Potato Planter History

Early History

• The first mechanical potato planter has been attributed to the Aspinwall Manufacturing Co. in 1878. Because of the invention’s success, the company devoted itself solely to creating and building potato equipment in 1883 in Jackson, Michigan. The Aspinwall Co. later built another plant in Ontario, Canada, in keeping with the demand for its products.

Operation

• This early planter included a container for fertilizer and another for the potato seeds, actually pieces of cut potatoes with one or two eyes, along with a plow and covering disks. The plow opened a furrow in the soil. Next, fertilizer was deposited in the hole through one or two hoses. A picker revolving on the main axle passed through the seed chamber, grabbing one piece of potato and depositing it in the hole. The rear disks then covered the seed.

Changes

• Fred Bateman, owner of the Iron Age Co. in Glenoch, New Jersey, developed an assisted-feed planter solving the problem of missed hills. This assistive device placed the seeds on a rotating plate, much like a lazy Susan, before dropping them into the hole. This device ensured that a piece of potato was ready to be fed into the furrow. It also allowed the driver to manually deposit a potato seed into position if necessary.

Potato Planters Today

• Although Aspinwall made a complete line of potato equipment including a two-row, gasoline-powered planter, the company went out of business in the early 1920s. The McKenzie Manufacturing Co. of La Crosse, Wisconsin, bought the Aspinwall potato machinery patent and continued producing potato planters. The basic design of this machinery is still in use today although horsepower has given way to tractor power and several rows are planted at a time.