Object of the Month

Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site has a large museum collection consisting of thousands of objects, many of which are not regularly displayed in the house's furnished exhibit rooms. Every month, an object will be featured on this page, providing a look at an unusual piece from the collection.

 

A Planet Jr. No. 90 harrow and cultivator from the late 19th/early 20th century.

NPS

Pictured above is a harrow and cultivator manufactured by S.L. Allen & Co., Inc. of Philadelphia and marketed under the Planet Jr. brand name. Used to prepare the ground for planting crops by breaking up compacted earth, to control weeds and aerate the soil, this harrow was equipped with a heavy hook at the front that was intended to attach it to a horse, while the operator walked behind to guide it with the wooden handles. The harrow featured levers that could be manipulated to allow for an adjustable width and depth for the primary teeth that loosened the soil, making it suitable for working with different crops. It also had a detachable “pulverizer” (not pictured) that attached to the back and acted as a heavy rake, further loosening and evening out the soil.

In an 1898 catalog issued by Peter Henderson & Co, a retailer of seeds, garden equipment and ornamental plant holders, the harrow retailed for $8.00, or roughly the equivalent of $323.00 in today’s money. A 1922 Planet Jr. catalog advertised this model as the “no. 90” (now increased to a cost of $20.00) and asserted that it was especially favored by “strawberry, tobacco and sugar-beet growers”. The catalog also claimed it was useful for cultivating “blackberries, raspberries, vines and hops.”

S.L. Allen & Co., Inc. lasted for a century before being sold to another enterprise in 1968. Its agricultural products were well regarded, being exported to many countries and considered by some to be top-of-the-line options for commerical and home produce gardens. But the company's founder, Samuel Leeds Allen, perhaps had his most famous invention with a recreational item, the Flexible Flyer sled, which is still being manufactured today under that brand name.

While Alice Longfellow had a sizable plot of land on the north side of the property, we have no idea what or even if she planted anything there that might require the use of such a piece of agricultural equipment. There is no record that any substantial farming activity took place on the property while her father was living there either. A formal garden was maintained by both Henry and Alice Longfellow, but the Planet Jr. no. 90 harrow would not have been an appropriate piece of equipment for this purpose. So for now, who acquired it and what it was used for remain an unanswered question.

 

View past Objects of the Month.