Transplanter
A mechanized device that enables a farmer to plant large amounts of tobacco in a relatively short amount of time. As a driver moves the transplanter, which is often pulled behind a tractor, the worker drops a tobacco seedling into a hopper. The transplanter digs a furrow for the seedling, puts it into the desired depth, adds water and then digs it into place. Some transplanters are set up several workers abreast, to plant a very large amount at one time. These devices are common in the Connecticut River Valley and Ecuador, but are far less prevalent elsewhere. They cannot be used on hilly plots of land.