[AT] ).T. - Wanted - double thumbed corn shucker gloves&potatodigger

[Indiana Robinson]

On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 10:28 AM, Ron Cook <ron at lakeport-1.com> wrote:

> I must say I have never heard of anything like that used as a potato
> digger.  Just would not work in these parts.  The closest thing like
> that was a corn rake, but they have thin, tapered tines.
> Here, we had dig potatoes with what is called a spading fork in other
> parts of the country.  It is called a potato fork here.  Four thick
> tines like the one that farmer references but in a spade design.  I was
> under the impression that Herb has been looking for something more like
> the Hoover horse drawn one-row potato digger. They used to be plentiful
> but have become sort of scarce.  I have one to restore at the family
> farm, so I can use that thing.  It has sat in the grove since I was a
> youngster.  Last year it was pulled out to more than likely be
> scrapped.  My 20 and 30 something nephews that think they own that place
> are not the least interested in history, but like dollars.  Some day
> they probably will own that farm, but I laid claim to the potato
> digger.  I found out why we quit using it.  It has some broken castings
> that I will duplicate with steel.  Hopefully digging potatoes this
> fall.  No photos yet.
>
> Ron Cook
> Salix, IA
>
>

I remember digging potatoes when I was about 8 or 9. We had a big patch
then and I drove the Ferguson TO-20 which had a 3 range Hupp transmission.
We put it in under-drive and I drove slowly and my father plowed out the
spuds with an old horse drawn single plow. It took a few tries to get
everything just right so it was pretty easy for him to control the plow.
Then all 4 of us picked up potatoes for what seemed like forever to a
couple of kids.

-- 

Francis Robinson
aka "farmer"
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at gmail.com