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.
© 2016 Heather Holmes
