AN IMPROVED AGRI- CULTURAL IMPLEMENT FOR HOEING AND CLEANING THE LAND AND FOR CUTTING AND SETTING OUT THE PLANTS OF ROOT CROPS AT CERTAIN DISTANCES FROM EACH OTHER
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John William Branford, Merchant, of March, in
the County of Cambridge, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED AGRI-
CULTURAL IMPLEMENT FOR HOEING AND CLEANING THE LAND AND FOR
CUTTING AND SETTING OUT THE PLANTS OF ROOT CROPS AT CERTAIN DISTANCES
FROM EACH OTHER."
Sealed the 9th February 1864, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chan-
cellor and dated the 30th July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John William Branford,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th July 1863.
I, JOHN WILLIAM BRANFORD, Merchant, of March, in the County of
Cambridge, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IM-
PROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT FOR HOEING AND CLEANING THE LAND
AND FOR CUTTING OR SETTING OUT THE PLANTS OF ROOT CROPS AT CERTAIN
DISTANCES FROM EACH OTHER," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to an implement with two travelling wheels to be
drawn by one horse having a bar fixed to the frame upon which are placed
hoes or knives for cutting the land in a longitudinal direction, an iron axle or
shaft upon which are placed two driving wheels turning two pinions upon two
shafts carrying two plates or discs upon which hoes or knives are placed for
cutting the land in a transverse direction for setting out the plants, a lover for

page_text: striking the gear and lifting the hoes out of work, a small iron wheel to pre-
.vent the hoes from going too deep into the ground, and a suitable frame for
carrying the mechanism and shafts to which the horse is attached for drawing
the implement.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said John William
Branford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JoпN
WILLIAM BRANFORD, Merchant, of March, in the County of Cambridge, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her hoirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John William Branford, Her special licence that I, the said John
William Branford, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John William Branford, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT FOR HOEING AND CLEANING THE
LAND AND FOR CUTTING OR SETTING OUT THE PLANTS OF ROOT CROPS AT CERTAIN
DISTANCES FROM EACH OTHER," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John William Branford, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office on or before the Tenth day of
February One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John William Branford, do hereby
declare the nature of my said 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:-
By this Invention it is intended to construct and introduce for agricultural
purposes a new and improved implement for performing the twofold operation

page_text: of hoeing between drills and other rows of grain and root crops or ridges in a
longitudinal direction, and cutting or setting out the plants along the drill
rows or ridges at equal distances, or boeing and cleaning the land between
them in a transverse direction.
This implement, which is mounted upon travelling wheels, and fitted with a
pole or shafts, and intended to be propelled by horse or other power, consists
of a tipping skeleton frame, sets of trailing or rotating hoes fixed to and
adjustable upon a bar or bars for cutting or hooing longitudinally, and sets of
rotating hoes fixed to and adjustable upon suitable discs, plates, or radiating arms
for cutting or hoeing or cleaning transversely, are so attached and fitted, that
either the longitudinal or transverse hoes may be in operation separately and
continuously, or both simultaneously or alternately.
The rotating hoes are geared to and actuated by the travelling wheels,
coupling levers, and other suitable mechanism, being fitted thereto for
coupling and uncoupling and regulating the action of the hoes, and for raising
and holding them clear of the ground as and when required. The travelling
wheels are mounted upon a telescopic and expanding and contracting axle, so
that their distance apart can be regulated to the varying width of the furrows
or otherwise, as desired.
Having thus stated the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now
proceed to describe more particularly the form and mode of constructing the
said new and improved implement, and further explain its practical operation,
reference being made to the accompanying Drawing.
.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig-1 is a sectional side elevation of the said implement with the near
travelling wheel and part of the skeleton frame removed; Fig. 2 is a plan, and
shews the entire implement; Fig. 3 is a back view thereof with the trailing
hoes removed; Figs. 4 and 5 shew enlargements of the rotatating hoes, and
their mode of fixing and adjustment. The same letters of reference are
repeated in all the Figs. where the same parts of the implement are in view,
so that the following explanation applies to each Fig. where the index letter
appears:-
a, the skeleton frame; 6, the travelling wheels upon which the implement
is mounted; c, the expanding axles; d, a cylinder or tube in which the axles
slide; c', a set screw by which the axles are fixed therein as the gauge of
the wheels is increased or diminished; e, toothed wheels which turn with the
axle, slide thereon into and out of gear with and give motion to the rotating
hoes;
pinions through which the notion is transmitted. The wheels e and f

page_text: are thrown into and out of gear by the lever e¹ and clutch f; g, shafts sup-
ported in the bearings 9' and 9*, and carrying the pinions f at one end and
the rotating hoe, discs, or plates at the other. A number of the wheels c and
pinions may be used, and the shafts g may be cranked and connected, and all
worked by one of the wheels c. i, bars or shanks terminating in the hoe
blades or cutters j, and sliding in and out of the disc grcoves 1, and fixed as
required by the screws k (see enlargements Figs. 4 and 5 more particularly.)|
As the implement is propelled these hoes rotate, and cut or set out the plants
in the drills or upon the ridges at equal distances or hoe between them. The
blades are set a little out of the square so as to compensate for the advance of
the hoe as the implement moves forward during the operation. The number
of the discs and the number of the hoes will be regulated according to the
width of the drills, the number of the rows in the width of the machine, and
the distance apart the plants are to be cut or set out. By these adjusting
shanks the hoes can be set to cut into the ground at a greater or less depth,
while this mode of fixing admits of their being readily taken off entirely for
their being repaired or changed for others of different sizes when necessary.
2 is a lever hinged to the pole or shaft frame at m, and which tips the hoe
frame at o downwards, and thereby raises the rotating transverse hoe clear of
the ground. This lever, which is made of sufficient length to reach over
the handles of the trailing hoes, works in a notched or vertical rack or between
guide bars at ', and is held in position in the notches by the pin passing
through any one of the holes 1, 1, 1, &c. p, the pole or shaft of the machine
centred upon the hoe frame at q by knuckle joints; r, smaller hook knuckle
joints by which the trailing hoe bar is connected with the frame. This bar
can be set square across the drills or at an angle so as to diminish the width;
the bars will cut without altering the hoes singly, which may also be done, as
herein-after explained. 8, the side frames; t, the adjusting bar upon which
the hoes are fixed and adjusted at any width or depth, the form of these hoes
which I prefer to use is shewn detached; vis the shank or stalk, and v¹ the
blade. I make these stalks round in order that they may be turned about in
the sockets upon the bar, so that although the hoc blade is, say, 12 inches
long, and when set square across the drill space will cut or hoe that width;
when set at an angle the same hoe will cut other and less widths, and thereby
adapt itself to various widths of drills. u, the handles of this hoe, by which
the attendant following it can regulate it with one hand, and by the lever l
also regulate the depth and action of the transverse hoes with the other, the
knuckle joints admitting of a lateral as well as a lifting motion, and thus
giving not only perfect control over the whole of the implement, but enabling

page_text: it to be steered carefully along any irregularities in the drills or rows both
laterally and vertically.
In some cases, instead of using the trailing boe, I fit a rotating hoc to take
its place; these rotating longitudinal hoes are fitted upon discs similar to
those before described, placed side by side or upon bars, and operate by a
rotating motion; this kind of hoe is shewn at Fig. 6 and 6. The transverse
hoe discs, when fitted with suitably-formed blades or dibbers, may be used for
setting out potatoe and other crops, and to some extent operate as a drill for
such crops, tubes, or seed holders, being fitted thereto with deliverers opening
and closing alternately as the discs rotate. The trailing hoes when not
required are detached, or in other cases the transverse bar may be thrown out
of gear, and the trailing hoes only be used.
Ilaving thus described and ascertained the nature and object of my said
Invention, and illustrated the same by the accompanying Drawings, I hereby
further declare that I do not absolutely restrict myself to the precise forms and
modes of using the different parts of the said machine, as the same may be
variously modified in practice.
In witness whereof, I, the said John William Branford, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
J. W. BRANFORD. (L.S.)
J. W. BRANFORD. (L.S.)