or taken over by a successor firm.

In 1875, A.H. Patch began manufacturing farm machines at Clarksville. Subsequently, came the Black Hawk corn sheller, with the 1903 pattern shown here. The Black Hawk brought both fame and fortune to Patch, who died in 1909 at the age of 84. Thousands of Black Hawk shellers were sold; undoubtedly a substantial number still exist.

Outside of this 1896 announcement, virtually nothing is known of the Racine corn sheller from Pease Manufacturing Co. It is obviously a spring sheller, probably a four-hole design. This one was equipped so that it could be operated either from a belt pulley or by a horsepower, as desired.

In the late 1890s, Port Huron made a brief excursion into the corn sheller business, offering this Type B machine in 1899. The company claimed it to be capable of 200 to 800 bushels per hour, with a further claim that it was “the most substantial, finest finished steam sheller made.” Apparently, this machine was intended to be a companion to the Port Huron steam-traction engines; the latter had already found great favor among threshermen.

The Red Chief corn sheller was another of those table top shellers with a certain market and, indeed, a market largely established by A.H. Patch. In 1918, this small sheller was priced at $2.25. Note how the sheller is mounted on a heavy wooden box. The shelled corn dropped into the box and the cobs were ejected from the side.

The Cross cylinder sheller shown here was new in 1940. It was intended for the small farm at which a large sheller was impractical and afforded the farmer an inexpensive method of shelling small quantities of corn without hiring a custom operator. The Cross cylinder shellers were listed in various product directories as late as 1958.

In 1908, Reeves & Co., announced its Illinois Special Corn Sheller. This was a big cylinder sheller intended for use with Reeves or other steam engines. The company noted that this sheller worked equally well with shucked corn as with corn that was cleanly husked. This was a problem with some shellers, especially spring shellers. Within a few years, Reeves would come under control of Emerson-Brantingham Co., and that was the end of the Reeves corn shellers.

The Richards’ corn sheller was patented in 1860. Despite its crudeness, in comparison to later machines, the Richards’ sheller established some of the principles involved in cylinder-type corn shellers. Apparently, this machine was made in Chicago for a number of years subsequent to 1860, but little is known of it outside of an occasional illustration.

This firm beganin 1848 as Cox & Roberts and specialized in threshing machines. The firm started at Belleville, Ill., but moved to Three Rivers in 1855, finally becoming incorporated in 1875. Cyrus Roberts was the inventive force at the company, with this corn sheller of 1885 being named in his honor. Other products included its Invincible threshing machines and the Happy Thought potato diggers. The company also manufactured railroad specialties.

By 1914, Root-Heath was offering numerous styles of small hand shellers, including the Little Giant and the R&H styles shown here. The company also made Gem and Never Fail hand shellers. Note the special mountings permitting the R&H sheller to be clamped to a large barrel for the shelled corn.

Augustus Adams set up a small foundry at Elgin, Ill., in 1840; this was the first iron foundry west of the Mississippi River. In 1857, he moved his business to Sandwich, Ill., initially under the title of A. Adams & Sons. From this, Sandwich Manufacturing Co., was organized in 1867. About this time, Adams removed himself from the business and became associated with Marseilles Manufacturing Co., Marseilles, Ill. Sandwich Manufacturing was an early manufacturer of corn shellers, with this 1890 Sandwich Rustler sheller being an example. This one is shown with a horsepower, also made by Sandwich.

The 1894 Sandwich corn sheller line included many models designed for steam- or horse-power. The Sandwich shown here is equipped for the latter, with the tumbling rod being plainly evident. Since horse power was readily available, this was a viable option for many farmers of the time.

In 1908, Sandwich Manufacturing was not yet building its own gas engines, but for this Sandwich-Stover Combination, the Sto-ver engine was chosen as the power. By this time, Sandwich was building a complete line of spring and cylinder shellers, the largest having a capacity of 120 bushels per hour. A Sandwich spring sheller is shown here.

The 1910 Sandwich sheller line included this six-hole model, set up for operation with a steam engine or perhaps a gas engine. Although cylinder shellers had much more capacity, the spring sheller remained fairly popular into the 1920s, with the small one-hole models remaining with some manufacturers into the 1940s. Sandwich Manufacturing Co., was absorbed by New Idea in the 1930s.

Sidney offered an extensive range of mounted and stationary cylinder shellers; this one of 1919 was called its new one-farm size machine. Various product listings show the company as being in operation into the late 1940s, but little other information has surfaced on either the company or its corn shellers.

An 1889 advertisement illustrates the Tiger one-hole corn sheller, as built by Stover Manufacturing Co., the company title at the time. In another decade, the company would be building gas engines, later changing to the heading as shown. In addition to a rather extensive line of windmills and other farm products, the company was also a pioneer in small corn shellers.

One of the most innovative ideas for a one-hole corn sheller comes from this 1890 advertisement for the Stover Tiger. Instead of the usual hand-crank, this sheller was set up with a foot-treadle arrangement, permitting the operator to feed corn with both hands and treadle with a spare foot.

Stover continued manufacturing corn shellers at least into the 1930s; the company ceased all operations in 1942. Already in the 1920s Stover was offering its No. 1 cylinder sheller, a small machine intended for the small farmer or for occasional shelling of small lots. These shellers were surprisingly popular for many years.

Tiffin Wagon Co., was well known for its wagons, but less well known for its small corn shellers. This 1906 advertisement illustrates the two-hole Tiffin and the two-hole Favorite shellers. The company also built Challenge shellers in one-hole and two-hole versions. Little else is known of Tiffin’s efforts in the corn sheller business.

U.S. Wind Engine & Pump Co., took its first step into fame with the renowned Halladay windmill. Subsequently, the company manufactured numerous farm implements and appliances, including this IXL corn sheller, shown here in an 1888 version. This two-hole sheller is shown with a hand-crank, but the furnished pulley meant that it could be converted to power.

By 1890, Union Iron Works was advertising its Western corn sheller; this was a cylinder sheller. Even at this early date, the Western was being advertised as a portable machine, capable of moving from one farm to another. By this time, and for the history of the corn sheller, large jobs were generally delegated to a custom corn sheller; very few farmers owned their own machine. Small quantities were handled on the farm with a spring sheller or a small cylinder sheller.

Particularly in shucked corn and the attendant amount of debris, cylinder shellers had the disadvantage of clogging the screens with this material until the 1896 Western patents. At this time, Union Iron Works patented a method of keeping the screen clear of this debris, thus giving much greater capacity to its machines.

By 1908, Western Field portable corn shellers were built in three sizes ranging from 500 to 2,000 bushels per hour. Production of the Western Field shellers appears to have continued at least into the 1940s, with repair parts still being available from Union Iron Works in the late 1950s. However, particulars regarding this company are lacking, as is specific product information outside of collected advertisements.

Whitman was one of the early agricultural equipment manufacturers at St. Louis, with the St. Louis corn sheller shown here being of 1887 vintage. It is shown complete with a sacking elevator, together with a small horsepower for an elimination of the hand-cranking job. Due to the great difficulty of shelling corn by hand methods, the corn sheller was an essential part of bringing the corn crop to its position of dominance. Once the corn picker provided mechanical harvesting of the crop, corn assumed a role as a worldwide source of food and energy.

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Mechanizing the cotton harvest was a goal long sought for, but evaded reality until the 1940s. Prior to that time, there had been some meager success, particularly in the 1930s. However, efforts to build a successful cotton picker began already in the 1860s. Each new invention came out with high hopes and each failed to be commercially successful. One such invention was that of C.B. Sheehan of Springfield, Ill. His 1908 cotton picker was known as the Peerless and was designed to work by suction, actually sucking the cotton bolls from the stems. However, like all the rest, the Peerless never gained commercial status.

Along with many small manufacturers, John Deere and International Harvester spent considerable money developing a successful machine, ultimately achieving success. Due to a lack of suitable photographs, none have been included in this section. However, the cotton picker developments of the 1940s finally mechanized a job that was notoriously labor intensive and was the last major crop to be mechanized.

Due to the great similarity between cotton planters and corn planters (and because the same planter was generally used for both crops), a few examples of cotton planters will be found under the Corn Planter section of this book.

For the farm wife, the invention of the cream separator was as great as the invention of the reaper was to the husband. Until the 1870s, there was little activity regarding the mechanical separation of cream from the milk; some experiments by German engineers led to partial success, but they failed to follow with additional research. In 1875, the Lefeldt separator was built at Kiel, Germany, and the company began marketing them by 1877. The following year came the famous DeLaval cream separator, followed the next year by the Nielsen-Petersen machine. All these machines were of European design.

In the early 1880s, W.W. Marsh, president of the Iowa Dairy Separator Co., began marketing the first American-made machine. This was the beginning of the famous “curved-disc” design; Iowa Dairy Separator Co., soon became the company to emulate. By 1915, here were more than two million cream separators in daily use, with continuing sales of more than 200,000 per year. Industry records show that in 1917, there were some 30 American manufacturers of cream separators.

Apparently, the first American-built cream separator was the Sharples, first built in 1881 or 1882. This company remained in the cream separator business for many years.

Old cream separators are highly sought after by a specialized group of collectors. Despite their relative scarcity today, vintage cream separators usually do not fetch high figures on auction, with rather nice ones sometimes selling for less than $100. On the other hand, rare models, especially in good condition, can bring several times that figure. Since relatively few appear, it is difficult to establish a pricing system for these interesting farm antiques.

The Anker-Holth separators were well known in the United States. This 1917 version was the typical hand-cranked model; most models required the operator to turn the crank at 50 to 55 rpm. Whole milk was poured into the large bowl on top and as it fed through the centrifuge, cream came out of one spout and skim milk from the other.

A 1910 advertisement shows the Simplex Link-Blade separator from D.H. Burrell & Co. The machine apparently gained some status, since it was offered for sale by the large jobbing house of Baker & Hamilton in San Francisco. Little else is known of this machine.

Iowa Dairy Separator Co. was among the first American manufacturers of cream separators. Beginning in the early 1880s, the company first offered large separators for use primarily in creameries. Eventually, the company began offering small units for home use.

About 1910, Iowa Dairy Separator Co. became part of Associated Manufacturers at Waterloo, Iowa. The latter had recently developed its own gas-engine line, but continued making cream separators for years to come. This 1917 model is a hand-cranked machine. The number of Iowa cream separators leaving the Waterloo factory numbered into the hundreds of thousands.

As part of its overall farm line, B.F. Avery offered this ball-bearing cream separator in its 1916 general catalog. While it differed somewhat in general design from its contemporaries, nevertheless, its principle of operation was the same. Adding ball bearings was helpful because it reduced the effort necessary to crank the machine.

Prior to the days of centrifugal cream separators, various means of separating cream from milk were used. Many of these units depended primarily on the natural forces that caused the cream to rise to the top, where it was carefully skimmed. Examples of the O.K. Creamery shown here and others of similar design, are very scarce at present.

Champion Blower & Forge Co., was apparently a late entry into the cream separator business, arriving about 1920. Shown here is its No. 70 Champion cream separator. It had a 700-pound capacity, about the average farm size. This meant that it was capable of handling the milk from up to 14 cows.

For the small farmer, Champion offered this little bench-type cream separator, it had a 250-pound capacity (or up to three cows). Weighing but 85 pounds, the No. 25 Champion bench separator was securely fastened to a heavy bench or table. The crank is stamped “60 turns per minute,” and a small bell mounted on the crank handle helped the operator keep time.

Did You Know?

In 1910, Cockshutt Plow Co. offered the Lacta cream separator, primarily to its customers in Canada. This one was hailed because of its oiling system that kept all the gears and bearings bathed in a constant flow of oil. This was especially important for the high-speed spindle gears and bearings. By the late 1930s, the Lacta is shown as being built by Rite-Way Products at Chicago.

The DeLaval cream separator was among the earliest on the market. First built only in Europe, the company eventually began manufacturing them in the United States. This 1899 example demonstrates the utter simplicity of the DeLaval machine. Even though it took some time to crank the night and morning milking through the cream separator, this was still far preferable to skimming by hand.

A 1907 advertisement for the DeLaval cream separators notes that by that time, the company had sold more than 750,000 of them worldwide. The company began making cream separators in 1882, with the DeLaval rising to the top in a superior position, one that it held for decades.

By 1920, the DeLaval had taken on a modern appearance, especially when compared to the 1899 model. A great many cream separators of this time were also equipped with the necessary countershaft, enabling the machine to be operated with a gasoline engine or an electric motor.

The famous catalog house of Bill Galloway was offering cream separators even before this 1910 advertisement. Galloway’s catalogs illustrated the newest things on the market, often phrasing the sales pitch to cash-minded farmers. This advertisement for instance, notes that “[the dairy] is the only department on the farm which brings in a pay check every week of the year.”

Toward the end of the cream separator business, Galloway Co. offered this ultra-modern design, operated by a concealed electric motor. By this time, the design had been greatly simplified to minimize replacement of parts. With great joy, the author recalls junking the old hand-cranked Galloway in favor of this new one during the winter of 1947.

Did You Know?

Hartman Co., offered this style of its Majestic cream separator in the 1920s. It was offered in four different sizes, from 375 to 1,000 pounds per hour. The company recommended its 500-pound machine for the average farm, albeit this was probably a size smaller than desirable. The 500-pound separator sold for $62.

An 1899 advertisement indicates that this machine was built and/or sold by Lourie Implement Co., Keokuk, Iowa. Billed as a Hydraulic Cream Separator, it claimed to do just as good a job as a $125 centrifugal machine, but at a fraction of the cost. But farmers weren’t buying the argument, sales were brisk for the centrifugal machines, but languished for hydraulic separators.

By 1910, IHC was offering a series of cream separators as part of its extensive farm equipment line. A 1912 offering was its No. 1 Dairymaid cream separator with a capacity of 350 pounds of milk per hour. This one is shown belted to an IHC 1-horsepower Famous engine, obviating the need to crank the separator by hand.

International Harvester was a major player in the dairy equipment business for many years. Its Primrose cream separator pictured here was a popular machine that was sold by the thousands. International Harvester had a strong dealer organization, with stores in many small towns. Parts and service in those days were always important; that helped sell a lot of IHC products.

The cream separator was a well established fact of life by 1900. Despite this, a few farmers still preferred the old-style natural separator as shown from King Drill Co.. However, the days were numbered for this method; farmers everywhere were flocking to town to get a new centrifugal machine.

A 1922 advertisement shows the Petrie cream separator; it was an all-electric machine that could be furnished with an AC or DC motor. By the 1930s, R.A. Lister appears as the manufacturer of this separator; unfortunately, we have found nothing further on the ancestry of the Petrie machine.

Massey-Harris was a major player in the farm equipment business, particularly in Canada. Its complete product line included cream separators for many years, with this example dating from the 1930s. M-H claimed that its machine would separate even the tiniest globules of butterfat from the milk. However, when correctly adjusted, so would virtually every other centrifugal separator.

In 1918, the Milwaukee Sanitary separator took on the form shown here, with the company remaining in the cream separator business a few more years. About this time, cream separator manufacturing reached its peak, with the majority of farms now owning a machine. Subsequently, the market consisted of those relatively few who didn’t yet own a separator or those seeking a replacement.

A 1901 advertisement illustrates Mosely’s hydraulic cream separator. Established in 1885, this company continued to promote its design despite the withering competition of the centrifugal designs. Outside of this 1901 advertisement, nothing had been found of Mosely’s separator.

Omega appeared in 1906 with its concept of the ideal cream separator. For reasons unknown, the company survived for only a few years, probably unable to face the tremendous competition in the marketplace. The same scenario was replayed many times in the farm equipment business and sometimes high quality designs went to defeat simply because of a poor marketing strategy.

Outside of a 1909 advertisement, little is known of this Waterloo firm. Peerless was in strong competition from the start with Iowa Dairy Separator Co., one of the oldest American separator manufacturers. Eventually, the company was taken over by Associated Manufacturers at Waterloo, the successor to Iowa Dairy Separator Co.

Although a 1917 advertisement shows this company as located in Milwaukee, the parent company was actually located in Ren-frew, Ontario, Canada. Little else has been found on the Renfrew, except that by the late 1930s, repair parts were available from a firm in Nebraska; no further reference to the company at Renfrew has been found.

Originally built and sold by Smith Manufacturing Co., Chicago, the Great Western line was eventually bought out by Rock Island Plow Co. The latter continued to manufacture Great Western cream separators for many years. Shown here is a Great Western cream separator of the 1920s belted to a Rock Island gasoline engine.

A 1905 advertisement paints an idealistic scene of separating cream from milk. However, the Sharples dated back to the early 1880s and was, in truth, one of the very first American-made cream separators. Its “Tubular” design became quite popular and remained so for decades.

By the late 1930s, repairs for the Sharples cream separators were available from United Dairy Equipment Co., West Chester, Pa. This 1925 advertisement illustrates essentially the same machine as was made in 1905. Two sizes were available, the 700-pound capacity, suitable for the average farmer and the big 1,650-pound separator for sizable dairy operations.

By about 1910, the Swedish Separator Co. was established as an American manufacturing branch of the Swedish design. Its Viking separators were very popular. The Viking retained its own market niche for some years, eventually coming into the fold of the United Engine Co., Lansing, Mich.

By 1905, the United States Cream Separator was being offered by Vermont Farm Machine Co. This machine remained on the market for decades and repair parts were still available into the late 1930s. Nothing further is known of this company or its U.S. cream separator.

Virtually nothing is known of this company offering its Peerless cream separator to the public in 1907. It was obviously a small machine and appears to have been a distinctive design. Since Iowa Dairy Separator Co., was already established at Waterloo for the same purpose, it would seem that the two companies might have joined forces. Eventually, they did, since for some years, parts for the Peerless were available from Associated Manufacturers at Waterloo.

In 1912, Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. purchased the cream separator plant of Lisle Manufacturing Co., Clarinda, Iowa. The manufacturing equipment was moved to Waterloo; instantly, the company was in the cream separator business. Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co., continued with the line at least until the 1918 takeover by Deere & Co.; the latter continued to sell parts for the Waterloo Boy cream separators for some years.

Trade Names

9780873495684_0094_001

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Although row-crop cultivators are the general theme of this section, also included are some miscellaneous cultivators, weeders and the like. The term “field cultivator” as we know it today did not come into general use until after World War II. To reiterate, World War II is the great dividing line between horse-powered agriculture and mechanized agriculture. Granted, major strides toward farm mechanization were made in the 1930s, but these were considerably stifled by the Great Depression. Under the extreme circumstances of those years, farmers were forced to get by as economically as possible; there simply was very little money for anything but dire necessities. On its heels came World War II and the demands of war put an effective end to most farm machinery production for several years. After hostilities ended in 1945, it took a couple of years before farm machinery production could again resume. When it did, many of the small manufacturers were gone, never to return. Of those remaining, some continued producing horse-drawn machinery until about 1950.

Cultivators of some sort have roots in antiquity, dating back to the earliest of farm implements. In modern times, meaning in the period from 1850 onward, the cultivator received major attention. A study of U.S. Patents reveals literally thousands of patents granted for cultivators and their attachments.

Manufacturers abounded, with many of them being small shops that produced a few hundred units per year, while others produced cultivators by the thousands. Ohio Cultivator Co., found in this section, was one of the first to build a riding cultivator. Many farmers held it in disdain for some years, contending that the horses had enough to do with pulling the cultivator, much less giving the operator a ride.

There were tongueless cultivators and those with tongues, walking cultivators and riding cultivators, one-row and two-row styles, shovel cultivators and surface cultivators. By the 1920s, the motor cultivator appeared, although this machine is generally conceded to be a part of the tractor scene. With the wide acceptance of row-crop tractors by 1930, farmers got their first taste of tractor-mounted cultivators. The latter also marked the end for horse-drawn cultivators.

Of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of cultivator manufacturers, this section includes some of the most popular and a fair number of obscure makes. To include every cultivator from every company would be a book in itself; to avoid tedium and deny space for other parts of the farm equipment in a broad sense, this section is somewhat limited in scope.

Old cultivators have become a desirable collectible, although the market values still are very low. Oftentimes, an old rusty cultivator in a fence row or a grove can be purchased for scrap price, while nicely restored ones, especially those which are fairly rare, can command $100 to $200 or even more.

This company was very active in the 1890s, continuing in the cultivator business for many years. Its specialty was in small cultivators suitable for truck farming. Shown here is its popular No. 101 Planet Jr., Plain Cultivator. The lever expander was an easy way to change the cultivating width.

The Planet Jr., line included a wide variety of small cultivators and implements. Among them was the No. 25 Planet Jr., Combined Hill and Drill Seeder, Double and Single Wheel Hoe, Cultivator and Plow. In other words, this single unit was recognized by satisfied users as a “Complete Gardener.”

In the early 1900s, S.L. Allen & Co., began offering its No. 72G two-row cultivator. This one differed greatly from most two-row units because it carried the extra shovels outside of the wheels. Instead of the usual wooden shear pins, this cultivator was equipped with spring-trip shanks.

American Harrow Co., of the 1890s claimed to have the largest factory in the world, selling all its farm implements direct from the factory to the farmer. One example was this small one-row walking cultivator, available at a cash price of $14.75.

The 1903 formation of American Seeding Machine Co., brought together a number of substantial implement manufacturers; this resulted in the new company having a line of cultivators and other implements. For 1915, the line included this Buckeye No. 157 Pivot Axle Riding Cultivator. Buckeye cultivators were made in numerous sizes and with a variety of attachments.

Originally organized as Avery Planter Co., this firm was building a variety of cultivators, planters and other equipment in the 1880s. By the 1890s, the company had diversified into threshers and steam-traction engines, but continued the implement line for some time after. Shown here is the Avery Mystic cultivator of 1903.

The 1906 Avery cultivator line included the Vacuna combined riding/walking cultivator. These combined units were expressly for farmers who shunned the notion of riding to give their feet a rest and, for them, walking behind was the preferred method.

B.F. Avery had a long history in the cultivator business, finally selling out to Minneapolis-Moline in 1951. Its 1916 cultivator line included this Avery Jack Rabbit model. It featured pipe-beam gangs and spring-trip shanks. Numerous other styles were also available.

Although it greatly resembles the Planet Jr., cultivators from S.L. Allen & Co., this 1910 offering was called the Belanger Steel Scuffler. Weighing but 85 pounds, it could be adjusted to vary the cultivating width. A. Belanger Ltd. was established in 1867.

Designed especially for use in groves and vineyards, the Beni-cia rotary harrows were ideal for cultivation in these situations. It could be made to run in either direction, with instructions to the operator that the slow side should run closest to the vines.

A 1923 advertisement illustrates this company’s Pilot Disc Cultivator. It could be adjusted so as to bar-off and throw dirt to the plants in a single operation. Numerous other attachments were available. The company also built a wide variety of harrows and planters.

Already in 1888, David Bradley was offering this riding-disc cultivator. The discs were adjustable so as to throw dirt toward the row or away from it. At the time, David Bradley also offered a walking-disc cultivator, along with a wide variety of shovel cultivators.

The Bradley Tu-Ro cultivator was announced to the trade in 1907. The operator guided the cultivator gangs with foot stirrups. Especially when plowing crosswise in checked corn, it required constant vigilance to avoid plowing out any of the growing crop. Woe to those who did!

The Illinois Hammock Seat Riding Cultivator was announced by this firm in 1895. The hammock seat design was occasionally used, and as shown two extending irons carry the seat on a crosspiece, much like the old-fashioned hammock. Little is known of this company.

Not to be confused with Geo. W. Brown Co., Galesburg, Ill., this firm was a pioneer in building cultivators. Its 1895 offerings included the Zanesville Brown, a small tongueless walking cultivator. Numerous options were available, including break-pin or spring-trip shanks, spring-tooth and surface gangs and much more.

In 1919, the Brown cultivator line included this Pivot Pole Disc Rider model, with the company noting that it was the result of 40 years’ experience in the cultivator business. That would put the beginning of the Brown cultivators back to about 1880. Eventually, this company merged into Brown-Manly Plow Co., Malta, Ohio.

The history of Brown-Manly is presently unclear; our research found nothing except for a few advertisements. This 1911 advertisement illustrates its New Pivot Riding Cultivator. The company noted that it was a balanced frame design; this was important, since farmers complained of implements that placed a lot of weight on the horse’s necks. If a horse got a sore neck, it was out to pasture until it healed.

J.I. Case essentially stayed out of the implement business, concentrating on its steam engines, threshing machines and tractors until the 1920s. With its 1919 purchase of Grand Detour Plow Co., and the 1928 purchase of Emerson-Brantingham, the company was fully into tillage implements. With its introduction of row-crop tractors, Case offered this 1933 version of a listed crop cultivator.

In 1928, Case offered its new Case Field Tiller. In today’s terminology, it is an early form of field cultivator, not intended to cultivate crops, but to stir every square foot in a field. Eventually, the field cultivator would become an important part of minimum tillage farming.

Totally unconnected with the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co., also in Racine, the Plow Works began serious efforts in the tillage equipment business in 1878. By the time this 1897 advertisement appeared, the Plow Works had an extensive line of cultivators, including the Dodger Disc Cultivator shown here. The disks were adjustable and could throw more or less soil into the row, as desired.

The Wizard Jr., was a walking cultivator that remained in the Case line for many years. Heavy springs helped the operator control the depth of the gangs. This 1897 example is but one of an astounding variety of cultivators offered the J.I. Case Plow Works.

For 1908, Case offered its”Twin” two-row cultivator. Like most two-row cultivators, it required three horses, but could cut the time to cultivate a field in half over that required for a single-row cultivator. Numerous attachments were available. The Case Plow Works sold out to Massey-Harris in 1928; the latter then sold all rights to the Case name back to J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co.

In the 1920s, Chase Plow Co., offered this two-row cultivator; it differed from many of the competitors by using a set of front trucks to carry the weight of the cultivator. However, the coming of the row-crop tractor about 1930 soon put an end to many of the horse-drawn cultivators; many farmers could hardly wait to get a new row-crop tractor and a mounted cultivator.

For 1910, Collins Plow Co., offered this Balance Frame walking cultivator as part of its overall line. Various options were available; the company also made plows, harrows and hay presses. Collins Plow appears in various trade directories as late as 1939, but nothing can be found regarding the company subsequent to World War II.

By the time this Peerless cultivator appeared in an 1878 catalog, John Deere had been in the plow business for some 40 years. This early design employed a wooden frame, as was customary at the time, but the Peerless was also unique in that it was a riding cultivator, unusual for an 1878 design.

The New Deere Walking Cultivator was introduced in the early 1900s and remained in the line for decades to come. This small cultivator was lightweight, simple and still quite an effective cultivator. Antique farm equipment buffs are often drawn to John Deere products; this walking cultivator is always popular among collectors.

Deere & Co., like most other cultivator makers, offered a huge line to accommodate virtually every cropping practice or local need. In addition, there were various options for each cultivator, with this one using pipe beams. The latter permitted easy adjustment of the shovels to suit specific conditions. Deere Royal Combined Riding and Walking Cultivators were, as the title implies, capable of being used either way; one could either ride or walk.

Especially on larger farms, the two-row cultivator enjoyed a certain popularity. Conversely, many farmers preferred a single-row cultivator because they thought it would do a better job in eliminating every single weed in a field. This two-row model was offered in a 1905 advertisement, although the company sold two-row models for many years to come.

In 1928, Deere & Co., offered this three-row cultivator that was designed for mounting on the John Deere GP tractor. The tractor was designed with an arched front axle to permit driving over growing crops without damage and the company also pioneered the use of a three-row planter and other equipment suited to this cropping method. However, the three-row system didn’t catch on very well with farmers; in the 1930s, Deere switched to the more common two-row design using a row-crop tractor.

Emerson-Brantingham had roots going back to 1852, eventually operating as Emerson Manufacturing Co., and taking the E-Farm B name in 1909. By the time its 1907 catalog appeared, Emerson was a well-established firm in the tillage implement business; the Emerson Standard Cultivator shown here had already been on the market for several years.

Emerson’s 1907 line included its No. 29 Hammock Seat Cultivator, shown here in a rear view. It was designed so that the operator had full control of the cultivator gangs with his feet in the iron stirrups. A convenient hand lever raised and lowered the cultivator gangs. This one is shown with the Emerson Gopher attachment, essentially a surface cultivator with rear-mounted sweeps.

The Emerson line for 1919 continued to include a huge variety of cultivators, including this Standard Walking Cultivator. Despite the popularity of riding cultivators, some farmers refused to use them, opting instead to walk behind their team.

Emerson-Brantingham was innovative in offering specialized implements for specialized purposes. Included was this 1919 model of its No. 1 Beet Cultivator, a unit designed especially for the purpose. It was intended to cultivate four rows at a time. EB also built a few copies of a motor cultivator. Before it had fully developed a tractor-mounted design, the company was bought out by J.I. Case Co., in 1928.

Farquhar was an old established machinery builder; at the turn of the century, it was offering its Pennsylvania Steel Walking Cultivator as part of an extensive line. Various styles and options were available; the rolling shield is an innovative feature.

Already in 1910, Frost & Wood was offering its Champion Cultivator for tractor power. It was essentially a field cultivator, although that specific term was not much used at the time. This one could be furnished with various kinds of teeth and was ordinarily furnished with 17 shanks.

The Pilot Disc Cultivator was available from Hartman in this 1907 advertisement. Although it was designed as a disc cultivator, the latter could be replaced with shovels, if so desired, thus making it a conventional cultivator. Little else is known of the company outside of this 1907 advertisement.

Hayes, like many other implement manufacturers, advertised in German-language journals, such as the German edition of the American Agriculturist. An 1895 advertisement in the latter illustrates Hayes Perfect Balance Cultivator. This was an all-steel design. Note that it could be furnished with four or six shovels, as desired; the left gang has a pair, with three shovels on the right gang.

Hayes was a well-known planter manufacturer and also gained considerable fame with its cultivators. The Hayes Leila walking cultivator pictured here was a popular model that featured steel and malleable iron construction. The small tool box mounted on the tongue carried a couple of wrenches furnished specifically for this cultivator. This was a common practice at the time; usually these wrenches had the name of the manufacturer cast in place.

In addition to the usual line of shovel cultivators, Hayes also offered surface cultivators. As illustrated here, the sharpened steel blades ran just below the surface of the ground, cutting off the weeds with minimum disturbance of the soil. Small rakes behind them leveled the ground. Hayes eventually merged with others to form Farm Tools, Inc.

According to the company’s own 1889 advertising, Hench’s Riding or Walking Steel Cultivator had already been on the market for a decade. As pointed out various times in this section, it was important for manufacturers to give farmers the option to walk or ride, since many farmers thought that to ride was “the mark of a lazy man,” and further, that to ride was to “kill the horses.”

International Harvester did little in the way of making cultivators until about 1915. However, its International No. 9 walking cultivator shown here was an ultra-modern style for its time, with pipe beams, four shovels and spring-trip shanks.

Much of the early IHC cultivator line was a carryover from the Osborne line that Harvester had purchased earlier and then later divested. The International No. 4 pivot-axle cultivator shown here was billed as being “the most popular riding cultivator made.” While the contention was probably impossible to prove (or disprove), there is not a doubt that IHC cultivators were well known and accepted.

In 1887, Janesville Machine Co., was offering this riding-disc cultivator. It was entirely of wooden construction; even the beams were made of wood. Eventually, this firm was taken over by the Samson Tractor Co., also of Janesville; the latter was a part of Bill Durant’s automotive empire known as General Motors.

Katelman offered this new-style cultivator with 50-inch wheels in 1930. Designed as the ultimate in one-row cultivators, the EM-7 Badger model was ordinarily furnished with break-pin shanks as shown and could also be furnished with spring shanks if so desired. Parts for these cultivators could be furnished direct from Katelman at least as late as 1948.

Kimberlin offered this walking cultivator in 1887, noting that it was made under the Davis patent. Possibly, this referred to the unique spring-design used to carry the weight of the cultivator gangs. Virtually nothing further is known of the company, apart from this 1887 advertisement.

In 1907, Kingman offered its Heretis cultivator as part of a somewhat larger line. This was a combination machine that permitted the farmer to walk or ride, as desired. Kingman eventually went out of business, but, into the 1920s at least, parts for the Heretis were available from the firm of Martin &Kennedy, Kansas City.

In the 1930s, Kovar perfected a field cultivator design that became quite popular. The Model C pictured here was 9-feet wide and carried 18 teeth. Since tractor hydraulics were essentially unknown in the 1930s, a power lift system was required and can be seen in the illustration.

This well-known company carved its own niche in the plow and tillage implement business, with its two-row cultivator being a part of the line. Although the basic design differed little from its contemporaries, the LaCrosse still had its own distinctive features. La-Crosse was taken over by Allis-Chalmers in 1929, forming the basis for the Allis-Chalmers tillage implement line.

Long & Alstatter was a pioneer in the tillage implement business, offering this adjustable arch cultivator in 1887. This was known as a bar-share cultivator. The huge dimensions of the beams are because they were made of wood.

By 1899, Long & Alstatter was offering the Hamilton tongueless cultivator shown here along with numerous other styles. Some farmers preferred the tongueless design, although the majority of one-row cultivators were built with a tongue. Apparently, this style was produced at least into the mid-1920s.

Madison Plow Co., was a successor to the tillage implement line, formerly made by Fuller & Johnson Co., also of Madison. This 1910 scene depicts what it was really like to cultivate corn one row at a time with a team. On close inspection, you can see the driver on the right has done the usual deed of tying the lines in a knot, putting them around his back and having both hands free to steer the plow beams.

While the Massey-Harris line for the 1920s was especially popular in Canada, it was also sold to some extent in areas of the United States. After the company bought out J.I. Case Plow Works in Racine, Wis., in 1928, the company had a major base of operations in the United States; this two-horse combined cultivator was but one of many different designs offered by the company.

For 1890, P.P. Mast offered its Sunbeam cultivators in various styles, including the New No. 4 Buckeye Sunbeam walking model shown here. By tying the lines around his shoulders the farmer could twist left or right to steer the team, meanwhile having both hands free to manipulate the cultivator gangs.

In 1894, P.P. Mast added this interesting walking cultivator design to the lineup. It used unique flat-coil springs on each side to help carry the weight of the cultivator beams. It also used a pair of wooden beams that tapered together at the end of the tongue; these carried the individual beams. Eventually, the Buckeye cultivators disappeared from the scene, but parts for the Buckeye Sunbeam line were available from Oliver Corp., into the 1930s. P.P. Mast was part of the 1903 merger that formed American Seeding Machine Co.; the latter was part of the Oliver merger of 1929.

An 1887 advertisement claimed that the Indiana Wood Beam Tongueless Cultivator pictured here to be “the best wood beam cultivator in the world!” The high arch permitted cultivation even when corn was 2- to 3-feet high, just the time when many farmers wanted to “lay by” the crop until harvest. Apart from this advertisement, little is known of the company.

Moline Plow Co., was an immensely large manufacturer of plows and tillage implements. Its variety of cultivators was among the largest in the industry and included the Moline Strong Boy Cultivator No. 3, a walking model that was marketed at least into the 1920s. Moline Plow was a part of the 1929 merger that formed Minneapolis-Moline.

Successful weed control was and is, imperative to a successful crop. Numerous cultivating methods were used. In 1903, National Drill Co., introduced this riding weeder. It was intended to destroy all the weeds in its path and was something akin to a field cultivator, but much less severe in its action.

In 1905, New Process offered its Long Knife Cultivator; it was intended for listed corn and the company claimed that it made and sold more of these units than all other manufacturers of cultivators for listed corn. The unit as shown, carried a price of $8, plus shipping.

In 1878, Harlow C. Stahl built his first double-gang cultivator with control of the gangs by the feet. His design was immensely successful. By the time this 1890 advertisement appeared for Ohio Cultivator Co., it was a widely recognized cultivator manufacturer. The firm remained in the market for decades to come.

From its humble beginnings, Oliver grew to be one of the world’s largest plow makers, eventually merging with others to form Oliver Farm Equipment Co., 1929. Particularly in the 1930s, Oliver began working with other manufacturers to develop cultivators, among them being a front-mounted design for the Cletrac from Cleveland Tractor Co. Despite the popularity of the Cletrac for other purposes, it met with a lukewarm reception as a cultivating tractor.

Little is known about this company, save for an early catalog (one that the author retrieved from Grandpa’s attic nearly 50 years ago). The Flying Swede Terror was designed to weed and hill the growing plants. The company also built other implements in the Flying Swede line; by 1931, perhaps earlier, parts only were available from Wm. H. Rollo at Marseilles, Ill. Further details are unknown.

As noted in this book, P&O was a famous American plow maker. By the turn of the century, the company had developed its P&O Canton Line of implements, with this 1906 advertisement showing its Jewel Hammock cultivator. It was but one of a wide range of cultivators in one- and two-row styles.

Already in 1909, P&O had contracted with International Harvester for the latter to sell the P&O line in Canada. This greatly stabilized the company’s business, since IHC could be counted on to do an excellent marketing job in that country. Ten years later, in 1919, IHC bought out P&O, thus putting the company firmly into an established line of tillage implements. One example is the P&O No. 28 two-row lister cultivator shown here; it is of 1920 vintage.

Pattee Plow Co., was an important part of the tillage implement line for many years, although this firm was not nearly so large as some of its competitors. A 1911 catalog illustration depicts its New Departure walking plow with wood-beam gangs. This was a tongueless design.

A very popular cultivator was the Jenny Lind, shown here from a 1911 Pattee catalog. Jenny Lind (1820-1887) was a very popular Swedish soprano who spent a great deal of time in the United States. Naming a cultivator after her undoubtedly gained a lot of attention at the time.

The Pattee two-row shovel cultivator of 1911 was yet another part of the extensive Pattee cultivator line. Many Pattee cultivators were built for decades; the Jenny Lind for example, was shown in the implement directories into the 1940s; but by this time the era of horse-drawn equipment was rapidly coming to a close.

This firm saw first light in the 1870s as the first manufacturer of a successful spring-tooth harrow. Its crowning success led to other tillage implements, including a line of cultivators. Shown here is an 1890 example of Reeds’ No. 10 riding cultivator; this one is equipped with special spring-tooth shovels secured to wooden beams.

Rock Island Plow Co., had roots going back to 1855 as the firm of Tate & Buford. By 1887, the company was advertising its Rock Island Tongueless cultivator as part of the tillage equipment line. This one utilized wooden beams, plus cast-iron wheels cast in place over steel spokes.

The Rock Island cultivator line was so extensive that several pages of this book could be devoted solely to its various cultivators. Shown here is its No. 112 two-row cultivator of the 1920s. It was equipped with front truck to carry the weight of the cultivator rather than transfer it to the horse’s necks. Rock Island was sold to J.I. Case Co., in 1937.

Roderick Lean was the name of the man who founded this company in 1870. Among its extensive line of tillage implements was its New Century cultivator, said to be the original leverless cultivator. This one was perhaps the most popular of the line and remained in production even after Roderick Lean merged with others in 1930 to form Farm Tools, Inc.

The early adventures of Rude Bros., Manufacturing Co., are unknown. By 1894, the company was offering an extensive line of cultivators, including the Indiana wood-beam tongueless cultivator, shown here. The firm claimed it to be the “Best Wood Beam Cultivator in the World.” Eventually, the company got into the manufacture of manure spreaders, concentrating its efforts on this endeavor, plus grain drills and other equipment.

Like many other cultivator builders, Sattley was wont to use interesting trade names for its products. The Corker Walking Cultivator of 1910 was one such example. Other walking cultivators of that time included the Monarch Southern, Winner and Sattley models. All of these were walking cultivators. Sattley’s riding cultivators of 1910 included the Happy Thought, Noxall and Texas Special.

This firm had become an important implement manufacturer by the time this 1887 advertisement appeared. It pictures the Ole Olson Tongueless Sulky Plow, but one of the many different cultivators available at the time from Thompson. For a cultivator of 1887, this one was innovative because it used steel beams at a time when wood beams were far more common. Thompson remained in the implement business for some years; by 1910, the company appears to have concentrated most of its efforts on manufacturing gasoline engines.

Tower pioneered a system of surface cultivation for corn. A study of this 1912 illustration demonstrates the unique knives that served to skim beneath the surface of the soil, effectively cutting off weeds beneath the ground, while loosening the top soil. Nothing can be found concerning this firm after the late 1920s.

An unidentified photograph in the authors collection illustrates a very early example of a Weir cultivator (in this case, the printer even misspelled the name). The beams could pivot on their standards, thus permitting the driver to dodge the corn as necessary. This illustration is probably from the 1860s.

By 1887, the Weir Plow Co., was making an extensive line of cultivators, including this “Iron Beam Spring Cultivator.” The flat steel springs mounted to the arch were adjustable and made it easy for the driver to keep the gangs at the proper cultivating depth. No further information has been found on this company.

Trade Names

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9780873495684_0114_001

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9780873495684_0114_003

Anyone having additional
materials and resources
relating to American farm
implements is invited to contact
C.H. Wendel, in care of Krause
Publications, 700 E. State St.,
Iola, WI 54990-0001.