A few weeks ago we looked at the cutting of thistles as a summer job.
In 1955 if you wanted to buy a thistle or a bracken cutter you could buy one from a number of makers in Scotland and also England. They included a number of the key makers that had been making them for a number of years and were renowned for them.
If you wanted a machine from Scotland you could choose one from five makers: J. Bisset & Sons Ltd, Greenbank Works, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, made a tractor drawn machine with a horizontal rotary propeller driven by a land wheel. It could cut bracken, thistles and other weeds.
In Lanarkshire, you could purchase one from James A. Cuthbertson Ltd of Station Road, Biggar. This was a tractor drawn machine, described as a multi-wheel cutter, which was adaptable to undulations of the ground.
In Edinburgh (and Kelso), George Henderson Ltd made its Jubilee thistle cutter which could also cut thistles and weeds. It was powered by tractor or horse. It had a horizontal blade.
In south-west Scotland G. C. Irving, Main Street, Dalry, Castle Douglas, made a machine powered by a Villiers engine and three speed Albion gearbox with a 4ft wide wide cutting bar. The operator walked behind the machine holding the handles. From Ayrshire, G. Henderson, Catrine Road, Mauchline, had a tractor mounted, vee belt from a pto driven pulley with a 8ft cut.
From England, makers included W. Aitkenhead, Stamford Works, Lees, Oldham, W. M. Brenton Ltd, East Cornwall Iron Works, Polbathic, Torpoint, Cornwall, Crawford, Prince & Johnson Ltd, Syston, Leicester, and R. S. Warren, Covert Lane, Scraptoft, Thurnby, Leicester.
What machine would you purchase?
