Improvements in or relating to Receptacles for Orchids or other Plants.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1895--Accepted, 16th Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Receptacles for Orchids or other
Plants.
We, EDWIN SEASELL and EDWIN SAMUEL SEASELL, trading as Seaseli anl'Son,
of 135 Richards Road, Heeley, Sheffield, in the County of York, Orchid Growers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention, and in what manner tho same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
1
Our invention relates to improvements in receptacles for orchids or other plants.
According to our invention we build up a crate or "basket" by placing suitably-
formed strips of wood or other material together preferably horizontally to form
either a square or oblong or boat-shaped or other receptacle with the top preferably
of one piece shaped to suit the size of the built up receptacle and having its middle
grooved or dished out to any suitable size with a hole in the centre for the plants to
grow through. The top may either rest on the built up receptacle or may be any
suitable distance above it; in the latter case distance-pieces formed of nails, pins,
or pegs as may be desired, are provided, to keep the top in position. After having
placed the plant and compost in the receptacle it is essential that the compost
should be moistened; now the ordinary means of watering orchids, for instance, is
by dipping the crate or basket into water, but our improvements enable the watering
to be satisfactorily performed with a watering can; moreover the top dished or
grooved piece holds the compost together and also has a tendency to retain a body
of water and allow it to penetrate into the centre of the compost.
The other pieces are also grooved for the same purpose and the whole receptacle,
hereinafter referred to as a "basket," for convenience, is preferably held rigid by
wire, pins, nails or suitable means.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. is a plan of one form of our improved basket and
Figs. 2 and 3 are elevations thereof at right angles to each other, Fig. 2 being
partly in section....
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
Upon the opposite ends of a number of bars A, which are preferably rectangular
and parallel with each other, we place two transverse bars B, and on the ends of
these latter, so as to bridge them we put two cross bars B'. The ends of the cross-
bars B we bridge, similarly, with two bars B2 and so on, according to the depth
of basket desired. On top of the whole or at any desired distance above it, we put
the piece C. We thus obtain n "basket" or crate with openings therein between
the bars and also in the piece C which is centrally perforated at C₁ as shown, with
a single perforation although it may have more than one such. It is an important
feature of our invention that the picce C is dished at the perforation or perforations
preferably as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and that the bars B B B2 are of such cross
section that each has one face hollowed or provided with a cavetto as shown in
Figs. 2 and 3, the hollowed face being presented towards the centre of the.
basket.
The bars A are preferably nailed or pinned to the bars B so that they cannot
possibly shitt relatively to each other and wires D are passed through the basket
at the corners, and bent at the bottom to form feet D', which the basket may stand
on, and at the top to form eyes D 2 or hooks whereby the basket may be suspended.
The employment of the wires D and the bailing together of the bars A and B

page_text: ensures the preservation of the rectangular form of the basket. In Fig. 3 we show
nails E driven into the bars B 2 to serve as distance-pieces to keep the piece C at the
desired distance from the bars B 2, but any other form and arrangement of distance-
pieces may be used, or alternatively they may be altogether dispensed with.
Another advantageous feature of the top piece C is that it overlaps the contents of
the basket and prevents the rapid evaporation from the compost which might
otherwise take place.
The compost being composed principally of sphagnum moss, peat or like matter,
is encouraged to grow with the plant (which is essential in the growing of orchids
or other plants) by the dished or grooved perforated top retaining moisture for the
at the same time all the moisture flowing down through the central opening
of the piece C is necessarily carried to the centre of the plant.
moss;
'4
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the mature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed. we declare that what we
claim is ;-
"
. :
1. In a crate or "basket "for plants the combination with bars A B BB2 of a
dished perforated top such as C substantially as and for the purpose described.
12. In a crate or "basket" for plants the combination with bars B B B2 each
having the cross-section herein before described of a dished perforated top such as C
substantially as and for the purpose described.
i 3. In a crate or basket for plants a dished perforated piece such as C substantially
as and for the púrpose described."
4. In a crate or basket for plants such as is claimed in the first and second
claiming clauses the combination with bars such as A and B fixed or fastened
together in the manner herein before described of bars BB 2 and wires D' substan-
tially ns and for the purpose d'escribed.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting a complète crate
or "basket" substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
•
Dated this 24th day of September 1895.
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