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BROADCAST SEED FIDDLES
Portable, hand-operated broadcast sowing machines were introduced from America from circa 1850
onwards. The most novel, if not the most popular, of these was the seed fiddle which took its name from the
fiddle-like action required to distribute the seed. The device was suspended to one side of the operator by a
shoulder strap and supported by one arm. It consisted of canvas seed bag housed in a small rectangular
box frame with an horizontally mounted finned disc which was rotated in alternating revolutions by a leather
thronged bow. As the bow was moved from one side to the other with each step the sower took, a regulated
amount of seed dropped from the bag on to the revolving disc which scattered it in a wide arc from 16 to 24
feet across according to the type of seed. The bag held at least 7 lbs or 3.18 kg of seed. Equal seed
delivery was maintained by a jigger plate actuated by an eccentric hub on the discs spindle. The rate of
feed, adjustable to the length of stride, was controlled by a levered slide with up to ten different settings. A
metal band behind the disc prevented seed from being thrown backwards. Discs of earlier models were
fitted with four fins but later versions had six. The fiddle was relatively simple to operate and sowing on both
sides it was claimed that two or more acres could be sown in an hour.
Used mainly for grass and clover many of them were imported but some, notably the Aero brand were
made in Kilmarnock and distributed all over the country until recent times. In 1940 they sold for 27 shillings
and sixpence plus a shilling for carriage!
Seed Fiddle, courtesy of Roy Brigden
This site lists antique hand farm tools (used mainly in England, Wales and Scotland) collected by P. C. Dorrington between 1985 and 2001.
CYCLONE SEED SOWER
Other manually operated broadcast seeders from America appeared at roughly the same time as the Seed
Fiddle. Instead of a bow the horizontal seed distributing disc of the Cyclone Seed Sower was briskly turned
by hand crank and gears spreading wheat or rye seed over an area of 30 feet or more. The seed bag
rested on a simple plat form which also supported the machinery. The Chicago seeder had a similar
mechanism but was also supplied with a fiddle bow.
CAHOONS BROADCAST SEEDER
Cahoons broadcast seed sower patented in the USA in 1861 was claimed to show from four to eight acres
in an hour at normal waking pace. A side mounted hand crank with high ratio gearing rotated an open
ended distributor drum mounted at the front. The drum contained four radial fins or ribs which scattered the
seed in all directions as it fell from the sack through a graduated slide opening. Another form had two
drums paced one above the other. The upper revolving in one direction received half the seed, the lower
turning in the opposite direction received the other half of seed which possibly resulted in a more even
distribution.
Although the crank operated versions produced a continuous cast compared with the fiddle type which
came to a stop at the end of each bow stroke, none of these machines were completely satisfactory. The
uniformity of the cast depended on the movement of the bow, the turn of the crank and the walking pace of
the operator. If this were not harmonised the seed was either sown too thinly or thickly. They were best
employed on small fields and in difficult areas.
A wooden green pained German model imported between the wars combined a kidney shaped seed
container with a fiddle bow mechanism which operated an under-floor rotary finned disc. It had a lid at one
end, a seed inspection window at the other and was carried by a supporting shoulder strap. The seed
regulator markings were in German. Measuring approx. 840 mm in length, 196 mm width and 235 mm high,
they were rather bulky and heavy to carry when full with seed. Only a limited number sold.
BROADCAST APRONS SEEDLIPS
Until the 18th century when dibbers or dibbles were first used in numbers, the common method of sowing
seed in Britain was to broadcast it by hand. A sower walked behind the plough carrying the seed in an
apron or a container called a Seedlip. The apron or sowing sheet was nothing more than a linen cloth
wrapped around the shoulder and an arm or attached ot the waist. Seedlips generally contained between
four and six gallons of seed corn (1/2 to of a bushel). They were hung on the sowers left side by neck or
should straps and supported by whichever hand was not sowing.
A sower, using his right hand, would cast the seed with each right-footed step taken to cross the field, then
on reaching the end he would slide the seedlip round to the right side of his body and sow with his left hand
on the way back. Casting was always made across the body in a wide fan-like action synchronised with the
walking pace. Markers were sometimes placed at the headlands to ensure a straight line was taken. It was
skilfully controlled work and an experienced seedsman would sow around 1 acres in an hour or about 10
acres in an ordinary day. Experts could cast simultaneously to the left and right using both hands from a
container strapped in front of them but the practice was not generally encouraged in England. Small seeds
like rye grass or clover had to be pinched out between thumb and finger with a twirl of the hand.
Immediately after sowing the fields were harrowed to prevent birds from eating the grain. With the
introduction of seed drills and other more efficient devices for sowing cereal crops the use of aprons in the
south had rapidly declined by the 1850s but seedlips were still used in decreasing numbers well into this
century, latterly for scattering artificial fertilisers and sowing clover or other small seed rather than corn.
The Saxons called them Saed-leaps (baskets for sowing seed) which later became seedlip or seed-lib.
Other names, some provincial included seedcod or cot, seedcob, an Essex basket, seedcord or seedcup,
seed mound a basket used in Suffolk, Seblet a Leics and Northants basket, seed-skip or kits, hopper,
scuttle and zellup (Devon). There were several forms consequently dimensions and capacities varied.
Some improvised with old home-made wooden boxes and later on with galvanised buckets held under the
arms but the best shape were those contoured to the body.
BROADCAST SEED BOX
This unusual 19th century device was used for sowing clover, turnip and other small seeds. It comprised of
a long narrow box fitted with a single or divided hinged lid which measured 2770 mm (9 feet) in length, 66
mm wide and 60 mm in depth. The interior was divided equally into twelve separate compartments each
perforated with six equidistant holes in the bottom. These were overlaid with a piece of tin plate drilled with
a corresponding number of holes of smaller diameter which allowed a single seed to pass through. To
regulate the amount of seed falling from every compartment each hole could be closed off by a pivotal tin
shutter shaped like a finger fixed nearby. By moving a perforated wooden slide fitted underneath the box
the seed supply could be shut off. Some contained a zinc plated base with only a single aperture per
compartment while other examples were fitted with copper slides along the bottom.
The box hung from a shoulder strap and was jerked from side to side with each step the sower took. Each
sideways movement delivered a single seed from each opening. By varying the length of stride the amount
of seed discharged in any given area could be regulated. Much however depended on the attentiveness of
the operator who was also required to constantly replenish each compartment.
Improved boxes between nine and thirteen feet long were made with solid bottoms and two sliding lids
which met midway. Set in the lids were a series of perforated copper slides which could be adjusted to
release up to four seeds at a time from each compartment. To fill the container the lids were slid out from
the centre and afterwards closed again. The box was then turned upside down and operated in the same
way.
Broadcast seed boxes were already in use in the USA during the 1830s and it is possible that some were
subsequently exported to England or that a number were made here under licence. The Rev. W L Rham
noted a similar device in 1844 made of a hollow cylinder and a Norfolkman Samuel Copland described a 12
foot example in 1866, but apart from one reported near Taunton by Thomas Hennell in 1934, the box
appears to have been mainly confined to East Anglia where its use on certain Suffolk farms around the turn
of the century was recorded. By this time however it was largely outdated.
Broadcast barrow, courtesy of Roy Brigden
WINNOWING DEVICES OR SAIL FANS
Early attempts to create an artificial wind to winnow corn instead of waiting for a natural wind to blow
through opened barn doors resulted in a device variously called a Winnowing, Winding or Sail Fan. The
simplest and probably the oldest form comprised of three or four flaps of cloth or leather nailed directly to a
hand-cranked spindle mounted horizontally on an A shaped trestle. While one man whirled the fan around
to deliver a strong and dependable stream of air, another using a wooden shovel would toss the gain into
the draught to blow the chaff away. In other places the corn was shovelled into a sieve supported on a stick
by a man who agitated it against the wind created. Some simply placed the unit over grain piled on the barn
floor and operated it in that position. Labouring in dust-filled barns was thoroughly dirty work only
sometimes relieved by using the fans in the open on suitable days.
Larger improved versions appeared, one having three or four widths of Hessian or canvas sail cloth
attached to a corresponding number of supporting frames or spars which were turned by a sturdy,
end-mounted, wooden-handled wheel c 1370 mm. The spindle of another less portable example jointed
into a pair of heavy crossed beams about five feet (1524 mm) in length. The outer ends of each beam were
capped by counter balancing blocks which provided more centrifugal force and served as a kind of
governor. A polle handle with a swivel ring joined to the end of one beam was used to rotate the fan. Others
were turned by an iron crank, sometimes detachable. Trestles supporting the mounted spindle stood just
below waist height and measured from six or seven feet (1829-2133 mm) in length with a base width of
between three to four and a half feet (914-1372 mm). Four equidistant spars up to six feet (1829 mm) long
by between one and two feet (305-610 mm) wide radiated from the central shaft or spindle. The spindles
themselves were approximately 1930 mm in length by 100 mm diameter and rested on two outer blocks at
the top of the trestle. Cloths some eighteen to twenty-four inches (457-610 mm) wide were nailed to the
outer frame ends through retaining strips of leather. Old grain sacks were often used. Construction was
mainly of wood with iron collars and spindle ends. The design of the fans appears to have been fairly
consistent over a long period.
In 1669 Dictionarium Resticum defined a fann as an instrument that by its motion artificially causeth
winde, useful in the Winnowing of Corn. Seven years later, Robert Plot in the National History of
Oxfordshire related that corn could be cleaned either in a good wind abroad, or with the Fan at home. I
mean the leaved Fan; for the knee Fan (winnowing basket) and casting the corn the length of the Barn, are
not in use amongst them. Those with only a small quantity of corn could create a draught using a partially
rolled sheet. But the Wheel Fan saves a mans labour, makes a better wind and does it with much more
Expedition.
Due to their whirling action some were provisionally called Gigs or Ginning machines, names that were also
given to machinery designed to teazle cloth. Other names included Fan or Van which additionally referred
to Winnowing baskets. The origin of these implements and their modest development is uncertain.
Certainly they were used quite extensively in central and Southern parts of England and Wales during the
17th, 18th and early 19th centuries before being gradually replaced by the internal fan bladed winnowing
machine. As an agricultural implement it was not confined to Britain since other European examples existed
at the same time particularly in Spain and Italy.
Only a few Sail Fans have survived two good examples being held by the Science Museum at Wroughton
and the Lackham Garden Museum near Chippenham.
Winnowing Machine courtesy of Roy Bridgen
SHAULS
For smaller amounts of grain this unusual but versatile winnowing implement was used in much the same
was as the winnowing basket. Known as a shaul sometimes spelt shawl, shaw or shawle, it was made out
of a broad length of beechwood or sycamore oblong in shape and resembled an old butchers tray without
handles. The bottom was hollowed out to a maximum depth of approx. 55-60 mm which tapered upwards
to a narrowlip.
It was held in both hands and when filled the grain was tossed into an airstream to separate and remove
the chaff. Shauls were also used as scoops to move grain and when turned over the perfectly straight and
level rear edge served as a strike for levelling off corn filled bushel measures.
Its form is at least two hundred years old and was reported in Hampshire in 1792, in Sussex in 1904 and
again in Kent. One rare example measuring approx. 710 mm in length by 297 mm width is stored by
Hampshire museums. The dimensions of another from surrey are 721 mm x 270 mm.
Shauls were mainly confined to Southern England. Their shape should not be mistaken with some wooden
butter making bowls or trays which were more square and not as wide. Nor should the shaul be confused
with a shool, a provincial name for a wooden shovel used elsewhere to cast the corn.
CORN SCREENS
Winnowed corn still contained impurities such as weed seed, insects and dust which needed to be removed
for flour making. Smaller amounts were re-cleaned by hand held sieves but greater quantities usually
necessitated the use of large freestanding corn screens to sift out these impurities before it was sent to the
market or the miller.
The original form of corn screen comprised of a simple oblong frame some five to six feet (1524 1829
mm) in length by two and half to three feet (762 914 mm) in width. The frame held a series of closely
spaced longitudinal wires and stood at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees supported by two back
legs. The grain was tossed at the upper screen with a wooden corn shovel (called in parts a scuppit). The
grain rolled down the front into a winnowing basket or receptacle placed below while the smut fell through
the wires to the back. Oilskin covers fixed on either side of the base were sometimes used to collect both
grain and refuse.
By the 1830s grain was fed into hoppers attached to the upper frame which regulated the amount of seed
flowing down the inclined screen. Pivotal or sloping wood cross pieces called baffle plates were added to
prevent corn from rebounding over the sides.
A number of similar designs were patented. One by J Francis in 1864 contained three roller brushes
positioned down the frame at intervals which were rotated by hand to polish beans, oil and scourseed and
to remove the web from peas and mites from turnip seed. Another in 1875 had a number of adjustable
inclined shelves or cross slates like a step ladder over which the grain jumped the open spaces while the
debris fell through. By this time however Bobys of Ipswich had already introduced their patented self-
cleaning and self acting corn screens along with other manufacturers in that period including Corbetts
Hornsby & Sons, Denny & Co and W Rainforth & Sons. Most were hand operated and gradually gave way
to powered machinery.
Screens were used in Tussers time during the 16th century. In 1825 Loudon reported that the screen was
chiefly used in granaries to free corn from weevils, while in 1933 Hennell noted that millers in Kent knew it
as a Scry. Those in Sussex and Surrey however called it a Scroy but elsewhere its earlier similarity to the
musical instrument caused it to be known as the Corn Harp.
BARLEY HUMMELLERS
Handheld hummellers were used to remove the awns or beards from barley after it had been threshed by
flail or the early threshing machines. Many were made of iron by local blacksmiths or implement makers to
order resulting in variation of size and shape. Some lighter steel versions were manufactured by such
companies as Ransomes of Ipswich.
The hummeller had a short T handled wooden shaft which was mounted vertically over a rectangular,
round or squared shaped frame by two or four curving supports which extended up to a central socket and
shank. Each frame contained a number of end-on parallel bars (typically 5 to 7) up to 2 inches (51 mm)
wide. 2-4 mm in thickness and set between 1 and 3 inches (25 mm 76 mm) apart. Overall length ranged
from approximately 9 inches (228 mm) to 16 inches (406 mm)) across. Some frames were hinged or
contained pivotal blades so that they could be used from the side or on a sloping pile of barley. Round
frames were uncommon. To increase the number of cutting edges others were made with both horizontal
and vertical bars which formed a grid of intersecting blades.
The tool was brought down in a stamping motion upon the barley, laid thinly on a wooden floor or heaped
against a wall until all the awns had been broken off. It was then collected up with a wooden shovel and
tossed up into a draft of air or put through a Winnowing machine to separate the several awns from the
barley. The work was very demanding.
A heavier roller type, the rotary hummeller appeared in the late 18th/early 19th century which comprised of
a circular drum of varying length and diameter containing up to twenty or so horizontal blades slotted
around the periphery. The drum revolved around an axle held within an iron handled frame. Relying on its
weight to cut the awns it was drawn back and forth over the barley. Although more expensive it required
less physical exertion and proved popular in many parts of eastern England. Longitudinal blades were
added forming a latticed cutting edge in much the same way as the upright version. An identical implement
was used in Wales for curd cutting.
Awns were referred to as ails, avils, avels, hails, hiles or isles, etc., which were probably derived from the
French word ailes meaning wings. As a consequence hummellers acquired many other provincial names
including ailers (Herts) alers (Beds) awner or awning iron, aveller or haveller (Suffolk-Norfolk) clumper,
piler, topper, fothering iron (Yorks) stumping iron and colier or haearn dyludo (Wales). The word hummeller
is of northern or Scottish descent. The tools history prior to the 18th century is obscure.
Except where the need was small, many were displaced during the late 1800s with the arrival of reliable
semi-mechanical devices and threshing machines adapted for this work. A number remained in use until
the 1950s.
P.C.Dorrington, Dec. 95 - amended Oct. 1998.
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