OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories AMERICAN Reel Hand-Mowers CORNSTALK PUSH MOWER - c1910s-1930s

Hello ODK History Lovers
The Cornstalk was a North American handmower that sold in Australia for about three
decades - the 1910s-1930s. It was a not-extraordinary plain-bearing hand mower
offered at times in 10 inch, 12 inch and 14 inch sizes. It was an entry-level job.

James Ricci's reference book Hand, Horse, and Motor reminds all gardening equipment
researchers about the difficulty in identifying the actual makers of many early
lawnmowers. 'Branding' was a common practice of many mower makers - if you had the
right money and the right quantity, a manufacturer was more than happy to cast your
brand name on the machine. Therein lies the problem of identification.

I am convinced that Cornstalk was a Store Brand of the great Sydney Department
Store Nock & Kirby [N&K]. North American collectors refer to store brands as 'Hardware
Brands' - and for good reason.

In the early days, N&K used the slogan 'The Good Value Ironmongers' [ironmonger being
the British equivalent to the North American hardware]. Australia would later adopt
the American name for a simple reason - Americans did hardware very well here!



By the 1920s, N&K morphed into something more than a hardware - a 'universal
provider' or what we call today Department Stores. In the 1920s, the Cornstalk
was still presented as an entry-level lawnmower.



The best evidence that Cornstalk was a N&K store brand came when I realized
that other products sold by N&K were also branded as Cornstalk in the 1930s -
ice chests and garden hoses.



So, who made them? Well, I guess, various companies.
I recently learned the Cornstalk mower was made in North America.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

This article is largely the result of a tip-off: photos taken in Canberra
in 2017 by respected NZ collector Alan M. These were the first image evidence
of a Cornstalk I have recorded. Many thanks to Alan for noticing the
significance of this forgotten mower.

What the images confirmed was place of manufacture - the USA. No advertising
suggested place of manufacture. I have argued that the Australian market was
dominated by USA mowers from the late 19th Century. They held that position
until the tariff protections of the 1930s.

The Cornstalk is primarily an important piece in the history of the Gardening
Department of N&K. It is also a reminder that the North Americans were making
the best - and cheapest - sidewheel mowers at this time. The British struggled
to compete in cheaper handmowers - but excelled at push roller-reels and power
roller-reel mowers.

The rest is history.
--------------------------------------
Jack

It was luck that I could identify the maker of the Cornstalk.
I noticed that all the advertisements I had also included a dearer, ball-bearing
Paragon lawn mower. By association, I wondered if there was a connection ...
There was.

The Paragon was a trademarked machine made by the American Lawnmower Company [ALC].
My records showed that ALC also made a cheaper, plain bearing machine, the Regina.
The Regina was made in 10", 12" and 14" sizes with plain bearings - same as the
Cornstalk. When I compared record photos I had a match. The Cornstalk was made by
the ALC for Nock & Kirby. It was based upon their Regina model.



SOURCE: eBay auction June, 2016