Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 20th May, 1898
MARTIN LUTHER ROUSE, 4, Westbourne Villas, Hove, Sussex, England, Barrister-
at-Law, and WOODFORD PILKINGTON, The Cottage, Brooklands, Blackheath Park,
London, England, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to he particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object improvements in the construction of seed-sowing
machinery whereby seed of all kinds may be sown in stated quantities and at
regulated intervals by hand power.
For this purpose we employ a single driving-wheel (D-W, Figs. 1 & 2) propelled
with handles (ha) that converge to a small wheel (W) in front; and on each side
of the driving-wheel we use apparatus constructed as follows.
A trunnion, or axle (T, Figs. 1 & 2), on which the wheel (D.W) revolves, is screwed
into a box-frame (b), open at top and bottom, which is supported at the opposite end
by another trunnion (T) fixed in the handle; and through the box-frame passes a
tubular structure (H, V, t), which is fixed in position as desired by one or by two
wing-nuts (-n) working on screw-clamps that pass through horizontal slots (s) in the
frame: or, less preferably, a simple axle may be substituted for the two trunnions
and the box-frame; and the tubular structure may be passed through any one of
several holes drilled in the axle.
The tubular structure has at least three parts, which we prefer to be separable-
namely, in downward order, a funnel, or hopper (H), for containing seed, a valve-box
(V-B, Figs. 7, 8, 9, & 10), for causing with its valve an alternate flow and suspen-
sion of seed, and a tube of even bore (t, Figs. 9 & 10), which at its lower end dips
between the wings of a coulter (t, Fig. 6) and deposits the seed in the ground. The
distance between the seed-furrows is regulated by the points at which the two seed-
depositing tubes are fixed in the box-frames. The valve-box, if separable, has a short
piece of tubing above and below to act as a coupling (C, C Fig. 7), the lower tube
aforesaid being fastened to it with a bayonet-catch (b-c, Fig. 9). The valve-
chamber enclosing the valve itself may have the form either of a parallelopiped or,
preferably, of a round cylinder (V-B-C Fig. 7): in either case, it has a square end with
a sliding door (8-d, Fig. 9) above and below, for removing or inserting the valve; and,
in either case also, it is completely open below, but closed in above save for a hole
(h, Fig. 7) in the centre that admits seed directly to the valve beneath, or it may be
left wholly open to suit certain seed as below.
The valve may be spherical or, preferably, cylindrical; and the axis of revolution
is placed vertically over the diameter parallel to it of the box, or valve-chamber, the
cross diameter of the box, or valve-chamber being made longer than that of the valve,
for the purpose hereinafter stated. The quantity of seed of whatever kind admitted
to the valve for each dropping can be regulated by making the top of the
valve-chamber removable and sliding in a fresh top furnished with a hole of requisite
size, or, as we prefer, by substituting complete combinations of box and valve having
severally the requisite sizes of hole in the top and of cup in the valve. In the former
case, the one valve will be so placed that in turning it just clears the edges of the

page_text: smallest hole in the one box; in the latter case, each valve will be placed so as just
to clear the edges of the hole in its own box.
By setting each valve eccentrically in its box or chamber and giving to the valve a
cross diameter as much shorter than the cross horizontal diameter of the valve
chamber as is found needful, we form spaces (8p, Fig. 7) on each side gradually
widening from the points of contact between the valve and the hole of supply in the
valve-chamber, and so enable the valve as it revolves to throw off at once any chip,
husk, awn, or other rubbish, that may be squeezed in at such a point, which would,
were the valve & its chamber close fitting and concentric, choke the action of the
valve or damage the seed.
Every valve has a cup or cups hollowed in its perimeter and dividing the same into
equal parts, the shape and size of these cups matching the shape and size of the
grains of seed required to be sown and the number needed to be dropped at every flow.
As the valve revolves, it alternately receives seed into a cup through the hole in the
box, or valve chamber, closes that hole, and drops seed down the lower tube, behind
the coulter, and into the ground, t, Fig. 6.
By means of staples or bolts, a cogged gear-ring (g-r, Figs. 1, 4, 5, & 11) is
fastened to the spokes on each side of the driving-wheel; while vertically over the
gear-ring there is placed a smaller cog-wheel (c-w, Figs. 1, 2, 4, & 5) working into it,
and having an axle, or spindle, in common with the valve (V, Figs. 2, 4, 7, & 10)
which it thereby causes to rotate by a projecting tongue (to, Fig. 10) whenever the
driving wheel is propelled, the spindle being supported next to the cog-wheel by
jaws (, Fig. 2) rising from the trunnion, and at the other end by bearings (b e) on a
bracket (br, Fig. 3) rising from the handle.
The distance between the portions of seed dropped at each flow is governed both by
this system of cog-wheels and by the divisions made in the perimeter of the valve.
Since the gear-ring makes the same number of revolutions as the driving-wheel, as
many times as the circumference or number of teeth of the lesser cog-wheel is
contained in the circumference or number of teeth of the gear-ring, so many times
will the lesser cog-wheel revolve while the driving-wheel is revolving once; and as
many divisions or cups as there are on the perimeter of the valve, so many times will
seed be dropped while the lesser cog-wheel is revolving once. The product of these
times is the total number of times that seed is dropped while the driving-wheel is
turning once; and the circumference of this wheel divided by the total number yields
the linear distance between the settings of the seed in the ground. Thus, if the gear-
ring contain 96 teeth and the lesser cog-wheel 12, while the valve has two cups, seed
will be dropped 2 x times 16 times, while the driving-wheel is revolving once:
and, if the driving-wheel have a diameter of 3 feet, its circumference will
be 3 x 3.1416 = 9.4248 feet; therefore the seed will be sown at 1 of this=58905 of
a foot, or 7.0686 inches, apart. By substituting other secondary cog-wheels having
fewer or more teeth and by inserting different valves with more or fewer cups, one
may set seed at longer or shorter intervals, according to desire.
==
The valve may be thrown out of gear by a key forming a tongue & handle that, can
be drawn back like a bolt in a slot or groove of the spindle after first fixing the valve
by a pin in a hole (h', Fig. 10) for this purpose.
The coulter is drawn forward & kept from dipping in front by a wire cord (w-c,
Figs. 1, 3, & 4) attached to the axle of the fore wheel. The coulter-wings in their
afterpart have screwed to them, at a short distance off, two metal plates which unitedly
we call a gatherer (g, Figs. 4 & 8) moving on the surface of the soil and converging
towards a roller in the extreme rear, the level of the gatherers & depth of coulter
being regulated by the screws: these plates draw together the soil collected within
by the coulter-wings, and, in conjunction with the roller, bury and roll the seed in.
Through the two slots of the box-frame is laid a bar (ba, Figs. 1, 4, & 11),
movable horizontally with the seed-depositing tube and having at its fore end an eye,
to which a wire cord (co, Fig. 4) is fastened descending to the coulter; and this cord
is passed around a system of pulleys fixed to the coulter and roller gearing and up to
a pulley on the handle, until it ends in a winch (w, Figs. 4 & 5,) with a pall &

page_text: ratchet-wheel, which, by hauling up the cord, keeps the coulter off the ground, when
the machine is travelling on a road or turning at the end of a furrow. The same
safeguard is effected with the seed-depositing tube by its being constructed to end at
least an inch from the base of the driving-wheel.
We also place trailing legs on each side (t- Fig. 2), to mark the track of the
machine, and to balance it when one is stopping to fill it with seed.
6
Drawing No. 1, Figure 1, shews a plan of the machine with a coulter on each side;
Figure 2, shews an elevation in front, with the box-frames having the tubes fixed in
them more or less apart :-the slots shewn in the box-frame on each side also serve to
carry the movable bar (ba) with an eye at one end and a pulley at the other, for
raising the coulter and its gearing.
Drawing No. 2, Figures 3, 4, 5 shew side elevations of the machine, with the
main driving-wheel and the front guide-wheel, to the axles of which latter the wire
cords (w-c) are attached for drawing the couiters.
Drawing No. 3, Figure 6, gives an enlarged plan of the coulter, gatherer, and roller;
Figures 7, 8, 9, & 10 shew sections of the valve and its box or chamber; Figure 9
shews an elevation of the valve-box, with the mode of fastening the lower sliding
door by a bolt through lugs & tube (b-t), and of coupling on the lower tube with
bayonet catch." Figure 11 shews a section and an elevation of the box-frames
with the manner of fixing the seed tubes in them.
In all the figures of these drawings the same letters stand for the same objects.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed we, declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The use of the revolving cylindrical or spherical valve for depositing seed of
different sizes, shapes, and quantities, and at different intervals apart.
2. The use of a valve box surrounding this valve eccentrically and touching it only,
if needful, with the edges of the orifice of supply.
3. The plan of a combined coulter, gatherer, and roller, and the manner of fixing
the depth of the seed furrow by changing the relative position of the coulter &
gatherer as set forth.
4. The manner of adjusting the funnels and tubes in position as set forth.
5. The winches and pulleys for raising and lowering the coulter and gatherer with
their gearing, so that the machine may better travel & turn at the ends of the tilled
lands.
6. The steadying, guiding, and hauling of the coulter with a cord stretched from the
projecting axle of a front wheel.
Dated this 25th der of Janu1000
MARTIN LUTHER ROUSE.
WOODFORD PILKINGTON.