About this site – Page 62 – Scottish agricultural implement makers

Steam ploughing at B. A. Stores Vintage Country Fair

It isn’t often that there are demonstrations of steam ploughing in Scotland. As a working practice, it continued on farms until the early 1950s. The last working sets appear to have been in East Lothian.

The steam ploughing at B. A. Stores uses the double engine system , with an engine at either end of the field. It became synonymous with John Fowler & Co. (Leeds), Ltd, the most famous ploughing maker of all, though not the only one. The plough is pulled between the engines, going backwards and forwards. One set of ploughs work one way; the plough is tipped up, and the other set work back the other way.

The two engines are from different sets of engines. At the top of the field is “Master” from 1918. His partner engine, “Mistress”, still survives in preservation in Fife – they were working at the 2014 Scottish Ploughing Championships. At the bottom of the field is a smaller engine “Sam Hird”, of 1925, named after its owner, Samuel Hird, a contractor of steam ploughing who lived for many years at Sauchenshaws, before moving into Fife, at Kincaple. That engine played a central role in the early days of the Scottish traction preservation engine movement, and was “saved from the cutter” by the newly established Scottish Traction Engine Society in the early 1960s.

Tattie planting in the 1990s

The use of stone and clod separation at tattie planting time brought a revolution in the way that the tattie crop was planted and harvested. It also brought a major change in the machines used for planting and harvesting activities. Rotavators were required to make a fine seed bed and one that would easily pass through the separator. New bed openers (with fertiliser attachments) were required to open sufficient ground to form a bed that could then be used to form drills. And then planters had to work in the width made by the beds. And if you were separating, there was a new or a second hand harvester.

All of this new technology required more horse power. That led to the change face of tractors on the farm and in some cases to new additions to the fleet (or tractor or two).

Stone and clod separation was a significant investment for farmers. But it let other aspects of the work on the farm also become mechanised as well: bigger tractors for ploughing, seed bed preparation for vegetables and harvesting the potato and other crops. It also helped remove a few stones! We had our monumental stone dump.

The photographs of planting tatties at Pilmuir Farm, Balerno, Midlothian, in the 1990s.

A tattie planter of yesteryear – Wallace’s “Richmond”

One of the renowned tattle planters from the time of the First World War was the two row “Richmond” potato planter, made by John Wallace & Sons, Paton Street, Dennistoun, Glasgow.

In 1915 the planter sold at £15 15s; a single row machine, costing £15, was also fitted with an artificial manure distributor.

The planter was exhibited at a trial of improved potato planters at Liberton Mains Farm, Midlothian, on 25 March 1915 alongside others from by J. Bisset & Sons, Ltd, Blairgowrie, Archibald Hunter, Crossbill Road, Maybole, Henry Davis, 46A Liverpool Road, Hinsdale, Southport, Lancashire, and Thomas A. Scarlett, 22 Market Street, Edinburgh.

There are features on the planter that you will find on more recent tattie planters. The potatoes are picked up from the hopper by a series of buckets, at spaced intervals on an endless travelling chain, and elevated to a point whereby they are then tilted into tubes and delivered at regular distances apart into the drill or drills.

Further information on the ‘Richmond” is available at ‘Exhibition of improved potato planters’, Transactions of Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, 5th series, XXVII, 1915, pp. 407-10.

The photographs were taken at the Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore, May 2015 and Strathnairn Vintage Rally in 2013.

Sowing the Banff way

One of the makers of sowing machines in north-east Scotland was George W. Murray & Co., Banff Foundry, Banff.

In 1868 the company exhibited a one horse corn drill and a two horse corn drill at the Highland Show. In 1870 its sowing machines included a small sized corn drill, a medium sized corn drill, a combined land roller and grass seed sower as well as a turnip sowing machine. A few years later in 1877 they included a turnip and mangold sower, hand seed drill, and a broadcast sowing machine.

The company also made a range of other implements and machines, for which it was well-renowned and won a number of medals from the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. In 1870 they included double furrow ploughs, double furrow ploughs with combined subsoilers, drill ploughs, horse rakes, a turnip cutter on wheels, zig zag harrows, corn bruisers and an oil cake breaker. The company was also one of the few Scottish implement and machine makers to exhibit its manufacturers internationally, doing so at the Vienna International Exhibition of 1873.

When G. W. Murray gave up his business in 1897, the Banff Foundry was taken over by Watson Brothers, which called themselves “Watson Brothers (successors to G. W. Murray & Co), Banff Foundry”. Like George W. Murray, it also continued to make a range of agricultural implements and machines including reapers, turnip drills, field rollers and harrows. William Watson, one of the brothers, died in 1924, after which the Foundry changed ownership to become Banff Foundry & Engineering Co. Ltd. It continued in business until 1951 when a new company was proposed Banff Foundry & Engineering Co. (1951), Ltd which continued until 1954.

A letterhead from 1951 sheds some light on the earlier history of the company. It states “Banff Foundry & Engineering Co., Ltd, agricultural implement makers and engineers, incorporating G. W. Murray & Watson Bros. est. 1820.”

There are still a few implements and machines from the Banff Foundry that can be seen around the vintage rallies today. When you look at them, you are reminded of a long-established and well-renowned Scottish business with an international reputation.

The seed barrows made by the Banff Foundry, were seen at the New Deer Show, July 2014.

Reekie – king of tattie machinery

Reekie is a name that has been intimately associated with tatties for since the mid 1940s: tattle sorters, graders, brushing machines, bed tillers, and stone and clod separators to name a few machines.

Reekie Engineering Co. Ltd, was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in 1946. By 30 August 1946 it was advertising its manufactures in the Farming News where it was to be a regular advertiser in following decades. Its works were at Lochlands Works, Arbroath. By the early 1960s the company had premises at Arbroath, Forfar and Laurencekirk. In 1868 it had premises at Station Road, Inverurie.

In 1955 the company was recorded in trade directories as an agricultural engineer, machinery and equipment dealer and as an agricultural engineer, implement, machinery and equipment manufacturer.

It was a regular attender at the Highland Show from 1948 onwards, also entering a number of its new range of machines for the “New Implement” award. These included its Reekie 4-row seeder in 1950, its potato sorter in 1960, its turnip harvester in 1960, its automatic weighing machine in 1961, its potato grader in 1961, its triple sized brusher grader in 1962, its rotor turnip harvester in 1963, its high capacity potato separator in 1963, its potato brushing machine in 1966, its continuous automatic weight in 1966, its multi-purpose potato grader in 1967 and its triple sizer multipurpose potato grader in 1968. And of course its clod and stone separator, now built in Lincolnshire. It was an award winner.

Its stone and clod separator was a revolution for the Scottish tattle grower. It was key to solving the ever increasing problem of securing sufficient squad labour, and to more efficiently and effectively using harvesters. The solution to the successful mechanisation of the potato harvest was in soil preparation and bed making rather than in harvesting. It really did revolutionise work on the back of the harvester.

The photographs of the Reekie stone and clod separator were taken at Pilmuir Farm, Balerno, Midlothian in the 1990s.

A Lanark name: County Garage (Lanark) Ltd

If you were in Lanarkshire you would have known the name of County Garage (Lanark) Ltd at Hyndford Road, Lanark.

The company started business in 1928 and continued until 1975. By 1934 it was a Fordson dealer, retraining that agency into the 1970s. In 1955 it was also an agent for David Brown tractors.

In the mid 1960s if you were looking for implements, you could have purchased from County Garage a selection from Ransomes, Lister, Bamford, Howard, Jones, Allis Chalmers, Lundell and Wallace.

There are still a few Fordson tractors around the vintage rally circuit that bear the County Garage name. keep an eye out for them!

The photos were taken at the Highland Folk Museum rally, May 2014.

Scarifying!

Drill scarifying was an important part of turnip culture in the days before weedkillers were available. Drill scarifiers were largely used for paring away the sides of drills to destroy weeks and bring the drills into the intending form, leaving less work for the hand-hoe.

Drill scarifiers were made by a number of implement and machine makers in Scotland. They included Alex Ballach & Sons, Alex Jack & Sons Ltd, A. & J. Main & Co. Ltd, Thomas Hunter & Sons. J. & R. Wallace, H. W. Mathers & Sons, John Wallace & Sons Ltd, Bon Accord Engineering Co Ltd, and Charles Weir.

In 1912 Alex Ballach manufactured a disc drill scarifier with patent compensating spring levers and patent toeing attachment for £10 10s. It also made a disc drill scarifier with patent compensating spring levers for £8 10s and a disc drill scarifier with patent compensating spring levers and side land arrangement for £8 15s. It also launched at the Highland Show of 1927 its “Universal” expanding disc drill scarifier.

The photographs of the Jack of Maybole scarifier were taken at the Ayr vintage machinery rally, 2015.

Sowing with Gillies & Henderson

One of the well-known agricultural machinery dealers in eastern Scotland was Gillies & Henderson of Edinburgh.

Gillies & Henderson opened its business at Munro Place, Canonmills, Edinburgh, in 1920. Shortly afterwards it moved to premises at 59 Bread Street. It was associated with Bread Street for many years. By 1940 it also had premises at 254 Leith Walk. Major changes came in 1961 when it became a company limited by guarantee and moved to the newly established Sighthill Industrial Estate, where other agricultural implement and machine makers were also conducting their businesses.

The company also had a premises at St Catherine Street, Cupar, in 1934. By 1951 it had moved to 31 Crossgate, and then to Kirk Wynd by 1955. By 1958 the company had opened up premises at Rosehall, Haddington.

By the late 1860s the company had changed its operating structure and had separate registered companies reflecting its depots in Edinburgh, Forfar and Perth. They were dissolved in 1993.

The company undertook a range of activities. In Post Office directories from the 1930s it described itself as agricultural ironmongers, agricultural engineers, machinery, implement and equipment dealers, tractor and implement dealers. It was also a wire netting manufacturer and a wire cloth, wire netting and fence manufacturer.

The company had agencies for a wide range of implement and machine makers. In 1926 they included Massey Harris, and from 1952 David Brown. In 1962 they were Banfords-Claeys, Wright Rain Irrogation, Ayrshire Elevators and John Salmon beet harvesters. In 1968, agencies included Johnson, New Holland and Clayson.

As an agricultural implement and machine maker, it entered a swathe aerator for the new implement award at the Highland Show in 1957. It also entered implements made by the Ayrshire Elevator Co., Kilmarnock and Badger Northland Inc, Kaykauna, Wisconsin.

There are still a number of implements and machines with the Gillies & Henderson badge on them around the rally fields. Look out for the black and silver badge.

The photographs of the Gillies & Henderson grain drill at the Fife Vintage and Agricultural Machinery Club rally, June 2015.

A northern name: James McKidd

One name known in the north of Scotland from the 1850s onwards was James McKidd, Thurso, Caithness. By 1870 he was associated with the Thurso Foundry.

By 1858 James was recorded as a millwright. He continued that trade until at least 1909. By the 1870s he was also an iron founder and a mechanical engineer, trades he continued in following years. By 1883 he also described himself as an agricultural implement maker, and specialised in making cornmills and thrashing machines.

James also made drill scarifiers. In 1880 he exhibited at the Highland Show in Kelso (a long way to travel) his new patent drill scarifier which he had invented.

James was also ambitious. He took further implements to the Highland Show at Inverness in 1892. He also advertised in the North British Agriculturist and the Scottish Farmer in 1909 and 1910.

Examples of his drill scarifier are still to be seen around the rallies and museums. There is one at the Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore. Another has been a regular exhibit to the Strathnairn Farmers’ Vintage Rally.

The photographs show James McKidd’s patent drill scarifier at the Strathnairn rally, 2014.

Sowing the neeps

Back in 1912 if you were looking for a turnip, mangold or carrot sower you could have purchased one from a number of the agricultural implement and machinery makers in Scotland. By that time some of these companies were well-known makers: Alex Ballach & Sons, A. Newlands & Son, Alex Jack & Sons Ltd, Thomas Hunter & Sons, John Doe Ltd, J. D. Allan & Sons, and Kemp & Nicholson.

If you wanted one from Alex Ballach & Sons, you could have purchased an improved turnip sower with disc coulters for £6 15s, or one with ordinary coulters at £6 10s. A Newlands turnip sower was £6 and a Kemp & Nicholson two row turnip and mangold sower £6 10s.

Ballach was an award-winning maker, having won a silver medal for its combined turnip and manure sower in 1923 from the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. It also exhibited a new improved combined turnip and manure sower at the Highland Show in 1928.

The photographs of the Wallace of Glasgow turnip sower were taken at the Ayr vintage rally, 2015.