Ontario Drill Company

Got a question for you experts. I live in Central Virginia and found and old rusted piece of farm machinery in a junk pile. It says Ontario Drill Company, Despaton NY

Improved Double Force Feed Drill

Paten March 4, 1902

Can anybody shed some light on what this is?

Ever heard of Despaton NY?

Thanks in advance!

Can't tell you about that but Ontario became part of McConnell Corp. of Prattsburg, NY in the Southwestern part of the Finger Lakes. Strictly guessing I would say this happened in the 1960's. Mc Connell was a shortliner that had springtooth harrows, cultivators, potato equipment, and I want to say dumpboxes. They also imported tractors that they in turn relabeled under their own brands (compacts). They had been in decline for a couple decades and finally dissolved a few years ago. Interesting company in my part of the country. Hopefully, somebody can expand upon this. Used to be lots of Ontario/ Mc Connell drills around here.

What did you want to know... a grain drill is used to seed various cereal and other crops.

"Fluted feeds" are the mechanisms that meter the seed out of the bottom of the seed box and toss it down into each row opener/hoe/disc.

Does it look anything like THIS:

<img src = "https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/photoads/upload/122946.jpg">

From the "Encyclopedia of American farm implements & antiques" By Charles H. Wendel:

<img src = "http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/27Grainfield/OntarioDrill.jpg">

LOTS more information and pictures of Ontario drills on GOOGLE.

From "WIKIPEDIA":

"The Village of East Rochester, New York was originally known as the Village of Despatch when the community was incorporated in 1897. Despatch was laid out as a planned community designed around the New York Central Railroad mainline that ran through the center of the village. Much of the original land which became the village came from Fairport businessman Walter Parce. This land was used to develop housing for employees of the earliest employers: The Merchants Despatch Corporation and the Aeolian Piano Corporation. The original buildings of the Aeolian Piano Corporation are still in use today as a shopping center and office complex called Piano Works Mall.

To better showcase the village's proximity to the city of Rochester, the village was incorporated as the Village of East Rochester in 1906.

The boundaries of the village were divided between the towns of Perinton, Pittsford, and Penfield."

I don't know much of the history of it but we had one and used it from the early 50's to the early seventies, when my father sold out. We planted about 30-40 ac. a year with it, wheat and oats. We never used the fert. part of it as it was rusted out. We also had the alfalfa seeder on the front which we used. Seems like I seen quite a few around like it during that time period. We lived in mid Michigan.

Here's the restored Ontario drill on display in the lobby in the East Rochester, NY town hall.

As Bob points out East Rochester was formerly known as the Village of Despatch, home of the Ontario Drill Company.