Before the advent of modem commercial fertilizer, the only way to fertilize and condition the soil was to add animal droppings. The manure spreader was designed to replace manually scattering manure with a shovel or pitchfork from the back of a wagon. Drawn by two horses, it was used in winter to spread manure that had collected in barns and corrals during the year, with its large wheels providing the mechanical power needed to scatter the manure.