LIN’S FAVOURITES

The Seed Dresser

First, I should mention the seed dresser (also known as a winnowing machine) as I recall my uncle who farmed in Norfolk had one. Originally hand driven, many were later converted to belt drive, and enabled the farmer to dress batches of seed for the next harvest. Wheat, oats, barley, peas, or beans could all be cleaned using different grades of mesh.

The Clover Huller

The 1908 clover huller exhibited here works on a similar principle to a threshing machine and separates the seed from the flower head. Because of its cost, clover seed was once known as “liquid gold”, and, having a higher nutritional value than grass, was often used as cattle feed.

The Princess Marina

Among the steam-powered engines on display is the Princess Marina

(see page 57); a superlative example of a 4CD steam tractor built in 1916 and originally supplied to Debenham Hall where it was used for haulage and thrashing on the farms. Weighing in at 5.5 tonnes, it had a top speed of 5 mph.

The Joker Another steam-powered marvel is The Joker; a radical type of agricultural tractor built in 1917 that was marketed as the “Suffolk Punch”. Sold to John Goddard and Son of Tunstall, Suffolk for £772, it proved too heavy and cumbersome for ploughing, so spent almost 20 years operating a number of belt-driven machines. Only eight Suffolk Punch tractors were ever produced and The Joker is a rare survivor that ably demonstrates how Garrett’s were constantly willing to experiment with design and application, and always dared to be different. And to that end The Joker remains an engineering emblem that once typified the company’s spirit of adventure coupled with ambition. TOP: The Seed Dresser CENTRE: The Clover Huller RIGHT: The Joker