Displenishing sales provide an insight into the implements and machines that were being used on a farm when the tenant was leaving a particular farm. They reflected the type of activities that were being undertaken, including chicken rearing, potato growing, or cheese making. They can also show whether the farm was using new and innovative ones or were relying on older ones. Some of the items that are listed were old, though others, as notices sometimes point out were new. They would also have included implements that might have been allocated to the “hedge back” that were put out for sale to realise some money.
In November 1924 a number of displenishing sales took place in eastern Scotland. It is worth looking at these to see what implements and machines were being used a century ago. There is a great emphasis on ones for ploughing, cultivation, carting, crop processing, and animal husbandry.
Westfield, Rattray (from Dundee courier, 7 November 1924)
Implements – 2 coup carts, corn cart, single and double ploughs, Sellar plough, Oliver plough, iron, chain, and circular harrows, drag harrow, drill harrow and grubber, two-horse grubber, roller, potato digger (Powell), turnip sower, turnip slicer, binder (Ideal Deering), speedwell reaper, horse rake, hay gatherer, cake crusher, steelyard and weights, vice, box and potato barrows, 2 ladders, feeding boxes, cart and plough harness, and the whole barn and stable utensils; also dogcart and harness, wooden shed, wooden milk house, and dairy utensils, rasp barrwls, wire and pails.
Rawes Farm, Longforgan (Dundee courier, 11 November 1924)
Implements – 2 Fordson tractors, in good working order, 2 tractor ploughs, 1 tractor cultivator, tractor double discer, 2 tractor swingletrees, four-horse grubber, three-horse grubber, Bamford cultivator, Cambridge roller, disc scarifier, turnip barrow, double driller, Hoosier grain drill, Massey-Harris grain drill, Richmond potato planter, Jack manure sower, binders, 2 Bamford hay mowers, Bamlett mower, 2 horse rakes, 1 16-feet horse rake, Mollison digger, 2 hay bogies and complete set of hay stacking tackle, 3 hay collectors, hay baler, 5 Yankee ploughs, 2 swing ploughs, 3 drill ploughs, 6 drill harrows, 5 set harrows, circular harrows, 2 set brake harrows, 2 9-feet rollers, 1 6-feet roller, stone roller, turnip slicer, saw bench, long ladders, 3 short ladders, 3 barrows, sculls, 2 four-horse yokes, 1 three-horse yoke, 5 sets swingletrees, set fanners, sack barrow, steelyard and weights, 400 potato bags and all barn utensils, lawn mower, 4 chicken rearers, 3 portable hen houses, 1 100-egg incubator, 7 coup carts, 6 corn carts, 30 sack bosses, 200 props, 4 sets harness.
Also household furniture.
Dirnanean, near Kirkmichael (Dundee courier, 11 November 1924)
Implements – 2 coup carts and tops, corn cart, wood cart, 2 wood and corn cart bodies, cattle float in good order, double furrow plough, 5 single and double ploughs, 2 drill harrows, scarifier, 3 sets iron harrows, chain harrows, 2-horse grubber, metal and wooden rollers, roller frame and axle, grass seed machine, manure distributor, turnip sowing machine, reaper and mower (Bisset), binder (Bisset), horse rake, tumbling rake, 3 slipes, 2 turnip slicers, turnip pulper, baker’s fanners, cake crusher, box and sack barrows, 5 ladders, barrel of tar, drag and other chains, bogey, portable boiler, 3 wooden troughs, water barrel, horse clipper (Stewart), joiner’s benches, sawmill and joiner’s tools, 2 grindstones, 3 sets cart and plough harness and 2 sets gig harness, spring van, bosses and props, hen coops, corn chests, firewood in lots, about 200 posts, cart ropes, and the whole barn, stable, and dairy utensils, including 2 churns, plates, basins, tubs, markets &c, also 4 Minimax fire extinguishers, large lawn roller, 1 horse lawn mower, lawn mower, 6 large dust bins, garden tools &c.
Stoneydale, near Laurencekirk (Dundee courier, 14 November 1924)
Implements -4 box carts with tops, 3 long carts with tops, 1 pony trap, 3 M. F. ploughs, 3 Oliver ploughs, 2 D.B. ploughs, drill scrapers, 1 four-horse grubber, 1 potato grubber, 3 spring tooth harrows, 3 brake iron grubbers, 1 set drill harrows, metal roller, three cylinder roller, 1 “Jackson” manure distributor, turnip distributor, 1 broadcast sowing machine, turnip sowing machine, “Massey-Harris” binder, Empire mower, 1 horse rake, 1 hay gatherer, potato digger (Jackson), cake crusher, barn fan, bushel measure, steelyard and weights, sack barrow, sack lifter, corn chest, meal girnel, grain and potato sacks, 2 barrows, potato riddles, large quantity potato hampers and boxes, horse clipping machine, 2 guns and game bag, set of joiner’s tools, 100 larch posts, wire and wire netting, sack props and bosses, hen coops, yokes and swingletrees, forks, graips, hen coops, yokes and swingletrees, forks, graips, hoes, shovels and a large and varied assortment of minor implements; cart and plough harness for 3 pairs horses and set pony harness.
Scotscraig, Tayport (Dundee courier, 18 November 1924)
Implements -12 coup carts, 7 corn carts, lorry, 2 water barrels, turnip cutting cart, 5 binders, 3 hay mowers, 2 horse rakes, 2 hay gathers, 9 swing ploughs, potato plough, 5 D.M. ploughs, 3 drill grubbers, 4 drill harrows, 6 brake iron harrows, chain harrows, Parmiter harrows, grass seed harrow, 2 circular harrows, three-drill harrow, drag harrows, 3 cultivators, Cambridge roller, 2 corn drillers, broadcast sowing machine, double driller, 2 manure distributors, 2 metal rollers, 3 potato diggers, turnip sowing machine, barn fanners, sack barrow, potato hoppers, harps, barrows and backets, 2 wheelbarrows, bosses, props, 10 ladders, and all small farm implements, turnip slicer, cake breaker, meat cooler, 2 sheep turnip cutters, 6 sheep hakes, 3 cake bins on wheels, 60 sheep feeding troughs, 30 wire nets, 500 stakes, 60 new flakes, 2 Minimax fire extinguishers, horse clippers; also 9 sets cart and plough harness.
Summerhill, Guthrie (Dundee courier, 18 November 1924)
Implements-coup cart and tops, lying cart, spring van, dog cart, 2 swing ploughs, D.M. plough, furring-up plough, turnip sowing machine, metal roller, potato digger, brake iron harrows, spring harrow, set circular harrows, drill harrow, drill grubber, horse rake, turnip slicer, 2 ladders, wire netting, wire and posts, sack steelyard and weights, water troughs and boilers, barrels, yokes and swingletrees, potato boxes, potato scoop, shovels, graips, forks, hoes, scythes and sneds, draining tools, turnip graips, horning shears, cattlebands, corn chests, tramp pick and mell, shoulder picks, bee boxes and bee appliances, scrap iron; also smithy tools, comprising bellows, anvil and anvil block, vice and bench, small tools and ringing bed, dairy utensils and spare furniture; also set cart and plough harness and set van harness.
Kilry, Alyth (Dundee courier, 18 November 1924)
Implements-3 coup carts, corn cart, corn cart frame, 2 binders (Massey-Harris and Woods), cultivator, land grubber, 3 brakes iron harrows, drag and circular harrows, fog harrows, potato digger, potato grubber, 2 drill grubbers, Hunter hoe, 2 110a ploughs, Dux plough, 3 D.M. ploughs, furring-up plough, turnip sowing machine (with discs), corn driller, manure distributor and double driller, disc drill parer, large metal roller, small metal roller, horse rake, hay collector, cake crusher, turnip slicer, Baker fanners, 2 sack barrows, sack lifter, steelyard and weights, wheelbarrow, corn chest, 100 grain sacks (new), ladders, 2 potato harps, hopper and riddles, stack and binder covers, yokes and swingletrees, vice, cornyard wood, and all small tools, portable boiler; also 3 sets cart and plough harness. All the above are in good order and equal to new.
Large portable house (2 compartments), 20 x 15 ft stove &c, large henhouse 15x10ft, dairy 9x7ft, and implement shed 15×17 ft. All the above houses are in sections.
