Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

Whilst sorting through the thousands of pictures in the gallery I’ve found some interesting images.

Sometimes images are the normal everyday adverts that would be expected in a gardening magazine, others though are more ingenious in their advertising or in the name chosen or the item itself is questionable and would probably fall foul of the Health & Safety boundaries of today. Take the Killer Kane weeding tool, a name to frighten any dandelion into submission, although the name at the bottom of the advert is a little more friendly calling it The Walkie-Stalkie Lawn-Weed Killer. Apparently it is ‘beautifully made’ from plastic so it’s hinting at being a modern tool, a price of 22/6 for the kane and 4/6 for refills and patent applied for means they probably thought they had a winner on their hands, but has anybody got one? 

Still in the pest control area is the Slayer Sprayer or Slayer Continuous Action Sprayer for it’s full name. Again it’s patent applied for. I can however see this one being a more widely accepted tool for the gardener. 


Technology and the next must-have gadget is something entrepreneurs and advertisers are keen to exploit. Let’s introduce the Remploy Mow-Master – a mower tied to a length of wire that circles a mechanical moving device as it ratchets it’s way down a straight length of lawn. A perfect solution for a rectangular lawn but I do wonder what happens when it gets to the end? Or hits a bump and scoots off into the dahlias? Or what happens when the grass-box is full? Actually I think it’d take more time to set up the device than to mow the lawn normally. However, full marks and a bottle of home brew for inginuity and for one of the first steps towards the robot lawn mower. Somewhere though there is an image of a remote controlled mower in the 1960s….

 

Arsenical powder and Arsenate of lead were on the comprehensive list of items provided by T.Parker and Sons of Surrey. Their advert is titled Deparkmental Stores with a simple drawing of a yokel doorman I guess. 

Parkers Items ranged from big to little and included President tractors, Ransomes mowers, rollers, trailers, Allen Scythes. Smaller items included grass seed and fertilisers – they certainly stocked a full range of products! 

I’ve found that it’s not uncommon for a manufacturer or supplier to offer a range of products that overlap their current offerings but mostly they extend their range with additional related items. Ransomes, best known for grass care equipment, advertised a range of golf accessories titled ‘The final touch of pride on a fine course‘. 

It makes sense that Ransomes would provide golf related items such as flags, greens markers and signs but I never knew until I saw the advert! 

I know there are other adverts such as the Slasher Hedge Trimmer whose name already explains all. There are no doubt many others, or machines we have seen advertised that have never appeared in the tinwork, if you have seen any other interesting adverts then let us know!