Hand Planter

01

Artifact Overview

Beginning in the 1850s, farmers could plant corn by jabbing the metal tip of this planter into the ground. Activating the lever would drop the seeds into the hole. This device may have sped up planting, but it remained a tool for small acreage farms or planting areas missed by horse-drawn mechanical seed drills.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Hand planter

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

00.1143.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Wood (Plant Material)
Iron (Metal)

Color

Brown
Black (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 36 in
Width: 48 in
Length: 4 in

Inscriptions

stenciled on sides of seed boxes: saves no less than one pint of seeds