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.69.127.836
catalog number
69.127.836
accession number
286471

Prize For Horse-racing Given by Tsarina

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
ID Number
NU.69.127.119
catalog number
69.127.119
accession number
286471

Honoring Albery, Prince of Wales, by Society for Horse Races

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1874
ID Number
NU.69.127.695
catalog number
69.127.695
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 Headline brand apple crate label was used by Standard Fruits Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label has a dark background, with an inset illustration of a young boy cupping his hand over his mouth and shouting, and various newspapers with headlines that read “All About Northwest Apples,” “Northwest Apples are Here!” and “Apple for Health!” The Northwest apple growing region would often advertise their apples by touting their health benefits, especially for young children.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Standard Fruits, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.073
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.073

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 later established the New England Institute of Anatomy, Sanitary Science, and Embalming in 1907 to teach the science of 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
1979.0441.318
catalog number
1979.0441.318
accession number
1979.0441

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
1993.0188.047
accession number
1993.0188
catalog number
1993.0188.047

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.69.127.1032
catalog number
69.127.1032
accession number
286471

Wine Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Tipo red wine produced by the Italian Swiss Colony of San Francisco, California during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Tipo red wine produced by the Italian Swiss Colony of San Francisco, California during the early 20th century. There is an illustration of the wine’s distinctive bottle, wide at the bottom, and wrapped in a twine jacked similar to Italian Chianti bottles. Originally called Tipo Chianti, the Italian-Swiss colony eventually adopted Tipo as their wine’s brand name.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Italian Swiss Colony
ID Number
1979.0441.309
catalog number
1979.0441.309
accession number
1979.0441

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.1765
catalog number
68.263.1765
accession number
281689

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1888
ID Number
NU.69.127.344
catalog number
69.127.344
accession number
286471

Eyelets Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Diamond Fast Color Eyelets made by the United Fast Color Eyelet Company of Boston, Massachusetts during the first half of the 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Diamond Fast Color Eyelets made by the United Fast Color Eyelet Company of Boston, Massachusetts during the first half of the 20th century. The crate side bears the slogan “never wear brassy.” A shoe with a brassy eyelet would look old, and Diamond Fast Color eyelets had nickel barrels with tops of solid color that would never wear brassy. This crate contained 25,000 eyelets.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
United Fast Color Eyelet Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.247
catalog number
1979.0441.247
accession number
1979.0441

Bevil Wind Mill Patent Model

Henry H. Beville, the inventor of the “Iron Duke” windmill, was a traveling salesman for a farm implement company in Indiana. He designed the windmill while on the road in the 1870s.
Description
Henry H. Beville, the inventor of the “Iron Duke” windmill, was a traveling salesman for a farm implement company in Indiana. He designed the windmill while on the road in the 1870s. A young Union veteran, Beville held a variety of jobs after returning from the war and, at one point, lost all of his possessions in a fire. After receiving his patent in 1880, Beville licensed the Iron Duke for manufacture and sale, making a substantial profit on his invention. That same year, he opened a real estate office in Indianapolis. Between windmill sales and real estate, Beville had a prosperous career. Well-respected in the business community and active in civic life, he helped attract a number of manufacturing companies to Indianapolis.
In early America, windmills followed the European model. As the wind changed direction, workers manually adjusted the position of large wood and cloth sails. In the 1850s, inventor Daniel Halladay and his business partner, John Burnham, introduced a self-regulating windmill and water pump. In contrast to traditional windmills, self-regulating windmills had a tail vane to turn blades. A centrifugal governor regulated speed by changing the angle of the blades. This allowed the windmill to work efficiently in low winds and slow down for protection in high winds. Windmills provided farmers and ranchers with a reliable power source to pump water from underground. Halladay and Burnham moved from New England to Chicago to take advantage of the expanding Midwestern market, and other manufacturers followed their lead. Between 1870 and 1900, American farmers put about 230 million acres into agricultural production, much of it in the arid Great Plains.
The Iron Duke, as its name suggests, was an all-iron windmill. Until the 1870s, American windmills were wooden, containing metal only in bolts and other small parts. In 1876, the first metal windmill, J. S. Risdon’s “Iron Turbine,” appeared on the market. Other models followed, but according to historian T. Lindsay Baker, major production of metal windmills did not begin for another twenty years. Beginning in the 1890s, manufacturers were able to take advantage of lower steel prices. The manufacturers of the Iron Duke compared its strength and durability to that of wooden windmills. An advertisement in The American Agriculturist announced, “Will not shrink, warp, split, decay, and will stand more work than any mill extant.” Yet, despite the growing popularity of iron or steel models, many farmers and ranchers preferred wood. They found metal windmills difficult to repair, and many manufacturers had a reputation for using less steel to cut costs.
date made
1880
patent date
1880-04-06
inventor
Bevil, Henry H.
ID Number
MC.309201
catalog number
309201
accession number
89797
patent number
226,265

Corned Beef Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Anglo brand corned beef, manufactured by the Vestey Group during the first half of the 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Anglo brand corned beef, manufactured by the Vestey Group during the first half of the 20th century. South America has a booming beef market in the early 20th century, and William Vestey of Liverpool, England set up a processing plant in Argentina and Uruguay and shipped beef products all over the world. The Anglo brand became popular during World War II, as canned corned beef fed Allied armies in Europe.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Anglo
ID Number
1979.0441.244
catalog number
1979.0441.244
accession number
1979.0441

Louden All Steel Cow Stall

This is a model of an all steel cow stall first exhibited by Louden Machinery Company at the 1907 National Dairy Show. Previously, stalls were a rigid, all wood construction that was unsanitary and uncomfortable for the cow.
Description
This is a model of an all steel cow stall first exhibited by Louden Machinery Company at the 1907 National Dairy Show. Previously, stalls were a rigid, all wood construction that was unsanitary and uncomfortable for the cow. Louden’s design accommodated the natural movements of the cow, therefore creating a more comfortable experience which typically meant the cow produced more milk. The steel construction was also much stronger while at the same time cleaner and easier to maintain.
William Louden was born in 1841 in Cassville, Pa but his parents had moved to Iowa before he turned a year old. Louden had a small build and was often sick as a child, which made it harder for him to complete his farm chores. He learned at an early age he would have to change the tools he used since he could not change his physique to be better suited for farm work of that era. In 1867, he had applied for his first two patents, one was a device used to lift and stack hay and the other was used to carry hay into the barn. While not an instantaneous success, his device allowed barn architecture to dramatically change from single to two-level structures, therefore doubling the usable space.
Louden started his first agricultural business in 1868, working out of space on his father-in-law’s farm. In 1870, he moved his operation into Fairfield, IA. He struggled the first few years and in 1877, he was forced to file for bankruptcy. Undeterred, he spent the next 7 years traveling to farms in the area, installing his equipment and developing a consumer base for his products. In 1887, he founded Louden Machinery Company and in 1892, he incorporated, naming his brother as President and himself as Vice-President in order to focus more on the invention and production side of the business. Over the next 40 years, Louden Machinery Company would apply for approximately 200 patents for various inventions and improvements, including the all steel cow stall, individual automatic drinking cup and the flexible barn door hanger. One of his most important inventions that would eventually over-shadow the agricultural side of the business was the supertrack overhead carrier. Manufacturing businesses quickly realized the potential for this product, and Louden quickly amended his design to better suit industrial needs. Even though Louden Machinery Company no longer exists and the agriculture line had been discontinued in the 1960s, the current owner still manufactures this overhead equipment under the Louden name.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.75A09.08
catalog number
75A09.08
nonaccession number
1989.3134

Shrimp Shipping Crate

This shipping crate label contained Marine brand fancy shrimp shipped and packed by Marine Products Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate label contained Marine brand fancy shrimp shipped and packed by Marine Products Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana during the early 20th century. The label has an image of a shrimp on the left with a shield in the center that reads, “These goods have been inspected and quality approved by Marine Products Inc., New Orleans, distributors.” The image on the right shows a mermaid blowing a horn above a box full of shrimp.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Marine Products, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.182
catalog number
1979.0441.182
accession number
1979.0441

Wheat Sample

This sample of wheat came from the first field test designed to chart the movement of genetically modified microorganisms after their release into the environment.
Description (Brief)
This sample of wheat came from the first field test designed to chart the movement of genetically modified microorganisms after their release into the environment. In November of 1987, genetically modified soil bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas were planted along with winter wheat in a field in Blackville, S.C. The project was a joint effort of Monsanto, which had modified the organisms in the lab, and Clemson University, which carried out the field test.
The microorganisms were modified to contain harmless “marker genes” allowing scientists to distinguish them from naturally occurring Pseudomonas bacteria. After their release, scientists kept track of the movement of the modified bacteria in order to create a model for how genetically modified microbes migrate upon their release. Several months earlier, the release of genetically modified “ice-minus” bacteria (see object number 1987.0770.01) in California was the center of public concern.
Sources:
Accession File
“After Release, Altered Bacteria Stayed Close to Their Roots.” Renseberger, Boyce. The Washington Post. February 22, 1988. p. A3.
“Release of Altered Microbes Is Approved in Tracking Test.” Schneider, Keith. The New York Times. October 21, 1987. p. A19.
“Clemson Scientists Begin Field Testing of Microbe.” The Item. November 3, 1987. p.4B.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1987
ID Number
1995.0055.01
accession number
1995.0055
catalog number
1995.0055.01

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.68.263.719
catalog number
68.263.719
accession number
281689

Ink Shipping Crate

This is an end panel of a Sanford Ink Company shipping crate. The Sanford Manufacturing Company was founded in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1857.
Description (Brief)
This is an end panel of a Sanford Ink Company shipping crate. The Sanford Manufacturing Company was founded in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1857. The company relocated to Chicago in 1866 and became a large producer of ink and glue products in its early years before focusing on ink and being renamed the Sanford Ink Company in 1940. Sanford introduced the Sharpie marker in 1964, which went on to become one of its best selling products. Sanford was purchased by Newell Company in 1992.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Sanford Corporation
ID Number
1979.0441.294
catalog number
1979.0441.294
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 Denison’s Crest brand apple crate label was used by H.S.
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 Denison’s Crest brand apple crate label was used by H.S. Denison & Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a dark blue background with yellow text, and a crest that incorporates an apple, an oil lamp, and a thistle. There is a banner underneath that reads “Quality and Service.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
H. S. Denison & Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.064
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.064

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
NU.69.127.626
catalog number
69.127.626
accession number
286471

Big 6 Steam Engine Model

This cast metal model of the “Big 6” locomotive was made by Irvin’s Model Shop of Creston, Ohio during the 1970s. The locomotive was in use in Oregon by the Union Pacific Rail Road from 1812-1865.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This cast metal model of the “Big 6” locomotive was made by Irvin’s Model Shop of Creston, Ohio during the 1970s. The locomotive was in use in Oregon by the Union Pacific Rail Road from 1812-1865.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.79A09.2
catalog number
79A09.2
accession number
1978.2387

Biscuit Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained biscuits manufactured by the American Biscuit & Manufacturing Company of New York, New York during the late 19th century. The crate label has the company’s trademark image of a colorful parrot on the left.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained biscuits manufactured by the American Biscuit & Manufacturing Company of New York, New York during the late 19th century. The crate label has the company’s trademark image of a colorful parrot on the left. Founded in 1890, the American Biscuit & Manufacturing Company merged with the New York Biscuit Company in 1898 to form the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) now one of the largest bakeries in the world.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
American Biscuit and Mfg. Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.338
catalog number
1979.0441.338
accession number
1979.0441

Iron Nails

This spike was used to hold a bucket in place for collecting tree sap.
Description
This spike was used to hold a bucket in place for collecting tree sap. The spikes are usually hooked on one end in order to securely fasten the bucket to the spike.
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.RSN79690Z16
accession number
194893
194893

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1895
ID Number
NU.69.127.1034
catalog number
69.127.1034
accession number
286471

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