If nomenclature is the primary object of origional question,I revise the term "bucking" to say "prevent up and down oscillation". I just believed people who call bedders potato diggers or other potato related names would understand what I meant by "bucking". In real life farming during mid-century I've actually heard frusterated operators us the term "bucking" when complaining about warped or poorly adjusted plows of various types. I can assure you that potatoes were not commercially grown in Oklahoma and Texas but every row crop farm from the time of mule drawn equipment had bedders and middle busters in use. Just to be clear,the ONLY difference in bedder and middle buster is what the plow is being used for at the moment. Before minimum and no-till planting,many trips were made over land between hearvest and planting. After residue from hearvested crop or cover crop was chopped/mulched (commonly by a "stalk cutter") new rows were "layed off" with "cultivators" from which most plows had been removed. "Laying off" severed no purpose other than establish row sapcing and mark pattern for "Bedding". "Bedding" was done well in advance of planting to A. bury residue and speed decay B. expose max amount of soil for moisture oxygen saturation C. alow wet and dry cycles to pulverize "clods"and futher improve "tilth". "Beds"thus created always sat undesturbed for a period. Depending on several factors,the next operation might be "chopping beds" using a "stalk cutter","plowing down beds" using cultivators equipped with more plows than when "laying off",planting directly into bed and,,,,drum roll,,,,,"busting beds"using same impliment as was to form them(plows slide off center by 1/2 row width). In the last proceedure it is quite common to call impliment "busters). It would follow that if one used impliment pulling dirt around potatoes it could be referred to as a "hiller". If it were used to plow potatoes to the surface it might be called a "digger. Non of that changes the fact impliment was manufactured and sold as "bedders". Alterations were sometimes made by dealers who added tines to sift and handle vines then marketed as specialized,including potato something anothers. In row crop country (which is x thousands more acres than potatoes) the words "bedder" passed lips of dealers and farmers a million times for each time they uttered "potato digger". I didn't have to ask google,I lived it in living color.
