Spring is arriving. This is the time that dairy farmers start the grassland season by fertilising their grassland. Actially also springtime at Lely began with a fertiliser spreader. The company started in 1948, but all invented machines were licensed to others, especially to Vissers Constructie (Vicon, now Kubota). None was manufactured itselves.  In 1957 Lely invented a new, simple and robust spreader with only one disk, see the picture of the patent dated 19-4-1957. However Vissers was not interested as they already had a fertiliser spreader in production. So Lely was more or less forced to start manufucturing themselves. So in 1958 the first factory building was built at the very front side of the present Campus. Already 2 years later a large expansion was necessary. The first machines could also be pulled by horses because at the time by far not every (European) farmer used a tractor. Not many people know that this same Lely machine with almost the same design is still being manufactured! But not in Maassluis and not even in Europe, but in Pella (US), not far from the Lely site in Pella which manufactures the Astronaut. See this site: www.lelyturf.com. But nowadays this machine is not pulled by a horse but by golf carts to fertilise golf courts. From the very beginning, Cornelis van der Lely wanted an original design. The container of the fertiliser spreader has therefore a typical triangular top. This design has remained the same in the last 68 years! See below a picture of one of the first prospects (1959) and a picture of the present golf court version. Many, many thousends of these machines have been build and exported worldwide. The machine was so tremendously popular because its design was/is very simple and robust: just 2 gears, powered by its own wheels, a spreading width much broader than its own width and to be pulled by any vehicle or even horse. You can still see them on the countryside. So when you drive or cycle this spring and summer on the countryside, have a look in the fields or rmeadows for a red fertiliser spreader with this design. Post a picture on this community.