IMPROVEMENTS IN DIBBLING OR SOWING SEED
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
NEWINGTON, of Frant, in the County of Sussex, M.D., send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventh day of Decem-
ber (One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven), in the eleventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Samuel Newington, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Samuel
Newington, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Samuel Newington, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed; my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DIBBLING OR SOWING SEED;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Samuel Newington,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Newington, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:
My Invention consists of improvements in combining apparatus for facili-
tating the dibbling or sowing seed. And in, order that my Invention may be
most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe
the Drawings hereunto annexed, in the various Figures of which the same
letters are used to indicate similar parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a front view; Figure 2 shews a back view of the apparatus,
the parts being shewn in different positions; Figures 3 and 4 show two similar
views, partly in section, and with parts removed, in order that the interior con-
struction of the apparatus may be seen; Figure 5 shows an edge view, the
parts being in the position shewn in Figures 1 and 3; Figure 6 is a transverse
section of. the apparatus, the parts being in the position shewn by Figures 2
and 4 and Figure 7 shows a plan, in section, of apparatus. a, a, is the seedl
box, consisting of the two side plates a', a', the shape of which will be best
seen in Figure 6; and these plates a', a¹, rise above the box a, and are con-
nected together by the bar b, such bar. 6 constituting one of the handles of the
machine; and the side plates a', a', are also connected together by the plate c,
which forms the top of the seed box, and the dibbles. d, d, are connected by
means of screws e, e, to this cover or plate c, as shown. The nature of..the
dibbles d is clearly shown in the Drawings, and will not require further
description. f is a frame, consisting of the two uprights f. f, which slide
through openings formed in the. plate c, and the two uprights are combined
together at the upper parts by the cross rail g and by the handle h, as shown;
and the uprights f, f, are also connected at bottom by a rail f, through which
are openings for the passage of the dibbles, and the under surface of this rail
fis covered with metal. i, i, are two plates of metal, fastened on either side
of the uprights f, thereby enclosing the space between them; and it will be
seen that the plates i and uprights f are so arranged as to move freely
through the opening formed at the bottom of, the seed box, which seed box
is made by the closing in of the space, between the lower parts of the side
plates a¹, a¹, and there is an opening with a hinged cover j, for introducing
the seed into the box a. On the stems of the dibbles d are formed project-
ing surfaces d¹, covered with metal. k is a seed carrier, having recesses formed
at 1, l, the recesses being larger or smaller, according to the character of the
seed to be dibbled or sowed. The seed carrier is just capable of moving up

page_text: and down freely between the stems of the dibbles. The seed carrier is fixed
to uprights m, fixed to the lower rail f₁; and it will be seen that there are
inclines n, n, and o, o, fixed on either side of the uprights m, the object of
which will be understood when I come to describe the mode of using the
apparatus. q, r, are two plates, fixed at the upper part of the seed box; the
object of which is, when the parts are in the position shewn by Figures 2, 4,
and 6, to prevent a large quantity of seed 'falling into the chamber of the slide
box, should the machine for any purpose-be turned upside down.
In using the apparatus, seed is to be placed into the seed box a, at the
opening covered by j. The instrument is to be held by both handles b, h, when
the parts are in the position shewn by Figures 2, 4, and 6, and by placing the
foot on the steps, fixed at the front of the apparatus, the dibbles are to be
pressed into the earth. The handle 6 is then to be raised, keeping the
rail f¹ trod down; the effect of which will be, that any seed which may have
been in the recesses of the seed carriers at the. previous movement of the
apparatus will by this means be released from the inclined surfaces n, n, and
fall on to the inclined surfaces o, o, and be guided by them to the openings
through which the dibbles pass, and so into the earth. By this movement the
seed carrier will be brought below the seed in the box a, a, and the seed will
fall into the recesses thereof: The handle 6 is next to be pressed down till the
handle comes against the upper ends of the uprights f,f, by which the dibbles
will be again protruded, and will press the deposited seed into the holes, and
the seed carriers will again assume the position shewn in Figures 4 and 6,
and the seed held in the recesses will have dropped out of the recesses, and
will rest on the inclined surfaces n, n. The apparatus is then to be moved,
and the dibbles forced down, and the rails f¹ trod on to the earth, and so on,
as before described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark, that
although for the most part the same is made of wood for the purpose of
obtaining lightness, this arrangement is not essential to the apparatus; and I
would state that I do not confine myself to the precise details shewn, so long
as the peculiar character of the Invention be retained; and although only
two dibbles are shewn, apparatus according to my Invention may be made with
other numbers of dibbles. What I claim is, the mode of combining parts
into an apparatus for dibbling or sowing seeds, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Newington, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
SAMUEL (LS.) NEWINGTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of June, in the year
of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid Samuel .Newington came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and. acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
T