Lining out plants with Ledmore Plough

Date Added: 09 February 2011 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1965 Picture No: 835

Photographs courtesy of Abbie Gordon, Banchory.

Lining out machine possibly about 1965 but year and location has not been identified.

Alan Duncan from Newton Nursery comments:
‘The photograph is indeed of hand lining out taking place using the old Ledmore boards. It looks like the tractor is pulling a plough to make the notch for the placement of the boards prior to filling.’

It is almost certainly the Ledmore lining out plough which carried out two previously separate operations in one pass. Just behind the tractor wheel in the plough frame is likely to be one or two mould boards turning the soil over some of which would lie against the row of tree roots hanging down from the lining out boards.

Next in line is the wide roller which packs the ploughed soil (1) against the roots previously mentioned and (2) into a firm platform about 10 inches wide.

Finally and not clearly seen here, a coulter and board cuts a straight vertical face in the firm soil platform for the workers to place the next line of boards with tree roots hanging down.

2022 - Mike Lawrence has identified the tractor driver as Stewart Paterson using the Ledmore Lining out plough. The location could well be Ledmore nursery.

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Groups: Forest Nurseries, Forestry in Action, Groups of people, Other Vehicles and Machines

3 Comments

I am trying hard to remember how we allowed for the tractor wheels when lifting the plants later on, as a double run with the plough would be to wide.? Comment left on 09 February 2018 at 10:30 by Leslie Phillip

The young trees were lifted by hand at the right time in roughly bundles of 100 for replanting ! Comment left on 12 November 2018 at 23:33 by Ex Ledmore nusery worker

Forester Mr Rose from the Ledmore nursery invented this plough ! He developed it with the help of a local blacksmith. I myself worked in this nursery and planted many of those boards which were filled by a team of local women recruited from Bankfoot ! After planting in the beds they were left to develop then picked by hand into bundles for replanting . Comment left on 12 November 2018 at 23:45 by Ex Ledmore nusery worker Mike.

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