The Ferguson Bell Planter emerged during the mid-20th century, around the 1940s, as a significant advancement in agricultural technology. It was developed in response to the growing need for efficient potato planting methods, particularly in regions where potatoes were a staple crop.
The planter was invented by Harry Ferguson, an innovative engineer and inventor from Northern Ireland known for his contributions to the agricultural industry. Ferguson’s design incorporated a bell mechanism, which revolutionised the potato planting process by allowing for precise spacing between seed potatoes.
How it works
The Ferguson bell planter is composed of a drill plough which makes two drills, a central hopper to hold the seed potatoes, two seats, and two chutes. It was specifically designed for planting potatoes.
The seed potatoes are emptied into the hopper, which is mounted on the planter. The drill plough is responsible for closing the two drills, covering the seed potatoes with soil. The chutes allow the seed potatoes to be placed direct into the drills at regular intervals.
There is a seat on each side of the planter so someone can place a seed potato from the hopper into the chute leading down into the drill each time they hear the bell ding.
The bell
How often the bell rings can be adjusted by moving it closer to the inside of the bell landwheel, resulting in shorter spacing between plants or moving the bell towards the outside of the landwheel provides a longer spacing.
By altering the timing of the bell mechanism, farmers can control the frequency at which seed potatoes are deposited into the soil. This, in turn, influences the distance between individual plants along the rows.
Fertiliser attachment
There was also a fertiliser attachment which would be mounted onto the tractor and driven by the tractors wheels.
Two rubber hoses ran from the fertiliser hopper down into into two metal fertiliser chutes which placed a measured amount of fertiliser into each drill. The adjustment was made by changing the gears which were mounted on the tractors wheels
Ferguson bell planters are not used on modern potato farms today, the automatic planters used by potato growers are able to plant the seeds into the soil with much more accuracy and speed. However the Ferguson bell planter was a massive leap forward when it was first released, and was used right up to the 1970s on many farms in Ireland.
