Antique Cultivator

My new, antique cultivator.

My neighbor, Alvin, told me the other day that he was ready to bring over the antique plow he found for me. He bought it in Paris. (Illinois, just east of Charleston.) I didn't know he had been looking for a plow for me, or that he'd gone ahead and purchased one and restored it. It came with a plow attachment, but he was glad to find a cultivator attachment, and put it on for me. He brought it over Wednesday afternoon and showed me how to use it. I was smitten by it from the moment I saw it: wood and iron and such a sleek design. Completely utilitarian, but useful with elegance. The way they don't do things any longer. Alvin showed me how to apply varying degrees of pressure to let the machine pull out the weeds, and then till the soil. It's going to work fantastically. We were going to buy a rear-tine tiller this summer because it'll be useful for weeding and for cultivating the soil before I plant. But we just hadn't gotten around to it, and right now, there is no reason to buy one. This is going to work great. And it only cost me $35. That's a steal, I think!

The cultivator in action...