2007/15

Hessian sacks used at Suttons Seeds Ltd. for sending seed to farmers. From John Cox, who worked at Suttons from 1931 to 1976.
Hessian sacks were used at Suttons Seeds Ltd. for sending seed to farmers. When the sacks were returned they had to be cleaned to remove any seed lodged in the seams to ensure that there was no contamination when the sack was refilled with another seed mixture. The sack would be turned inside out and stretched on a sack cleaner, and then brushed down with a brush such as this. This paddle brush with stiff bristles is part of a large collection of objects relating to Suttons Seeds Ltd., as well as other rural artefacts, compiled by John Cox, who worked at Suttons from 1931 to 1976, starting as an office boy and finishing as Company Secretary.

1 brush: wood, bristles

Miscellaneous note from John Cox – ‘Hessian sacks were used for sending seeds to farmers – but were returnable to Suttons for re-use. (If not the farmer was changed with their cost). // They were turned inside out and stretched on the metal X frame, when the employee would clean out any seed lodged in the seams – ready for use with another say grass seed mixture – to ensure that no seeds of a different variety could contaminate another the next mixture.’, MERL miscellaneous note, Greta Bertram, 2 August 2012 – Suttons Seeds Ltd. was founded in 1806 by John Sutton (1777–1863) and traded as a corn merchant. It was known as the ‘House of Sutton’ and had premises on King Street, Reading. John’s two sons joined the business in 1832 and in 1836 it was renamed ‘Sutton & Son’. In 1837 the company moved to the Market Place, Reading, and expanded into seeds and acquired nursery grounds in Queens Road, Reading. In 1840 they established a testing laboratory and in 1873 new buildings replaced those in Market Place. These included various offices, separate store rooms for different types of seeds and bulbs, recreation rooms, residences and a fire station. In 1962 Suttons moved to new grounds and premises on the eastern outskirts of Reading, before moving to Torquay, Devon, in 1976 and then Paington, Devon, in 1998.

Brush, Sack cleaner