Scottish agricultural implement makers – Page 62 – Celebrating the Scottish agricultural implement and machine makers of yesteryear

A Dumfries-shire name – A. Baird & Sons Ltd

The name Alex Baird & Sons, agricultural engineers, Annan, came to the wider attention of Scottish farmers in late January 1920 through an advert that it placed in both The Scottish Farmer and the North British Agriculturist. Readers may remember its adverts from the 1950s and 1950s.

In 1922 the company was a retail ironmonger and a motor engineer. By 1928 it had extended its trades to include those as an electric light engineer and fitter. It was not until 1936 that directories record it as an agricultural engineer; it also undertook the additional trades of being a mechancial engineer, a millwright and a motor engineer and a garage.

It continued with these trades in following years. In 1955 it acted as an agricultural engineer, implement, machinery and equipment dealer, agricultural ironmonger, electrical engineer and contractor, and tractor and implement agent and dealer.

The company also developed and expanded its business. By 1931 it was trading in both Annan and Lockerbie. By 1951 it had become a company limited by guarantee and in the following year the Farming News records it also at the Pleasance Implement Works, Dumfries.

The company had a number of dealerships for tractors. By 1952 it was an agent for Fordson, also becoming a David Brown dealer by 1955. By 1965 it was a Massey Ferguson dealer.

Look out for the Baird name plate on Massey tractors around the rally field. There are one or two of them out there!

The photographs of the Massey with a Baird name plate were taken at the Ayrshire VTMC rally, July 2016.

Bisset – a Perthshire name

If you were looking for a spinner digger until the mid 1960s you might have thought about buying one from J. Bisset & Sons, Blairgowrie.

The company was a long-established one, already making agricultural implements and machines by 1867. At that time it was based at Marlee, Blairgowrie. By 1883 it had expanded and set up implement works, Greenbank Works, on the Dunkeld Road, Blairgowrie where it remained into the mid 1960s.

Its early manufactures included reaping machines and tattie diggers. It won awards for its reaping machines – a silver medal for a reaping machine from the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland in 1868; a silver medal for a self-delivery reaper at the Society’s trials in 1873. By the early 1890s it as the only Scottish maker of binders.

Its potato diggers were well-known at that Society’s trials. One of its diggers was recommended for trial in 1871. It entered the prestigious competitions in 1881 and 1911.

The Bisset name was associated with a number of models of spinners. In 1912 they included the “Empire” pole potato digger which sold at £12. There was also the Imperial pole potato digger for £15. The New Champion potato digger sold for £12.

There are still a few Bisset potato diggers around the rally fields. You might also see others from other major Scottish makers such as Alex Ballach & Sons, David Wilson, Alex Jack & Sons Ltd, J. D. Allan & Sons, George Sellar & Son, Kemp & Nicholson, H. W. Matchers & Sons, Barclay, Ross & Tough, and John Wallace & Sons Ltd, among others.

The photograph of the Bisset Empire potato digger was taken at the Fife Vintage Agricultural Machinery Club Farming Heritage Show and Annual Rally, Cupar, June 2016.

Horse forks

The horse fork was an indispensable part of the stackyard at hay-making time.

It was a means to lift hay in hay from a ruck or rick onto a stack that was being built. It was, according to Stephens’ Book of the Farm in 1908, “a simple and convenient arrangement for hoisting the hay”. It was a pole “about 35 feet high, which is held in upright position by three or four guy-ropes rom the top of the pole to iron pins driven into the ground. A short “jib” or “gaff”, 10 feet long or so, is arranged to slide up and down the pole, being worked by pulleys from the ground. The fork is attached to an inch hemp rope or 1/2 inch steel strand rope, which passes over a pulley at the point of the jib or gaff, thence down the upper surface of the gaff to its lower end, where it passes over another pulley, from which it runs down the side of the pole to about 3 feet from the ground, where it passes through the pole and under a pulley fixed in it, where it is attached to the tree or chains by which a horse draws up the forkful.

The pole is set with a slight lean to the stack which is being built, so that as soon as the ascending load has been raised above the portion already built, the gaff or jib with its load always swings round over the top of the stack, where it can be dropped on almost any part of even a large stack.”

The horse fork had a number of advantages. Stacks built with one were more easily kept perpendicular than those built from hand-forking. They allowed hay to be more evenly distributed onto the top of the stack as it was being built. They allowed a larger number of forkers to work at one time, and for them to more efficiently build a stack. And, of course, it was a great labour-saving device!

There were a number of makers of horse forks in Scotland. In 1904 Alex Sloan, Greenhill, Crosshouse, developed one that was manufactured by Wm. Wilson & Son, Plaan Saw Mill, Crosshouse. According to the Scottish Farmer, in that year “it has now been tried by some of the leading agriculturists, who bear testimony to its superiority.”

In 1910 other makers included P. & R. Fleming & Co., 16 Graham Square and 29 Argyle Street, Glasgow, had a “Flemiing” grapple horse fork and a “Fleming” spear horse fork. Both cost £2 10s. Thomas Turnbull, Pleasance Implement Works, Dumfries, sold a patent clip horse fork made by McGeorge, Dumfries. In the north of England, William Elder & Sons Ltd, also made one.

The horse fork was a useful implement to have on the farm, greatly easing the work of building stacks at hay time. It was also an implement that was made by a wide number of makers throughout Scotland.

The photographs from the Fife Vintage Agricultural Machinery Club rally, June 2014, show a horse fork in use.

Mollison – a name long associated with tattie spinners

In 1871 James Mollison, Ruthven, Alyth, Perthshire exhibited a spinner digger at the Highland Show held in Perth. It was recommended for trial, going on to win a medium silver medal. A decade later, he entered another potato digger for trial. By 1902, the year of his death, he was making an “improved potato digger”.

James Mollison was described as a “well-known figure to the older agriculturists of the county.” He was “born in the parish of Aberlemno some 74 years ago, where he received his schooling and served his apprenticeship. … He worked for some years with the late Mr balfour of Montpelier, also the late Mr Alexander Young, agricultural implement maker, Monifieth. Soon afterwards he accepted a situation in Sweden, which he occupied for some years. Returning to his native country, he was employed at Ruthann for some six months before he entered upon his life-long tenancy of nearly 50 years. Mr Mollison was widely known as a skilful agricultural implement-maker, excelling in the manufacture of ploughs, numbers of which he forwarded to Scotsman in foreign lands. About 1860 he began the manufacture of mowers, and his Isla reaper was favourably known over all the north-east of Scotland. His make of potato diggers was also largely used some years ago. Mr Mollison was predecease a twelvemonth ago by his wife, who was a daughter of the late Mr Lindsay, parochial schoolmaster, Ruthann, and is survived by an only daughter, Mrs George Doe, Errol, who has the sympathy of a large circle of friends in her sudden bereavement. Mr Mollison was an attached member of the Established Church, and for a long number of years affiliated as an elder in Ruthann Parish Church.” (Dundee Courier, 30 September 1902)

Mollison’s improved potato digger did not die with the blacksmith. It’s production was taken over by the Forfar Foundry Ltd. This agricultural engineer and agent, iron founder and millwright continued to manufacture a range of productions into at least the 1960s. It was dissolved in 1995.

The photographs of the Forfar Foundry Mollison potato digger were taken at the Fife Vintage Agricultural machinery Club Farming Heritage Show and Annual Rally, Kilmaron, Cupar, June 2016.

A Fife name – Farm Mechanisation Co. Ltd

One of the well-known names of agricultural implement makers and agents in Fife was Farm Mechanisation Co. Ltd, of Ladybank, established by Gavin Reekie in 1947.

From its earliest days its name was closely associated with Massey ferguson. Indeed, the company was set up to market the Ferguson TE20 tractor with its revolutionary three-point linkage. In 1958 its strapline was “The Massey Harris and Ferguson people”. You will see the Farm Mechanisation badge on many a Fergie and MF round the rally fields!

By 1953 the company was associated with Reekie Engineering Co. Ltd, Arbroath, and Stirling Tractors, St Ninians, Stirling. In 1965 an advert in The Scottish Farmer recorded it as a member of the G. Reekie group of companies.

It extended its activities in Fife. By 1955 it had a premises at Halbeath Road, Dunfermline, and in 1959 a further one at South Road, Cupar.

It was not until 1951 that the company started to exhibit at the Highland Show, doing so until 1964. It entered a number of its implements for the prestigious new implement award. In 1951 it entered its “Farmec” 3 row fertiliser unit (invented by G. R. Reekie); in 1953 the Farmec universal elevator as well as its improved 3 row fertiliser unit for mounted riders; in 1962 a pressure kiln dryer and the Farmec power drive 3 row fertiliser unit. The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland awarded a silver medal in 1953 for its fertiliser unit for mounted riders.

The company was a regular advertiser in the Scottish agricultural press, both the Farming News and The Scottish Farmer from 1948 onwards.

The photographs of the Faun potato planter supplies by Farm Mechanisation were taken at the Fife Vintage Agricultural Club Farming Heritage Show and Annual Rally, Kilmaron, Cupar, June 2016.

Hay bogies

Hay bogies or sledges were used to haul hay in rucks or ricks to the farm steading. In essence, they were a flat tipping trailer with a winch.

There were a number of makers of hay bogies. In 1912 Dickie Brothers, agricultural engineers, Stirling, manufactured an improved one for £6 10s. The most well-known one was made by A. Jack & Sons, Maybole, Ayrshire. There are still a few of the Jack bogies to be seen around the rally fields.

There was quite a knack to loading a ruck onto a hay bogie. You had to make sure that it slid up the tipped bogie and did not tip over as it was being winched onto it (hand or motor powered depending on the model). You also had to make sure that it did not ride up too far up the bogie, especially if you were using the motor powered one. Then you were in a real mess!

The photographs show a round bale (as a ruck) being wound onto a Jack hay bogie at the Fife Vintage Agricultural Machinery Club rally, June 2014.

Rucking by machine

A few days ago we looked at ruck making or rick making. Because of the hard work involved in making rucks attempts were made to mechanise the process.

In 1921 Robertson & Mclaren, Craigmill, Stirling made their “Victory” had ricker. It was invented by Geo. Paterson, farmer, Wester Frew, Kippen. It was described as “a new implement for collecting and ricking hay”. It was exhibited at the Highland Show in 1921 and won a silver medal from the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. It also received a good deal of attention in the agricultural press.

The hay ricker changed the shape and appearance of the hay fields in areas where it was used. It was a favourite in the Carse of Stirling where large acreages of timothy were grown and the fields were flat.

The hay was made into windrows. The ricker was then drawn over the rows. It caught the hay with its revolving rakes, carrying it up an elevator and dropping it into a cage behind where a man (or two) tramped it down. When the cage was well-filled the cage was turned right over, two doors at the back of the cage opened and a rick produced.

Hay rickers were used in some parts of Scotland and throughout Britain until well after the Second World War. In 1952 you could obtain a “Mallard-Adams” from A. Adams, Langabeare Barton, Fatherly, Devon, or Rickerby Ltd, 33 Botchergate, Carlisle.

If you have been around the vintage rally fields in the past few years you will be familiar with Bill Allan’s Rickerby pike maker. (Pikes are a regional term for ricks or rucks).

The photographs show a demonstration of Bill’s pike maker at the Border Vintage Rally in May 2015. The ruck was then taken away with a hay sweep.

Shhh! the rattle of the Dickie hay turner will bring on the rain!

Last night’s heavy rain reminded me of a saying that my father used to have: “the rattle of the Dickie hay turner will bring on the rain”. It records the frustrations of making hay. Just as you were about to go out to the hay field with the hay turner or bailer there would be spits of rain. I’m sure a lot of readers will testify to that! Haymaking seasons were remembered by the weather: there were more seasons when “winning the hay” was a really appropriate term. It was hard fought!

Haymaking equipment like the Dickie hay turner made an important contribution to shaping the appearance of the hay field and the ease with which hay could be made. Before Tummlin Tam’s appeared from America in the 1840s hay was entirely made by hand, with scythes, hayforks and rakes being the tools of the hay field.

The Dickie hay turner became a household name in hay turners in Scotland. It couldn’t be beaten. It ended up with the Massey-Harris name on it. A big achievement for a Scottish implement and machine maker!

The company of William Dickie, agricultural engineer, East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, was already making agricultural implements and machines in the mid 1880s. By 1900 it had named its implement works “Victoria Implement Works”.

The company made a range of local implements and machines. By 1905 it entered one of its hay turners for the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland’s trial of swathe turners. In 1938 it launched its new patent expanding swathe turner which it both invented and manufactured. This was followed by the Dickie ‘swath-tedder’ in 1958.

In 1906 its hay-making implements and machines included “Dickie’s new patent rick lifter with all the latest improvements (heavy make or light make), “Dickie’s” all steel hay tedder, the “Victoria” reaper and mower, a hay collector with steel teeth, self-acting light steel hay rake, a self-acting horse rake, and a manual horse rake. Quite a range!

The company ceased trading in 1969 and was dissolved in August 1973. It left a significant legacy in the hayfields, and of course around the vintage agricultural rallies today.

The attached photos are of the Dickie hay turners were taken at the Fife Vintage Agricultural Machinery Club Annual rally in 2014.

Making hay while the sun shines

Rucking hay was the last stage in making hay in the hayfield. In some parts of the country rucks were also known as tramp coles or ricks or even temporary stacks.

By the time that rucks were to be made the drying grass was in coils, coles, cocks, small conical heaps of half-dried hay, the size of which varied according to the district and the season.

In 1908 the Stephen’s Book the Farm noted that “the time hay should stand in the coil before being transferred to the stack is regulated solely by the dryness of the crop and the weather at the time. Where the crop is light, and has been well dried before being put into the coil, it occasionally may be stacked the day following, should circumstances and the weather permit. In fact, during dry and settled weather it often is not coiled at all, although in most parts of Scotland, unless under exceptional circumstances, the practice is not considered a good one.”

Ruck-making was hard work. It involved a lot of forking! There was also an art to it. The forkers chose a location in the field which was in the centre of a number of coils. Their hay from these coils was to be used to form the basis for the ruck. Coils that were further away were brought nearer the ruck and forked onto it.

The forkers had to make sure that the hay was evenly forked onto the ruck so that one side of the ruck didn’t want to slide off – that would never do! When the ruck was built the loose hay was raked off so that it would be waterproof. Rucks were left until the hay had dried further when they were moved by a hay sledge, used to take the rucks into the stackyard.

If you know anyone that made hay in the old-fashioned way, ask them about ruck-making. Y ou’ll get an interesting story from them!

The photographs were taken at the Fife Vintage Agricultural Machinery Rally, June 2014.

Raking the hay

In the days before pick-up balers, hay making involved moving the hay around the field a lot of times to allow it to dry out. Hay rakes or horse rakes played an important role in moving the hay around the field. By 1900 they were considered to be an important labour-saving device, reducing the amount of forking by hand that was required to move the hay around the field.

In 1908 Henry Stephens described their use: “The rake is started at the side of the field first cut, and emptied at intervals, regulated according to the carrying capacity of the rake and the weight of the crop. The rows of gathered hay this formed are called “windrows”. In these rows the hay lies loosely, and in this condition, with favourable weather, it dies speedily.” While he described the use of horse rakes in connection with the English method of haymaking, Scottish farmers could purchase and were using horse rakes.

In 1912 Scottish farmers could purchase one from a number of makers throughout Britain. They included Martin’s Cultivator Co. Ltd, A. Newlands & Sons, Linlithgow, John Doe Ltd, Errol, Massey Harris Ltd, Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd, H. W. Mathers & Sons, Barclay, Ross & Tough, Aberdeen, P. & R. Fleming & Co., Glasgow, and John Wallace & Sons Ltd, Glasgow.

Newlands of Linlithgow, for example, sold two types of horse rakes. The first one was a self-acting horse rake with 28 steel teeth and 50 inch wheels (for £13 10s). The second one was a manual horse rake with 28 steel teeth and 50 inch wheels (for £11 10s).

If you were looking to purchase a horse rake during the tractor era (by this time they were called hay rakes), you could also purchase one from a number of makers. In 1952 all the makers were located in England and Ireland. They included well known-names in hay-making equipment: Bamfords Ltd, Uttoxeter, A. C. Bamlet Ltd, Thirsk, Davey, Sleep & Co. Ltd, Plymouth, Dening and Co. (1937) Ltd, Chard, Harrison, McGregor & Guest Ltd, Leigh, W. N. Nicholson & Sons, Newark, P. J. Parameter & Sons Ltd, Tilbury, Phillip, Pierce & Co. Ltd, Wexford, and Wexford Engineering Co. Ltd, Wexford.

There are not too many horse rakes or hay rakes around the Scottish vintage machinery rally fields today. However, there are still a few lying around behind dyke backs. I’ve seen a few at the end of drive ways as a decorative ornament to symbolise farming practices of yesteryear. They were certainly an important element in the mechanisation of the hay harvest.

The photographs were taken at the Fife Vintage Agricultural Machinery Club Rally, June 2014, and at the Scottish National Tractor Show, September 2015.