Planet Jr., the All-Season Tool for Your Garden

Planet Junior Seeder No. 025 - Circa 1919
Image courtesy of Katikati Heritage Museum, Ref. 7420

The Katikati Heritage Museum collection contains a large number of agricultural artifacts, many of which relate to the dairy industry during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, before, during and after the Great War.  Also in the collection are several implements with the brand name "Planet Jr" cast into the metal parts.

1928 advertisment for Planet Jr. tools

The Planet Junior range of implements were designed and sold by the firm of S.L. Allen & Co., Inc. of Philadelphia for the small farmer or home gardener.

Planet Jr. cultivator
Image courtesy of Katikati Heritage Museum, Ref. 7745

In addition to the seeder shown above, the product line included a fertiliser distributor, various plough, hoe and harrow attachments, a drill marker and a grass edger.

Planet Jr. plough attachments
Image courtesy of Katikati Heritage Museum, Ref.7057

Advertisement for Planet Jr Farm and Garden Tools, Agents and Importers: Guinness Bros., Tauranga
Image courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection

The Planet Jr. brand was advertised in the Bay of Plenty Times by Louch & Co. as early as 1887, and in 1889 by Mann & Co. of The Strand.  By 1894 they were sold by The Cooperative Store, but by 1910 marketing of the brand in Tauranga was being by Guinness Bros., whose advertisment shown above for a seeder very similar to the one from Katikati forms part of the Tauranga Heritage Collection.