Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

April showers bring May flowers! Have you gotten out into your garden to do some planting this year? A tool like this would make planting your greenery a walk in the park. This clever invention sought to replace hand seed spreading in the mid 1800s. The hand-operated centrifugal seeder, also known as the fiddle bow seed sower or broadcast seeder, functions by a crank handle that controls a quartered metal holster, mechanizing an end piece which sprayed out seed quickly and effectively. The sower would place a strap over their shoulder and an attached sack or canvas bag filled with the seed of choice would fit beneath their arm. The sower could adjust the rate of seed distribution to match his or her stride, ensuring optimal disbursement from its spout. After the seeds were broadcast through the seeder, a harrow, a forked implement used to break up and smooth the surface of soil, would be raked over the seeds. However, by the 1880s this method of seeding was replaced by the seed drill. This could plant seeds with uniformity at a sufficient and consistent depth. The now antiquated centrifugal seeder serves as a reminder of the innovation that has led to modern seeding technology.