Sandy Rose checking undercutting results at Ledmore Nursery
The images are courtesy of Michael Lawrence of Bankfoot whose grandfather, Sandy Rose, was Forester and Head Forester at Ledmore Forest Nursery from 1950 (when land was acquired) until his retirement in 1969. In 1966 the nearby Strathord Forest was brought under his charge.
Many nursery tools and equipment were developed at Ledmore Nursery by Sandy Rose. Shortages of easily available seasonal labour and the introduction of tractors with sophisticated hydraulics and flexible three point linkages were strong drivers to increasingly mechanise nursery operations.
Here Sandy is looking at the results of undercutting a bed of conifers (species could be Douglas fir?) and checking the shearing effects on the roots. The concept was a well tried method but Sandy introduced a two bladed version with inter-row and side vertical cutters.
Sandy was also experimenting with line sown seed to create lined out trees without the expensive process of lining out seedlings. These young trees would have been in the same position in the nursery bed for up to three years from the seedling stage. Roots would have required to be regularly undercut and side pruned to prevent severe root interlock and very deep tap roots. The fibrous root system as those of the young trees in Sandy’s hands would have been the desired result.
The man looking on over Sandy’s shoulder is named as Eck Ewart by Mike Lawrence.
The rear view of the Ferguson 20 tractor (registration MXU 374) clearly shows the three point linkage and the hydraulic lift arms (one side length adjustable) with the knob of the hydraulic control lever just below the driver’s right hand. The power take off (PTO) shaft looks as though it still has its cover on as no nursery implements were powered at this stage. Another refinement on the tractor was the design of dished centres on the main driving wheels. Simply fitting them the other way around widened the wheel track significantly whereas turning one only was a half way stage. The front wheels were similarly dished and fitted to adjustable width axles.
A very ingenious, light weight, innovative and versatile machine designed by Harry Ferguson in Northern Ireland.
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