Corn planter
From Cornburning
Used to plant corn kernels in the ground. Also provides fertilizer and insecticide to protect the stimulate growth of the corn plants.
Most older corn planters are "plate" planters. They use metal plates which are rings of steel sized to the corn kernel size and planting rate you wish to use. In some slightly less old planters the plates are made of hard plastic but the concept is still the same. Ebay is a good source for planter plates. However, make very sure, before you buy some old planter at a farm auction, that
- It has plates in it. And/or;
- It is a model you can still buy plates for.
If the planter is missing the plates, and you can't find any for sale on Ebay, you just bought scrap iron on wheels. If it comes with a set, but you can't different ones, you are stuck with the more difficult job of finding seed corn that fits the sized plates you have.
Finding corn to fit could be very difficult if this planter was not used in the region you purchased it in. A planter fitted with plates from Indianna where the kernels are big and planted close togeather, that you buy cheap at a Minnesota implement auction, is again going to be scrap on wheels.
Newer more expensive planters do not have plates. They use a varity of methods, including compressed air in some models of planter, to put the single kernels into the ground.
