Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1857
Specification Accepted, 20th Jan., 1888
We WITHELM SCHMIDT and PAUL BRUNO SPIEGEL of Halle a/Saale in the
Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire Machine Manufacturers do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement that is
to say:
This Invention has for its object providing for an equal or regular distribution of
fertilizers over the soil by means of a machine constructed with an adjustable
discharge opening through which the fertilizer is caused to fall by means of
revolving blades arranged and operating as hereinafter described.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood we shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings shew the improved machine in side
and end elevation respectively and figure 3 is a plan of the same the wheels being
removed.
1
Figure represents the box or hopper of the machine with the lid or cover in the
open position shewing the internal stirrer according to two modifications the blades of
the stirrer on the left hand being plain whilst those on the right hand are indented or
toothed.
Figure illustrates another modification of the toothed blades wherein the teeth on
one side correspond with recesses or spaces between the teeth on the other side of the
stirrer.
Figures and 5" represent respectively side and end elevations partly in section of
a cylindrical valve hereinafter described.
Figure 6 represents the box or hopper in transverse section drawn to a larger
scale.
This Machine is provided with a box or hopper A for the reception of the fertilizer
this box being carried on an axle a and travelling on a pair of wheels b. The machine
is drawn by means of a pair of shafts d adjustably connected to the box A by means
of a slotted link C. Toothed gearing ef transmits motion from the travelling
wheels to two shafts g g' arranged in a line one with the other cach shaft being
capable of being thrown in or out of gear independently when required by means of
levers h .
The bottom of the box or hopper A is formed as shewn more clearly in figure 6 by

page_text: two angle irons k between the two inwardly projecting flanges of which there is
formed a long narrow opening of sufficient width to admit of the passage of the
largest quantity of fertilizer which the machine is constructed to deliver. This opening
can be partially or completely closed by means of a round bar or cylinder i acting as
a valve shown detached in figures 5 and 5º. A segment of this round bar or cylinder
is removed on one side thereof throughout its entire length except at certain points as
indicated at it. At these points the bar or cylinder is supported in suitable
bearings (figure 6) formed on the bars or plates forming the bottom of the
hopper A-The edges of the long narrow opening in the bottom of the hopper are
formed to fit closely against the rounded sides of the cylinder i as indicated in
Figure 6 and the said Cylinder is connected to a lever handle m by means of which it
can be adjusted at any desired angle so as to act as a valve and close more or loss of
the opening in the bottom of the hopper. Figure 6 shews the opening completely
closed and it is evident that any desired extent of opening can be provided by shifting
the lever handle m and securing it by suitable means in any position on a guide m¹
provided for that purpose as represented in Figure 2. When the lever m is in the
position indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2 the valve is open to its fullest
extent.
The shafts gg working in bearings in the ends of the box A are square and carry
four arms or blades arranged as indicated in figure 6. These blades are formed by
plates attached to the four sides of the square shaft and may have plain or straight
édges as indicated on the left hand in figure 4 or may be provided with teeth, arranged
either as indicated on the left hand in figure 4 or as in figure 4" in order to obtain a
more effectual stirring or agitation of the materials in the hopper.
The valve in the bottom of the hopper being suitably adjusted to close more or less
of the discharge opening according to the quantity of fertilizer to be distributed the
shafts are caused to rotate by the action of the travelling wheels when the
machine is in motion and the arms on the stirrer are caused to move in the direction
indicated by the arrows in figure 6. Owing to the tangential position or angle at
which the stirrer plates are attached to the shafts g g' the contents of the hopper and
not only prevented from caking or forming a hollow above the opening but are also
forced through the opening in the bottom of the hopper. The plates being set
tangentially or at an angle on the revolving shaft as indicated in the drawing
(figure 6) have a more powerful tendency to force the materials away from the
centre of rotation and through the discharge opening than blades arranged radially.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
First In a machine for distributing fertilizers the arrangement of a cylindrical
valve provided with recesses whereby the area of the opening in the bottom of the
hopper can he regulated or adjusted substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Second In a machine for distributing fertilizers and in combination with an
adjustable opening in the bottom of the hopper as herein before described and claimed
a revolving stirrer provided with blades set tangentially or at an angle whereby the
contents of the hopper are forced through the discharge opening the said blades being
provided either with plain or straight or with toothed or dentated edges all sub-
stantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of December 1887.