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

Tobacco Shipping Crate

This tobacco shipping crate end is imprinted with the text “Smooth Climax, this box contains 5-plugs-5-20¢ cuts each.” Climax was a brand of plug tobacco manufactured by the P. Lorillard Company in the 1890’s.
Description (Brief)
This tobacco shipping crate end is imprinted with the text “Smooth Climax, this box contains 5-plugs-5-20¢ cuts each.” Climax was a brand of plug tobacco manufactured by the P. Lorillard Company in the 1890’s. Plug tobacco is a form of chewing tobacco that is pressed into sheets and kept together by the addition of molasses. The Lorillard Tobacco Company was founded in 1760 by Pierre Abraham Lorillard. It is the United States oldest tobacco company.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
P. Lorillard Company
ID Number
1979.0441.297
catalog number
1979.0441.297
accession number
1979.0441

Agricultural Society Award

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1858
ID Number
NU.68.263.1798
catalog number
68.263.1798
accession number
281689

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.1679
catalog number
68.263.1679
accession number
281689

Award for Agriculture

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ruler
Alexander II Emperor of Russia
ID Number
NU.68.21.70
catalog number
68.21.70
accession number
276536

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.1534
catalog number
68.263.1534
accession number
281689

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 Sno-Gem brand apple crate label was used by the Cederwall Sales Company, of Dryden, Washington during the early 20th century. The label has a blue background with three-dimensional standing text that reads “Sno-Gem,” with snow resting on top of the letters. These apples came from the Wenatchee Valley region of Washington, which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Cederwall Sales Company
ID Number
1979.0441.116
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.116

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 Silver Spur brand apple crate label was in use by the Joseph Northwest Company of Yakima-Wenatchee, Washington. The label has a red background with a yellow rim and a central logo that reads “Silver Spur” written in a type that looks like rope over an image of a silver spur. The Yakima-Wenatchee region of Washington was well known for its apple production during this time and called itself the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Joseph Northwest
ID Number
1979.0441.051
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.051

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.1676
catalog number
68.263.1676
accession number
281689

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 apple crate label was used by Spark’s Orchards during the beginning of the 20th century. Spark’s Orchards was based in Wenatchee, Washington, a region that was well known for its apple production, especially in the early 1900s.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Sparks Orchards
ID Number
1979.0441.010
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.010

Case Tractor Toy

This small metal toy tractor was made by an unknown maker during the early 20th century. The toy is a Case tractor with two drivers, painted red.
Description (Brief)
This small metal toy tractor was made by an unknown maker during the early 20th century. The toy is a Case tractor with two drivers, painted red. The tractor has a wheel on the body that could be belted to another machine and powered through the tractor’s engine.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.75A04.07F
catalog number
75A04.07F
accession number
314637

Chemical Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained embalming fluid manufactured by the Dodge Chemical Company of Boston, Massachusetts during the early 20th century. The Dodge Chemical Company was founded in 1893 by A.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained embalming fluid manufactured by the Dodge Chemical Company of Boston, Massachusetts during the early 20th century. The Dodge Chemical Company was founded in 1893 by A. Johnson Dodge, who also established a permanent embalming school called the New England Institute of Anatomy, Sanitary Science, and Embalming. The Dodge Chemical Company continues to this day as a manufacturer of embalming fluids.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Dodge Chemical Company
ID Number
1979.0441.361
catalog number
1979.0441.361
accession number
1979.0441

Family Farm R.I.P. 1985, Protest Pin

By 1985, the agricultural crisis was deepening and claiming more and more victims. States that were highly dependent on agriculture were feeling the squeeze as more and more farmers were forced out of their livelihood.
Description
By 1985, the agricultural crisis was deepening and claiming more and more victims. States that were highly dependent on agriculture were feeling the squeeze as more and more farmers were forced out of their livelihood. Many watched their land being sold to their neighbors who managed to stay afloat and expand. They believed this would be the end of the small family farmer.
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
1993.0188.045
accession number
1993.0188
catalog number
1993.0188.045

Tobacco Shipping Crate

This side portion of a Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company shipping crate is imprinted with the company’s Star trademark. Liggett and Myers had been in the tobacco business since 1822, and incorporated in 1873 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Description (Brief)
This side portion of a Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company shipping crate is imprinted with the company’s Star trademark. Liggett and Myers had been in the tobacco business since 1822, and incorporated in 1873 in St. Louis, Missouri. By 1885 Liggett and Myers was the largest manufacturer of plug tobacco, a molasses-sweetened form of chewing tobacco sold under their “Star” brand.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company
ID Number
1979.0441.148
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.148

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.1573
catalog number
68.263.1573
accession number
281689

Oil Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Gargoyle brand “A” mobiloil that was made by the Vacuum Oil Company of New York City, New York in the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Gargoyle brand “A” mobiloil that was made by the Vacuum Oil Company of New York City, New York in the early 20th century. The Vacuum Oil Company merged with the Standard Oil Company of New York in 1931 and marketed the Gargoyle Mobiloil brand for several years before Mobil became the new company name and Pegasus the new logo. The crate contained ten one-gallon cans of oil.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Vacuum Oil Company
ID Number
1979.0441.204
catalog number
1979.0441.204
accession number
1979.0441

Chocolate Shipping Crate

This shipping crate end is imprinted with “Hershey’s Chocolate and Cocoa, Guaranteed Absolutely Pure.” The Hershey Chocolate Company was founded by Milton Hershey in 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 1900, Hershey’s production of milk chocolate began in earnest.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate end is imprinted with “Hershey’s Chocolate and Cocoa, Guaranteed Absolutely Pure.” The Hershey Chocolate Company was founded by Milton Hershey in 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 1900, Hershey’s production of milk chocolate began in earnest. Through Hershey’s new methods of mass-production, milk chocolate became affordable to the public for the first time.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
The Hershey Company
ID Number
1979.0441.363
catalog number
1979.0441.363
accession number
1979.0441

Apple Crate Label

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 Renn brand apple crate label was used by the F.O.
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 Renn brand apple crate label was used by the F.O. Renn Company of Chelan Falls, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Traung Label Company of Seattle, Washington. The red label has an white circular inset with the image of a small chirping bird sitting on a branch. These wildlife scenes were often used to evoke a sense of rich, natural produce in the buyer.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
F. O. Renn Fruit Company
ID Number
1979.0441.045
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.045

Farm Worker Toy

This small ceramic man was made by an unknown maker in Germany during the early 20th century. The man is wearing a lavender shirt and blue pants, black boots, and is posed pushing a red wheelbarrow.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This small ceramic man was made by an unknown maker in Germany during the early 20th century. The man is wearing a lavender shirt and blue pants, black boots, and is posed pushing a red wheelbarrow.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.75A04.07K
catalog number
75A04.07K
accession number
314637

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1896
ID Number
NU.68.263.1675
catalog number
68.263.1675
accession number
281689

Apple Crate Label

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 Jim Wade brand apple crate label was used by the J.M.
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 Jim Wade brand apple crate label was used by the J.M. Wade Packer and Shipper of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. The label has a black background with a red stripe down the center. These apples came from the Wenatchee Valley region of Washington, which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
J. M. Wade
ID Number
1979.0441.117
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.117

Men building elevator to hold grain

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1909
Associated Date
1909-08-22
1909-08-24
ID Number
2018.0166.0074
accession number
2018.0166
catalog number
2018.0166.0074

Drinkmaster Shipping Crate

This shipping crate contains a Hamilton and Beach Drinkmaster blender. The Hamilton Beach Manufacturing Company was formed by L.H. Hamilton, Chester Beach, and Frederick Osius in 1910. Beach invented a lightweight, powerful motor used for a broad range of appliances.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate contains a Hamilton and Beach Drinkmaster blender. The Hamilton Beach Manufacturing Company was formed by L.H. Hamilton, Chester Beach, and Frederick Osius in 1910. Beach invented a lightweight, powerful motor used for a broad range of appliances. Hamilton Beach gained prominence with its drink mixer that was used in soda fountains and ice cream shops across the country.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.261
catalog number
1979.0441.261
accession number
1979.0441

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.940
catalog number
68.263.940
accession number
281689

Cedar Sap Spout

This cedar sap spout was used by settlers in upper New York during the 19th century. After boring a hole into the maple tree, the spout was inserted into the hole to drain sap from the tree into a bucket.
Description
This cedar sap spout was used by settlers in upper New York during the 19th century. After boring a hole into the maple tree, the spout was inserted into the hole to drain sap from the tree 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
date made
ca 1800
ID Number
AG.52A05.01C
catalog number
52A05.01C
accession number
194893

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