Broadcast Hand Seed Sower
Display: Farm to Fork
Culinary Technique: distribution
Date: 1890
Manufacturer: Goshen Sweeper and Wringer Company
Location: Goshen, Indiana
Dimensions: 33" h x 4.25" w x 16" d
A seed bag was attached to the wooden device around the edge where holes are visible. A farmer strapped this spreader over his shoulder and held the seed bag under his arm while he pulled the bow back and forth as if playing a fiddle. This action spun the metal propeller fan, which pulled wheat or barley seeds down the ramp and against the spinning blades, scattering the seeds in a wide circle. Such "fiddlebow" seeders were used in England into the 1930s.