Putting a lid
on planting perfection In honor of Earth Day, this column celebrates the crop’s very start.
Without a planter, harvest would never happen. And all across the country right now, farmers are busy sowing their seeds in hopes of bountiful harvests later this fall. While grain drills are one way to put seed in the ground (see earlier column on Van Brunt), crude planters were the prime method back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Deere & Mansur claimed to be industry experts, especially with a patented rotary drop mechanism for corn (see another earlier column). Every planter has at least one seed box, which determines how many rows you can plant at a time. The first planters had one or maybe two boxes, while today’s latest marvels may have up to 31 rows (and boxes) per machine. The box needs a lid to keep out dirt and rain…and to keep the seeds inside. Some of the very earliest planter boxes were mostly wood with square lids. But soon planter boxes became more like bins; they were round and made of cast-iron or pressed steel. These heavy-duty versions eventually gave way to the plastic rectangular lids used today. Early planter boxes were about the size of a gallon of ice cream…a far cry from even half a bushel! Most of today’s planter hoppers hold about 1.5 bushels of seed; some can even carry twice that!
When it comes to collecting John Deere memorabilia, collectors have discovered that lids can be creative circular collectibles that make neat wall-hangings, skillet bottoms, tea kettle toppers, and stovetop burner covers. The most artistic lids are from Deere & Mansur that feature a stag standing in a meadow before a backdrop of mountains. Some talented people have painted this colorful representation, giving a plain old lid some real pizzazz! The next time someone tells you to "put a lid on it," think of a John Deere planter lid and tell them, "The Green Girl’s got it covered!" This week, The Green Girl is in California in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley where ag rules the big coastal state. She’ll be signing & selling her book, JOHN DEERE COLLECTIBLES, at the CA Antique Farm Equipment Show on April 21-22 in Tulare, so come out to see her! Next week’s column will reveal how Californians collect Deere gear.
Text Ý © 2001 Brenda Kruse. Photos by Brenda Kruse unless otherwise noted. |
These two cast-iron lids depict the very different designs
that are available as collectibles today. 
The cast-iron
lid with red paint for Deere & Mansur is nicknamed the "big-nosed deer" or
"bull-nosed" design because of the prominent snout of the deer compared to other
versions. 