Cultivating a Field picture

ryanwheelock · May 10, 2010

I thought cultivating with a farmall H took a lot of time but then I saw this picture while surfing the Wisconsin historical society files. Photo is from 1910. Looks like a BIGG field in the background. Just had to get your opinions.
Ryan

Rootsy · May 10, 2010

Looks like check-row corn to me...

James Howell · May 10, 2010

Gives a whole new meaning to the old saying "<big>[i:654c4848f0]too long behind the plow[/i:654c4848f0]</big>".

Adirondack case guy · May 10, 2010

Hay Rootsy; just think - when that guy got done going lengthwise he had to go crosswise (puts a new slant, or, old on the saying " walking a mile to cross a field"

ohiojim · May 10, 2010

ya gotta love the looks of check row

Cas · May 10, 2010

Also give new meaning to "good old days". BS

GordoSD · May 10, 2010

If those are 36 inch rows you could have a 160 acre field done in a mere 220 hours.

Gordo

MSJ from MN · May 10, 2010

Kind of like when my grandpa used to say. Sure dont make them like they used to. . . . . . Thank god

kruser · May 10, 2010

Hey glennster,
Is that James before Nancy started helping him? Didn't know they did row crops!
Maybe we ought to take a couple of more horses down - case they wear them out. Don't have a cultivator but do have turning plow.

Talk nice THIS time and they "might" let you use the stone boat to get your rock to the other side of the creek!

Jim

bc · May 10, 2010

That to me is an old horse drawn cultivator and does what I remember a cultivator doing. Which is set so the cultivator heads break up the ground and weeds between the rows. The big tractor pulled ones were spaced so the tractor tires and cultivator heads didn't get to close to the row crops.

No one around here uses them anymore cause all the weeds are controlled by spraying and the big tractors everyone buys doesn't work for cultivating.

Someone showed a picture of what I call an old springtooth a while back. Some also call a springtooth a harrow. There were a number of people who called it a cultivator but I don't think so. A springtooth breaks the surface up, smooths it out, gets rid of any weeds, and collects the trash before drilling things like wheat.

Cas · May 10, 2010

I think I remember reading somewhere that an
average man would walk 8 to 12 miles a day
cultivating. No wonder you never see a fat guy
behind a horse cultivator

cadet trooper · May 10, 2010

I'm glad I just missed that era and I loved check rows when dad let me try to steer cultivating. Gotta be the new organic farming way.

James Howell · May 10, 2010

Hey [b:654c4848f0]kruser[/b:654c4848f0] that was me after my ex-wife got through with me.

Keep in mind that Texas is a community property state; the husband leaves the community and the wife gets all the property.

Back end of that poor old horse does favor my ex-husband-in-law when ex-wife got through with him.

Sorry about the stone boat, but depending on the size of the rocks and the width of the creek, maybe [b:654c4848f0]glennster[/b:654c4848f0] can just "pitch" them to the other side.

Maybe even a belt powered catapult hooked up to one of his red tractors.

The possibilities are endless!

kruser · May 10, 2010

James:
Glad you made an excellent comeback!

Sure is nice without your little "buddy" for MN.

Jim aka James

kestrel · May 10, 2010

Nice photo. That "horse hoe" looks similar to mine- a lawn ornament now.

I saw an old ad for one listed at $7.00 in the 1898 Sears Catalog.

Leroy · May 10, 2010

And you find that one listed in that catalog today in that new a condition move that desimal point to the right one position for $70 and you would have about it would sell for today to be used for cultivating.

Paul from MI · May 10, 2010

Don't laugh guys, but we used two of thse old things in the garden. Dad drove the old Allis B and my brother and I each ran a cultivator. Did a good job and beat the he!! out of a hoe. We were glad to do it!

John Harmon · May 10, 2010

Heres a Photo of my dad taken in 1944 with moms Kodak Box Camera. She was standing in the back of his 1931 Chevrolet truck. I was 7 years old and was helping her?? The picture is old and faded but as you can see those old Farmers of the Horse era did a lot of walking to get a crop in. At this time he did own an Oliver Hart Parr which did all the plowing and discing. He trusted the horses to plant and tend to the corn etc. A couple of years later than this he bought a new Oliver 77 with a 2 row Cultivator and the horses left the farm for good about 1950. I am thankful I had the experience of working with a team even if it was mostly loading and spreading Manure.

flying belgian · May 10, 2010

Well I don't know. If that field ends right where the picture ends that only looks to be about an acre and a half. That's my opinion.

Anonymous-0 · May 10, 2010

Old couple in the neighboring town do about 5 acres by hand after the ground is prepared. I've seen corn, feed beets, and sunflowers over the years. All planted, cultivated (hoed), and harvested by hand.

Dave

Leroy · May 11, 2010

That is the way some of my friends still do it. All horses, no tractors or electricity.

bc · May 11, 2010

That lawn ornament has a planter blade on it as well. It digs the furrow for planting while the cultivator blades break up the ground and weeds and hoof tracks on both sides. It has an adjustment handle to set the width of the row. The one my grandpa had, the planter blade was removable. It took 2 passes after he plowed and harrowed the ground. First pass was with the planter furrow blade. We would follow along with dropping in seeds. Second pass would be without the planter blade and the cultivator blades pinched in so they back fill the furrow after the front wheel set the seed. Then later after planting he could go cultivate the weeds when needed by spreading the cultivator blades to fit the width of the row.

His was a setup from David Bradley with a walk behind 2 wheel tractor. It wasn't horse drawn but the same type setup for equipment. Equipment with it included a plow, disk, harrow, cultivator, and a side bar cutter for corn stalks. He had about an acre and half garden and they canned a lot of stuff.

Cultivating a Field picture

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