Paying Homage to Mr. Henry Blair
Paying Homage to Mr. Henry Blair
Alstede Farms celebrates Black History Month by paying homage to Mr. Henry Blair who lived and was born in Glen Ross, Maryland in 1807. Mr. Blair was an African American farmer turned engineer who received two patents for his revolutionary innovations: the corn planter and the mechanical cotton planter. He is also noteworthy for being… Read More »
Alstede Farms celebrates Black History Month by paying homage to Mr. Henry Blair who lived and was born in Glen Ross, Maryland in 1807. Mr. Blair was an African American farmer turned engineer who received two patents for his revolutionary innovations: the corn planter and the mechanical cotton planter. He is also noteworthy for being the second African American inventor to receive a U.S. patent. His invention of the corn planter helped farmers be more productive allowing them to plant more corn using less labor in a shorter period of time.
His planter drawings show that this device was similar to a wheelbarrow that held a compartment for seed and had rake tools dragging behind to cover them. This allowed farmers to yield more crops and feed more people paving the way for the future of agriculture .
Mr. Blair, being an independent farmer himself, knew that improvements to planting crops was a necessity as this typically was the most labor intensive part of growing food. Mr. Blair used his farming experience to engineer this great invention despite many obstacles. Alstede Farms praises Mr. Blair for his contributions to agriculture through his inventions that helped improve the lives of farmers and food production that are still being utilized today.
