IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING LAND
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Churchman Darby, of Pleshey Lodge, near
Chelmsford, in the County of Essex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING LAND."
Sealed the 26th June 1877, and dated the 4th January 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Churchman Darby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th January 1877.
THOMAS CHURCHMAN DARBY, of Pleshey Lodge, near Chelmsford, in the County
of Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING LAND."
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for cultivating land.
For this purpose I construct a steam or power engine of a convenient width for
travelling on public ways and for passing through gateways, and also form such
engine so that when acting as motive power for ploughing, digging, rolling, reaping,
or other agricultural operation it may be caused to move sideways over the land in
order that it may cultivate or perform any agricultural operation over a broad
space of land at each traverse of the implement.
When I arrange the implement to perform the operation of digging I mount a
series of spade or fork-like tools along one of its sides. The steam engine boiler I
employ is similar to an ordinary agricultural engine boiler with a fire box at its
rear end, and I prolong the frame of the implement in rear of the fire box in order
to be enabled to have a number of digging implements not only in front but also
in rear of the fire box, so that a long row of digging tools may be used.
When the implement is to be set to work to dig, the wheels upon which it was
mounted when travelling over roadways are removed, and the implement is then
left supported upon rollers ranged longitudinally of the implement; by preference,
I employ three rollers, one at one side of the implement, opposite the fire box, the
other two on the opposite side of the implement, one in front, and the other in rear
of the fire box.
To cause the implement to travel over the land I give a slow revolving motion

page_text: to these two rollers by means of worms, to which motion is transmitted preferably
from the axis which transmits motion to the driving pair of road wheels, so that
one arrangement of driving gear may be used for propelling the implement both
when travelling on roadways or when moving over the land. The third roller has
steering gear connected with it, so that it may be inclined in either direction to
guide the implement when moving over the land.
Projecting from the rollers are circular discs or knives; these are carried at
intervals apart upon the rollers corresponding to the distance between the digging
tools, so that as the implement travels over the land the knives cut the land into
strips of equal width, and each of such separate strips is afterwards acted upon by
one of the digging tools; the digging tools are, as before stated, ranged in a row
along the side which now forms the rear of the implement.
Each spade or fork is carried at the lower end of a stem, which, at its upper end,
passes through a socket which is capable of oscillating; the stems just above each
spade or fork are attached to the lower ends of connecting rods; the upper ends of
these rods are coupled to cranks on a crank axis which passes from end to end of
the machine; by preference I employ one connecting rod for every two spades or
forks.
Each connecting rod at a suitable distance from its upper end is attached to a
fulcrum carried by links from the framing of the machine. By this means the rod
is not only free to be raised and lowered by the cranks but also by reason of its
oscillating upon its fulcrum it causes the spades or forks to detach and lift the load
of earth in rear of them, and as the spades or forks rise it brings them towards a
horizontal position. Upon the upper end of each stem are projections, which, as
the stems are moved towards a horizontal position, strike against stops, and the
stems are thereby caused to make a half turn and deposit their loads, bottom
upwards. Two stops may be provided for each stem so as to be able to turn over
the spades or forks in either direction, and either of these stops can be put into or
out of action, according as it is desired, to turn the earth in one direction or the
other.
1
The improvements above described in digging apparatus may be used not only
with implements propelled sidewise over the land, as herein-before described, but
also with implements travelling end foremost as heretofore.
When the steam implements is used for rolling land or for reaping the circular
discs or knives upon the rollers are not required.