Paul and Andy have been busy working on one of the pieces of equipment that we are going to be taking with us on our outreach to the Smithsonian Institution in May. We have been asked to help interpret the role of a truck farmer. While I have never worked or even been around a commercial garden I think the job would be back breaking. Bending over to plant, hoe and then pick the crops all year long would leave you in a near permanent stupor. One of the machines that would have made this job a little easier would be a transplanter. This is what Paul and Andy are working to restore. This machine was either tractor or horse pulled through the field. Usually, two people would sit on the machine and feed seedling stock into a wheel that would automatically plant, mound and pack the dirt and then water the new seedling. This was especially helpful in the planting of crops like tomatoes and peppers. The transplanter that we have is from the middle twentieth century and made by the Holland Company. As our restoration progresses I will add some new pictures.
The top picture is of a Massey transplanter that is in someone's private collection.
