A hand-crank spreader is a small machine that you operate by cranking a handle on the side in circles. Grass seed is then dispersed from a compartment at the bottom. A bag spreader operates similarly.

Establishing and maintaining a lush, green yard means seeding it. And while spreading grass seed by hand is quick and easy, it may not be the best option.

It once was a skill every man and boy over age 10 in rural Vermont and New Hampshire ... livestock and horse owners battled with each other to cut grass by hand along rights-of-way to feed their ...