2018.018.107 [Planter, Hand]

This hand planter was owned by Truman Gerholdt (1887-1952) and perhaps also used by Truman's father, John H. Gerholdt (1857-1943) on the family farm near Cedar Falls, Iowa. The farm was first settled by John H. Gerholdt's father, Charles Gerholdt (1828-1906) who came from Germany, married in Indiana in 1848, came to Iowa in 1853, and then acquired the farm. The seeder is supported by two legs connected by a horizontal wooden brace, each connected by a diagonal steel brace to the handles of the planter. It is painted red and green, but the paint has mostly worn off. It has an eight-spoked wooden wheel, with a steel rim. There is a bent steel plate on each spoke in front which is tripped by two staggered movable bars (covered, connected to an angle board on the frame). This attaches to the wooden bar in front of the wooden seedbox. The long, narrow wooden seedbox would have been positioned across the handles of the planter, where it could engage with the trip mechanism. The seedbox would have then been filled with seed and the planter pushed down the rows to be planted. This type of planter was patented in 1880. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.