It was a grand day on many farms when this machine arrived from a store in town. Just a few decades later, many cheered when the old relic was stuck in the back of the shed or junked, replaced by a newfangled machine requiring far less elbow grease.

What is this machine? Who made it? Send your answers to [email protected]. Or write to: Indiana Prairie Farmer, 599 N, 100 West, Franklin, IN 46131. All correct entries will go into a drawing for a gift card.

Plow fever

Many responded about the Forgotten Tool that appeared in the April/May issue of Indiana Prairie Farmer and online. It was a John Deere 44 moldboard plow. Readers were asked to come up with one reason why this plow was unique.

Historians came up with three, and some of you came up with more. There are still a few of these old plows tucked away. First, it had a knobbed tire that assisted the mechanical lift, making it easier to raise. Second, it traveled on two wheels. The rear furrow wheel lifted off the ground when not plowing. Third, it featured a truss design, with no rounded support members. John Deere pioneered the design for better trash clearance. Ironically, by the late ’70s, when many people were plowing tougher cornstalks in the fall, John Deere plows often plugged. Perhaps they stayed with the design too long.

Congratulations to Paul Moon, Michigan City, Ind., winner of this month’s drawing.