Worlds's Largest Ball of Twine

Worlds's Largest Ball of Twine AG WORLD Ag World 5-5-19 Among the many items listed in the Guinness Book of Records is "the world's largest ball of twine", which sits outside Francis Johnson's farm museum in Darwin, Minn. The big twine ball measures 12 ft. in dia., 40 ft. in circumference, and weighs 21,140 lbs. If you unravelled it, the twine would stretch to about 1,000 miles. A former farmer and builder but now retired, Francis started collecting twine for the ball in 1949 and completed it almost 30 years later. "I started collecting myself," he says. "After a while, farmers brought me twine to add to it. We can calculate the amount of twine in it by the weight. A 20-lb. ball contains about 5,000 ft." The Darwin ball of twine has held the world record for the last 6 years, but he does have challengers. One of the contenders is in Cawker City, Kan. At last reports, the Kansas ball of twine measured about 32 ft. in circumference and weighed about 5 tons. Francis' "world's largest" twine ball is located near U.S. Highway 12, 55 mi. west of Minneapolis. Visitors can also tour his farm museum of antique tools and field equipment. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Francis Johnson, Rt. 1, Box 276, Darwin, Minn. 55324 (ph 612 275-3466).

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