Agriculture

John Deere Model D Tractor

From butter churns to diesel tractors, the Museum's agricultural artifacts trace the story of Americans who work the land. Agricultural tools and machinery in the collections range from a John Deere plow of the 1830s to 20th-century cultivators and harvesters. The Museum's holdings also include overalls, aprons, and sunbonnets; farm photographs; milk cans and food jars; handmade horse collars; and some 200 oral histories of farm men and women in the South. Prints in the collections show hundreds of scenes of rural life. The politics of agriculture are part of the story, too, told in materials related to farm workers' unions and a group of artifacts donated by the family of the labor leader Cesar Chavez.

John Deere Plow
John Deere Plow, 1830s

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1895
ID Number
NU.68.263.832
catalog number
68.263.832
accession number
281689

Starch Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side has a label for Gilbert S. Graves Family Gloss Starch that was manufactured by the National Starch Company of Buffalo, New York during the late 19th and early 20th century. The crate contained 16 3-pound boxes of starch.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side has a label for Gilbert S. Graves Family Gloss Starch that was manufactured by the National Starch Company of Buffalo, New York during the late 19th and early 20th century. The crate contained 16 3-pound boxes of starch. The National Starch Company was one of the largest American producers of starch during the early 20th century, controlling a number of companies including the Gilbert S. Graves Company.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
National Starch Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.333
catalog number
1979.0441.333
accession number
1979.0441

Farm Worker Figure

This farm worker figure was made in France by an unknown maker during the early 20th century. This small three-dimensional metal figure is of a man cutting grain with a sickle. He is wearing a Pink shirt, green pants, and green hat.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This farm worker figure was made in France by an unknown maker during the early 20th century. This small three-dimensional metal figure is of a man cutting grain with a sickle. He is wearing a Pink shirt, green pants, and green hat.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.75A04.07O
catalog number
75A04.07O
accession number
314637

Avery Bulldog Model A 5-10 Tractor

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1919
ID Number
AG.58A06
catalog number
58A06
accession number
222860

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1858
ID Number
NU.NU65358
catalog number
NU65358
accession number
240108

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.754
catalog number
68.263.754
accession number
281689

Toy Seed Hopper

This small metal toy seed hopper was made by Kansas Toy & Novelty Co. during the early 20th century. The toy is a representation of a horse-drawn single-furrow plow. The plow bears the markings “KTN/ No/ 61.”Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This small metal toy seed hopper was made by Kansas Toy & Novelty Co. during the early 20th century. The toy is a representation of a horse-drawn single-furrow plow. The plow bears the markings “KTN/ No/ 61.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.75A04.07H
catalog number
75A04.07H
accession number
314637

Dukakis and Bentsen '88, Political Pin

Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen ran against George Bush Sr. and Dan Quayle in the 1988 Presidential election.
Description
Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen ran against George Bush Sr. and Dan Quayle in the 1988 Presidential election. Some believe they had a relatively strong showing in the mid-west (as opposed to contemporary democratic candidates) because of the financial hardship farmers in those states had been experiencing since the late 1970s.
The farm crisis of the late 1970s and 1980s was triggered by several factors stemming from the early 1970s. When Earl Butz became the Secretary of Agriculture in 1971, he changed farm policies that provided supports to farmers who did not plant a certain percentage of their land, and instead asked farmers to plant “fence row to fence row” in order to increase production. New foreign markets had opened up, inflation was high which increased land values and interest rates were low which provided extra incentive for farmers to increase their landholdings and purchase modern equipment that made output from the land more productive. Many farmers took advantage of this confluence of factors to increase their income by following this advice.
In the late 1970s, the Federal Reserve Board raised interest rates in an attempt to bring down the rate of inflation. This happened at the same time foreign markets dried up and a trade embargo was placed on the Soviet Union. These factors meant farm income dwindled at the same time interest rates skyrocketed, eating up what little income remained for farmers. The members of the American Agriculture Movement were highly involved in protests through the late 1970s and 1980s, speaking to officials at all levels of U.S. government in an attempt to raise awareness of the growing farm crisis. Concern over the 1977 Farm Bill ignited the concern for many farmers who believed the bill would adversely affect farm income by lowering commodity prices to less than the cost of production. Farmers began to protest at all levels of government, most for the first time, in order to bring this to the attention of policy makers as well as the people.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1993.0188.048
accession number
1993.0188
catalog number
1993.0188.048

Chili Con Carne Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side was used by Ferg’s brand chili con carne and packed by the Ferguson Canning Company of Snohomish, Washington in the early 20th century. The crate contained 48 11 ounce tins.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side was used by Ferg’s brand chili con carne and packed by the Ferguson Canning Company of Snohomish, Washington in the early 20th century. The crate contained 48 11 ounce tins.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Ferguson Canning Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.165
catalog number
1979.0441.165
accession number
1979.0441

Prize: Society for Horse Races Honoring Golochvastov

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
ID Number
NU.69.127.134
catalog number
69.127.134
accession number
286471

Apple Crate Label

Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Good Pickens brand apple crate label was used by the Cashmere Fruit Exchange of Cashmere, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by Louis Roesch Company Lithography of San Francisco, California. The label has an illustration of a smiling young boy holding a half-eaten apple. Fruit labels often would depict images of healthy young children to promote the health benefits of apples.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Cashmere Fruit Exchange
ID Number
1979.0441.082
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.082

McCormick-Deering Four-Bottom Plow Model

The nature of farming dramatically changed in the 20th century through what came to be known as the Green Revolution.
Description (Brief)
The nature of farming dramatically changed in the 20th century through what came to be known as the Green Revolution. From the 1920s-1950s farming productivity rose dramatically due to mechanization, fertilizers, chemicals (fungicides, pesticides, herbicides) and the hybridization of plants and animals. Agricultural innovations continue to be important to farming today. While the museum has over a dozen full-size tractors and other pieces of farming equipment, most technical developments of the 20th century are represented in the collection through toys and models.
An unknown maker manufactured this model of a McCormick-Deering four-bottom plow around 1944. Models like this could be hitched to a model tractor and operate like the real thing.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1986.0818.02
accession number
1986.0818
catalog number
1986.0818.02

Toy Bull

This small metal bull was made by the J. Hill Company of England during the early 20th century. The bull is posed in action, and is painted black with grey horns and hooves.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This small metal bull was made by the J. Hill Company of England during the early 20th century. The bull is posed in action, and is painted black with grey horns and hooves.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.75A04.07R
catalog number
75A04.07R
accession number
314637

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.740
catalog number
68.263.740
accession number
281689

Prize: Society for Horse Races, Honoring Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
ID Number
NU.69.127.738
catalog number
69.127.738
accession number
286471

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.870
catalog number
68.263.870
accession number
281689

Huber Steam Traction Engine Model

This miniature Huber Traction engine model is a working steam model built by Mr. Raymond T. Stout in 1962.
Description
This miniature Huber Traction engine model is a working steam model built by Mr. Raymond T. Stout in 1962. “Live” steam toys were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, model tractors and engines were considered children’s playthings, helping them learn engineering principles at an early age. This is a model of a 1901 Huber Traction engine, a steam-powered tractor that could be used to haul a load, or power machinery by attaching a belt to the engine’s flywheel.
date made
1950 - 1959
ID Number
AG.65A02
accession number
261334
catalog number
65A02

Metal Sap Spout

This metal sap spout was used by settlers in upper New York in the 19th century. After boring a hole into a maple tree, one would insert this spout to drain sap into a bucket.
Description
This metal sap spout was used by settlers in upper New York in the 19th century. After boring a hole into a maple tree, one would insert this spout to drain sap into a bucket. Sap was typically collected and boiled down to make syrup or sugar to use an alternative to the expensive processed, cane sugar. Later, when cane sugar became cheaper and took precedence in the American diet, maple syrup was more often produced for either personal use or for supplemental income.
Maple syrup production is one of the few agricultural processes in North America that was not a European import but learned from Native Americans. Sap is typically collected from the Sugar, Red or Black maple, though it can be collected from other tree types. Northeastern North America is the most common area for maple syrup production, with Vermont, New York and Maine leading production in the U.S. Once the sap is collected, it must be boiled down to reduce the water content. It can require anywhere from 20-50 liters of sap to make one liter of syrup, depending on the sugar content of the sap. Each tree is capable of producing 35-50 liters of sap.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
ZZ.RSN79690Z20
accession number
194893
194893

Lummus 80-Saw Cotton Gin

This steam-powered cotton gin, usually called a ginstand, was produced by F. H. Lummus and Sons of Columbus, Georgia. It employed a system of 80 twelve-inch saws, a pneumatic elevator, and a single-cylinder feeder.
Description
This steam-powered cotton gin, usually called a ginstand, was produced by F. H. Lummus and Sons of Columbus, Georgia. It employed a system of 80 twelve-inch saws, a pneumatic elevator, and a single-cylinder feeder. It also used a single-stand condenser, which collected the lint (cotton) as it came out of a flue and discharged it in mat form. The mat of cotton lint was then put into a compress. This machine was manufactured around 1900.
The Lummus gin and compress could produce one and a half bales of cotton every hour, or as many as 15 bales in a twelve-hour workday. Steam whistles signaled the beginning of a new day of ginning.
Much information about the construction of the shed that housed the gin has been lost, but it may date to the 1880s. When land development threatened the structure, the owner contacted the Smithsonian about the 80-saw ginstand. Lummus Industries restored the gin.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
F. H. Lummus Sons Co
ID Number
1990.0344.01
catalog number
1990.0344.01
accession number
1990.0344

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.746
catalog number
68.263.746
accession number
281689

Prize: Society of Agricultural & Industry At Tersk

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
ID Number
NU.69.127.426
catalog number
69.127.426
accession number
286471

Varnish Shipping Crate

This Glidden Varnish crate side was used by the Glidden Varnish Company of Cleveland, Ohio during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This Glidden Varnish crate side was used by the Glidden Varnish Company of Cleveland, Ohio during the early 20th century. The crate side bears the image of an Eagle-like creature on the left, with plain black text that reads “Factories Cleveland, Ohio, Toronto, Ontario/ Branches New York Chicago Boston St. Louis Atlanta.” In 1875 Francis Glidden, Levi Rackett, and Thomas Bolles started a varnish company called Glidden, Brackett & Co. In 1894 the company became the Glidden Varnish Company, and in 1917 was renamed simply the Glidden Company when it diversified its product line by adding paints.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Glidden Company
ID Number
1979.0441.142
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.142

Corned Beef Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Derby Brand Corned Beef that was packed by Derby Foods Incorporated during the early 20th century. This corned beef is a product of Argentina, and Argentina is one of the world’s largest beef producers.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Derby Brand Corned Beef that was packed by Derby Foods Incorporated during the early 20th century. This corned beef is a product of Argentina, and Argentina is one of the world’s largest beef producers. The crate contained 24 12-ounce cans of corned beef.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Derby Foods Inc., U.S.A.
ID Number
1979.0441.219
catalog number
1979.0441.219
accession number
1979.0441

Milk Shipping Crate

This is an end panel of a Borden’s Milk shipping crate. Gail Borden Jr. patented his method for producing condensed milk by vacuum in 1856 and established the New York Condensed Milk Company in 1857.
Description (Brief)
This is an end panel of a Borden’s Milk shipping crate. Gail Borden Jr. patented his method for producing condensed milk by vacuum in 1856 and established the New York Condensed Milk Company in 1857. Borden is also renowned for establishing the “Dairyman’s Ten Commandments,” which were health and cleanliness standards that dairy farms had to adhere to in order to supply Borden with milk.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Borden Company
ID Number
1979.0441.367
catalog number
1979.0441.367
accession number
1979.0441

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