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
ID Number
NU.68.263.1374
catalog number
68.263.1374
accession number
281689

Terramycin Egg Formula

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1962
maker
Charles Pfizer and Company
ID Number
MG.M-10018
accession number
239425
catalog number
M-10018

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.69.127.613
catalog number
69.127.613
accession number
286471

Prunes Shipping Crate

This shipping crate end panel is imprinted with the “Libby’s” script of the manufacturing firm Libby, McNeil, and Libby. This crate contained Santa Clara, California Prunes. Archibald McNeil and Charles and Arthur Libby founded the Chicago based company in 1868.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate end panel is imprinted with the “Libby’s” script of the manufacturing firm Libby, McNeil, and Libby. This crate contained Santa Clara, California Prunes. Archibald McNeil and Charles and Arthur Libby founded the Chicago based company in 1868. Originally specializing in canned meats, Libby’s began to produce canned fruits and vegetables in the early 20th century. The company was purchased by Nestle in 1971.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Libby, McNeill & Libby
ID Number
1979.0441.354
catalog number
1979.0441.354
accession number
1979.0441

American Agriculture Political Pin

The American Agriculture Movement was started in the fall of 1977 in response to the 1977 Farm Bill which had the adverse affect of dropping commodity prices to a level lower than the cost of production.
Description
The American Agriculture Movement was started in the fall of 1977 in response to the 1977 Farm Bill which had the adverse affect of dropping commodity prices to a level lower than the cost of production. President Jimmy Carter’s agricultural policies were considered detrimental to the American farmer by many members of the American Agriculture Movement. Here newscaster David Brinkley is seen pulling President Carter’s strings as if President Carter was his puppet. President Carter, as well as his cabinet officers, were often vilified for their ineffective policies.
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
1993.0188.012
accession number
1993.0188
catalog number
1993.0188.012

Oil Shipping Crate

This shipping crate end is imprinted with the Zerolene Polar Bear logo. Zerolene (also sometimes called Polarine) was an engine lubricant first manufactured by the Standard Oil Company of California in 1907.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate end is imprinted with the Zerolene Polar Bear logo. Zerolene (also sometimes called Polarine) was an engine lubricant first manufactured by the Standard Oil Company of California in 1907. The Standard Oil Company of California became its own entity after the 1911 breakup of Standard Oil. In 1977, the Standard Oil Company of California became the Chevron Corporation.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Standard Oil
ID Number
1979.0441.228
catalog number
1979.0441.228
accession number
1979.0441

International Harvester Scout 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.
This metal model is of the International Harvester Scout off-road sport utility vehicle. The model was likely produced by the Ertl Company during the 1970s.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.78A01.08
catalog number
78A01.08
accession number
1977.0989

American Agriculture Movement for Parity, Protest Pin

The American Agriculture Movement was started in the fall of 1977 in response to the 1977 Farm Bill which had the adverse affect of dropping commodity prices to a level lower than the cost of production.
Description
The American Agriculture Movement was started in the fall of 1977 in response to the 1977 Farm Bill which had the adverse affect of dropping commodity prices to a level lower than the cost of production. Many members of the movement were seeking 100% parity for their crops, meaning they believed they should receive 100% of the cost of production rather than being asked to sell at a reduced rate.
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
1993.0188.006
accession number
1993.0188
catalog number
1993.0188.006

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1810
ID Number
NU.NU84133
catalog number
NU84133
accession number
257688

Melons Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained West-Pak brand melons that were packed and shipped by Westside Growers & Shippers Inc. of Firebaugh, California during the early 20th century.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained West-Pak brand melons that were packed and shipped by Westside Growers & Shippers Inc. of Firebaugh, California during the early 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Westside Growers & Shippers Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.180
catalog number
1979.0441.180
accession number
1979.0441

Diligence

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
ID Number
NU.69.127.252
catalog number
69.127.252
accession number
286471

Canned Tomatoes Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained Banquet brand canned tomatoes that were packed and shipped by the California Packing Corporation of San Francisco, California during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained Banquet brand canned tomatoes that were packed and shipped by the California Packing Corporation of San Francisco, California during the early 20th century. The crate contained 24 28-ounce tins of canned tomatoes with puree from trimming.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
California Packing Corporation
ID Number
1979.0441.254
catalog number
1979.0441.254
accession number
1979.0441

Barbed Wire Section

Fences made of this Glidden barbed wire spread across the American West during the 1870s as the communal use of the open range transitioned to private land.
Description
Fences made of this Glidden barbed wire spread across the American West during the 1870s as the communal use of the open range transitioned to private land. Previously, cattle could easily break through the simple wire barriers many Western farmers used to enclose their lands given the lack of available lumber for wooden fences. When barbed wire was invented in 1868, farmers and ranchers used it to control the movement of cattle and protect their property. Closing the open range angered cattlemen who were now cut off from land and water that had previously been open to all.
ID Number
AG.66A1.038
catalog number
66A1.38
accession number
264475

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 Gosling brand apple crate label was in use by the Duckwall Brothers Inc. of Hood River, Oregon during the early 20th century. The red label features an image of a duckling standing on a small patch of grass. The label was lithographed by the Traung Label Company of Portland, Oregon. Scenes of wildlife such as this were often used on fruit labels to evoke the idea of rich, natural produce.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Duckwall Bros. Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.007
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.007

Advance Rumely Ideal Separator, 32 x 52

Ronald Miller of Geneseo, Illinois, donated this threshing machine to the Museum in 1988.
Description
Ronald Miller of Geneseo, Illinois, donated this threshing machine to the Museum in 1988. The bright red paint that covered the machine when new had faded, but wood and internal parts were in excellent shape, a testament to the care that farmers lavish upon their machines.
Smithsonian conservators decided to accept the threshing machine without restoration, and this separator threshed oats at the 1991 Smithsonian Folk Festival, pulled by a Rumely Oil Pull 20-40 tractor.
The 32 x 52 designation refers to a 32-inch cylinder and the 52-inch-wide threshing shoe. The 7-ton machine was designed to have four men pitching bundles of grain into the feeder; it could thresh over 2,500 bushels a day.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923
maker
Advance Rumely Company
ID Number
1988.0371.01
catalog number
1988.0371.01
accession number
1988.0371

Terramycin Soluble Powder

date made
ca 1962
maker
Charles Pfizer and Company
ID Number
MG.M-10017
accession number
239425
catalog number
M-10017

Prize: Agricultural Society of the Caucasus

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1895
ID Number
NU.69.127.28
catalog number
69.127.28
accession number
286471

Case #1 Portable Steam Engine

The first steam engine produced by the J.I. Case Company in 1869, "Old Number One," produced eight horsepower and was used primarily to run threshing machines and sawmills. Its boiler produced 80 pounds of steam per square inch, and ran more quietly than most automobiles.
Description
The first steam engine produced by the J.I. Case Company in 1869, "Old Number One," produced eight horsepower and was used primarily to run threshing machines and sawmills. Its boiler produced 80 pounds of steam per square inch, and ran more quietly than most automobiles. The Case #1 Portable Steam Engine was designed to be horse-drawn. When moved from place to place by a team of horses, its stack folded down, providing a seat for the driver and allowing him access to the rear brakes.
The Case Company discovered this engine on a Minnesota farm in 1925. It was featured in a plethora of farming exhibitions before being donated to the Smithsonian in 1962. "Old Number One" represents a wave of steam-powered agricultural machines that replaced operations formerly powered by horse, wind, or man. Steam engines were enormously popular-hitting a sales peak in 1912-before effective, accessible, and affordable gasoline engines became popular.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1869
maker
J. I. Case Company
ID Number
AG.62A10
catalog number
62A10
accession number
246139

Protective Jumpsuit

This jumpsuit was worn by a scientist from Advanced Genetic Systems during the first release of genetically modified microorganisms into the environment approved by the federal government.The organisms, a genetically modified version of naturally occurring bacteria from the genus
Description (Brief)
This jumpsuit was worn by a scientist from Advanced Genetic Systems during the first release of genetically modified microorganisms into the environment approved by the federal government.
The organisms, a genetically modified version of naturally occurring bacteria from the genus Pseudomonas, were sprayed on test fields of strawberry plants in Monterey County, Calif., to increase their resistance to frost.
In nature, Pseudomonas can be found on the surface of many plants. The bacteria contribute to problems with frost on crops because they produce a protein that promotes the formation of ice. In hopes of reducing frost damage to crops, scientist Steve Lindow at the University of California altered the bacteria to stop producing this protein. The University patented these “ice-minus” bacteria and licensed the technology to Advanced Genetic Systems, a company based in Oakland, Calif. AGS hoped to bring the bacteria to market as an ice-proofing spray for crops called “Frostban.”
After careful review, the U.S. government approved field tests of Frostban. Despite the review, public fear of releasing these bacteria into the environment remained. Some scientists raised concerns that the ice-minus bacteria could replace the natural bacterial population. Because of their ice-forming abilities, the natural bacteria play a role in the creation of precipitation. This fact led some to worry that damage to the natural population could have repercussions for rainfall and weather patterns.
Activists against Frostban broke into test fields and uprooted plants to be sprayed several times throughout the field trials. After four years of tests, Frostban was found to be effective in reducing frost damage to crops. Due to continued public discomfort with genetically modified organisms, however, AGS never marketed the product. The company feared that the expense of fighting legal battles to get it to market would outweigh possible profit.
Sources:
“Public Fears Factored Into Gene-Altered Bacteria Tests.” Griffin, Katherine. The Los Angeles Times. April 18, 1988. p. AOC11.
“Bacteria on the Loose.” Fox, Michael W. The Washington Post. November 26, 1985. p. A16.
“Chapter 5: Ecological Considerations.” Office of Technology Assessment, Congress of the United States. Field-Testing Engineered Organisms: Genetic and Ecological Issues. 2002. pp.94–95.
“Chapter 4: The Release of a Genetically Engineered Microorganism.” Schacter, Bernice Zeldin. Issues and Dilemmas of Biotechnology: A Reference Guide. 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1987.0770.01
accession number
1987.0770
catalog number
1987.0770.01

Model Plow

This single reversible right and left plow model is part of a large collection of model plows that were transferred from the Department of the Interior to the U.S. National Museum in 1910. In 1952, curator Edward C.
Description
This single reversible right and left plow model is part of a large collection of model plows that were transferred from the Department of the Interior to the U.S. National Museum in 1910. In 1952, curator Edward C. Kendall researched the model plows and desired to catalog and identify the typology of the hundreds of models, and his research led him to believe the models were made in Germany. Through correspondence with Kendall, Professor W.E. Fishcher Schlemm of the Royal Agricultural College in Stuttgart Hohenheim confirms that the models at the Smithsonian were made at a model factory previously connected with the college. Fischer Schlemm believed that Ludwig von Rau was in charge of having the models made when he worked at the school from 1852 until 1872. Fischer Schlemm said he owned a list of the models with their country of origin, which curator Kendall was keenly seeking. The list is not in the file, perhaps it exists elsewhere.
ID Number
AG.261525
catalog number
261525
accession number
51116
maker number
312

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.888
catalog number
68.263.888
accession number
281689

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.683
catalog number
68.263.0683
accession number
281689

International Harvester Hay Baler 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.
The Ertl Company of Dyersville, Iowa manufactured this model of an International Harvester hay baler around 1967. This model was Ertl stock number 447, and is built on a 1:16 scale.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.69A09.09
catalog number
69A9.09
accession number
282677

Outdoor scene of corn rows

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1960s
photographer
Uzzle, Burk
ID Number
PG.72.12.040
accession number
2003.0044
catalog number
72.12.40

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