This is a pretty cool gift that Mr. Ratliff bought for me at an antique store. It is the inter-workings of a very old Gandy drop spreader, used to seed grass on golf greens. Drop spreaders differ from rotary spreaders in that they only deposit seed or fertilizer immediately below the unit. They are used when precision is necessary and you don't want seed or fertilizer applied beyond the spreader itself. For example, when overseeding a green or fairway and you don't want to sling seed out beyond the playing surface. This cuts fine, definitive edges.
