A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR BREAKING UP OR CULTIVATING LAND
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Israel Morris, of Essington, near Wolverhampton,
in the County of Stafford, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR BREAKING UP OR CULTIVATING LAND."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Israel Morris at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
March 1862.
I, ISRAEL MORRIS, of Essington, near Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR BREAKING UP OR CULTIVATING LAND," to be as follows:-
. My Invention consists of a machine constructed as herein-after described, by
the action of which machine a series of forks or prongs having an advancing
horizontal motion are made to enter the land to the depth of several inches,
and afterwards rise therefrom, the said forks or prongs performing a nearly
circular motion in a vertical plane. The said machine is constructed in the
following manner :-At the back of a steam locomotive engine a horizontal
shaft is supported, to which a rapid rotatory motion is given by the motion of
the engine of the locomotive. The said shaft is at right angles to the path of
the engine. A series of excentrics are fixed on the said shaft, and to the

page_text: under side of clips encircling the said excentrics the forks or series of prongs
A vertical rod is fixed to the top of each of the clips of the
excentrics, and each of the said rods is jointed to a horizontal guide rod
turning upon a joint at the back of the engine. By the rotation of the shaft
carrying the excentrics the forks or prongs, are made to perform a nearly
circular motion in a vertical plane. This motion, combined with the advancing
motion of the locomotive causes the forks or prongs to enter. the land, per-
forming a nearly semicircular motion therein, and rising therefrom to re-enter
it a short distance in advance of the point at which they last entered it. The
excentrics are so arranged on the shaft as to make the forks or prongs enter
the ground in succession, and thereby to equalize the resistance. The prongs
are of a curved figure. Although I prefer to carry my Invention into effect
by the use of steam power, as described, yet my new or improved machine
may be worked by horse power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Israel Morris in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISRAEL
MORRIS, of Essington, near Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Israel Morris, Her special licence that I, the said Israel
Morris, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Israel Morris, 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, use, 'exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland; the Channel Islands; and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A
NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR BREAKING UP OR CULTIVATING LAND," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Israel Morris, 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 Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause

page_text: the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Israel Morris, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention; and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:
My Invention consists of a machine constructed as herein-after described,
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, by the action of which machine
a series of forks or prongs, having an advancing horizontal motion, are made
to enter the land to the depth of several inches, and afterwards rise therefrom,
the said forks or prongs, performing a nearly circular motion in a vertical
plane.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents, in side elevation, my
new or improved machine for breaking up or cultivating land attached to the
back of a steam locomotive engine, by which locomotive engine the said
machine is actuated; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same; and Figure 3
is a plan of the same. The same letters indicate the same parts in the said
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
The said machine is constructed in the following manner:-At the back of
the steam locomotive engine a a cranked horizontal shaft 6 is supported, the
said shaft b working in bearings on the framing c, the said cranked shaft b.
having a rapid rotatory motion communicated to it in the manner herein-after
explained. The said shaft b has four cranks d, e, f, g, situated at right angles
to each other, to each of which cranks vertical rods h, h, are connected. The
connection of the rods h, h, to the cranks d, e, f, g, is effected by means of the
clips i, k, in which the said cranks work; the parts i of the clips being fixed
on the said vertical rods h, h, and the parts k being moveable and screwed to
the said parts i. To the bottom of each of the said vertical rods h, h, a fork
or a series of prongs marked 1, 1, are connected. The said forks or prongs.
have a curved figure. The upper end of each of the vertical rods h, h, is
connected to a guide rod m, which said guide rods m turn upon the horizontal
.axis n.
The said axis n is supported by the uprights o fixed to the framing c.
By the rotation of the cranked shaft 6 the forks or prongs are made to
perform a nearly circular motion in a vertical plane. This motion, combined
with the advancing motion of the locomotive, causes the said forks or prongs
to enter the land performing nearly a semicircular motion therein, and rising
therefrom to re-enter it a short distance in advance of the point at which they
last entered it. By the arrangement of the cranks d, e, f, g, the forks or
prongs connected therewith through the rods h, h, enter the ground in

page_text: succession, and thereby equalize the resistance. The respective positions of
the said cranks' and forks or prongs will be readily understood by an examina-
tion of Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
Motion is transmitted from the locomotive engine a to the cranked shaft b
and to the front driving wheels p; q, of the locomotive in the following
manner: On one end of the cranked shaft 6 is a pulley r. A bands from a
pulley on the driving shaft of the locomotive engine passes over the said
pulley r, and communicates a rapid rotatory motion to the cranked shaft b.
On the cranked shaft ba pinion t is situated, which gears with the toothed
wheel u, and the motion of the toothed wheel u is transmitted through the
toothed pinion von its axis to the toothed wheel w fixed to the axis of the
wheel p of the pair of driving wheels p, q, the said driving wheels p, q, turning
on the axle x fixed at y, y, to the locomotive. The advancing motion of the
locomotive is thereby effected. The driving wheels p, q, are hollow, the
toothed wheel w in the interior of the wheel p being concealed in Figure 2.
The frame c carrying the parts of the cultivating machine is capable of being
raised and lowered, so as to allow the forks or prongs 1, 1, to enter the soil to
the proper depth, and also to permit the cultivator being thrown out of action
when required. The end of the said frame c nearest the locomotive is
supported upon the fixed axle x of the driving wheels p, q, by a series of
straps 2, 2, passed around the said axle, and fastened to the under side of the
frame by the nuts 3, 3, as best seen in Figure 1: By means of the said
straps 2, 2, the end of the frame c can turn upon the fixed axle x as a centre,
and be placed at the required inclination. The free end of the frame c is
supported by a chain or by chains 4, 4, passing from the said end over a roller 5
turning in uprights on the back of the locomotive a. On one end of the said
roller 5 a worm-wheel 6 is situated, which gears with a worm 7 on the end of
the rod or axis 8 at right angles thereto. The rod or axis 8 is placed within
reach of the attendant, and by turning the 'said rod 8 the roller 5 can be
turned in one or other direction, and the chain or chains 4, 4, wound upon or
unwound from the said roller. By this means the frame c can either be
raised or lowered, so as to permit the forks or prongs 1 to enter the soil to the
required depth, or be raised sufficiently high to lift the forks or
the surface of the soil.
prongs above
Six scuffles, marked 10, 10, in Figure 3, may be placed at the front of the
prongs or forks l, so as to loosen the soil before it is acted upon by the said
forks or prongs l.
Although I prefer to carry my Invention into effect by the use of steam
power, as described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, yet my new

page_text: or improved machine may be worked by horse power. In this case I attach
the cultivating machine to the back of a carriage or vehicle drawn by horse
power, and actuate the cranked axle 6 from, the wheels of the said carriage or
vehicle. by means of a train of wheels, or in any other convenient way.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings, as the same may be varied without departing.
from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention a new or
improved machine for breaking up or cultivating land, the parts of which are
combined or arranged and worked essentially in the manner herein-before
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Israel Morris, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
ISRAEL MORRIS. (L.S.)