IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR TILLING AND DRAINING. LAND
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MORRIS, of No. 6, Thanet Place, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-third day of June (One thousand eight hundred and
forty-five), in the ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Morris, my exors, admors,
and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said William Morris, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Morris, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of years therein expressed, 'should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR TILLING AND
DRAINING. LAND;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said William Morris, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, to particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent, as in and by the same, reference being had thereunto, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Morris, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried into practical
effect, to be as the same are described and set forth in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the illustrative Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon respectively; that
is to say
My Invention of Improvements in the Apparatus and Machinery for Tilling
and Draining Land, has reference, firstly, to a new and peculiar mechanical
combination and arrangement of parts constituting improvements in the
machine or agricultural implements of the class known and distinguished as
ploughs, whereby the operation of ploughing or turning up land for agricultural
purposes, and more particularly that description of ploughing termed subsoil
ploughing, is rendered more effective and less laborious than by the use of the
machines or implements as hitherto constructed and employed for that purpose,
as herein-after particularly described, set forth, and represented by the Drawings
hereunto annexed; secondly, my Invention of improvements before mentioned
has reference to apparatus to be used in the formation of trenches for draining
land, and consists in a new and peculiar mechanical combination and arrange-
ment of parts, constituting a machine or agricultural implement for that
purpose, whereby the operation is rendered more effective, more expeditious,
and less expensive than by the means hitherto employed to effect the same, as
herein-after particularly described, set forth, and represented by the Drawings
.hereunto annexed; and, thirdly, in the apparatus to be used after such said
trenches have been formed, and in the means to be employed for forming a
continuous covered drain or conduit for the passage of water, whereby the use
of drain tiles hitherto employed is entirely dispensed with, and the expense of
forming drains in the subsoil is thereby rendered less expensive and less
laborious than by the means hitherto employed for that purpose; and I would
here remark, that this applies particularly to clay land. And, in order to
explain my Invention as completely as possible, I will proceed to describe the
principles of construction, and mechanical combinations and arrangements of
parts, which I consider well calculated for carrying out my said Invention, and
which I have found to answer well in practice.

page_text: view thereof at A (Figure 1). Figure 4 is an edge. view of the coulters
hereafter referred to, shewing the angles of inclination thereof when placed in
the framing. Figure 5 is a top plan of one of the mould boards and: socks,
herein-after referred to. Figure 6 is a top plan view of a portion of the
plough, with the mould board and sock removed, exposing the "sole," or that
part to which the sock is to be attached. The Figure 7 is a diagram
illustrative of the principle of arrangement of the mould boards hereafter
referred to. Similar letters of reference are placed upon and denote corre-
sponding parts, in so far as such parts can be seen or appear in each of the
Figures respectively.
At the Drawing No. 2, the Figure 7* exhibits a side elevation of an
instrument, which I call a mould or superseder, the use of which is hereafter
fully explained. Figure 8 is an end elevation thereof. Figure 9 is a side
elevation. Figure 10 is an end view, and Figure 11 a top plan view, of an
inclined plane or piece, the use of which is hereafter fully explained.
Figure 12 exhibits the mould or superseder and inclined plane, as they would
appear when in use and in the ground. Figure 13 is an end view thereof.
Figure 14 represents a transverse section of a drain as it would appear when
finished. Figure 15 is a top plan view thereof. Figure 16 is a view of one
of the parts hereafter referred to. Similar letters of reference are placed upon
and denote corresponding parts, in so far as such parts can be seen or appear
in each of the Figures respectively.
At the Drawing No. 1, A, A, marks an upright framing, to the lower part of
which a piece B, B, which I call the sole, is firmly attached by bolts and nuts,
or in any other convenient manner. This sole has holes formed therein, as
shewn at Figure (6) for connecting thereto a piece C, which I call the sock,
as also the mould board C*, C, at its lower end, the upper part of the said
mould board being supported by a piece D, attached to the framing A, as
shewn at Figure 6. E, E, marks a fixed coulter attached to the framing A, A,
at the points 1, 2. E, F, marks an adjustable coulter, the upper part of which
passes through a hole formed in the framing. This coulter may be retained in
the required position by a tightening screw G, as shewn at Figures (1), (2), (4).
H marks a stay rod for supporting the lower part of the coulter. I, I, mark
handles connected to the upper part of the framing for directing the course of
the plough. K marks a guide plate, the upper part of which passes through
a slot or opening formed in the framing A, such guide plate having holes a, a,
formed therein, through which a pin or bolt passes, as also through the framing
for adjusting it therein at any required height from the surface of the ground.
D marks a drag iron, or that part to which the power is to be applied for

page_text: actuating the plough. M, M, mark holes for adjusting the said drag iron to
the required height.
"
The operations of this machine are as follow:-Power being applied at
the point L, will cause the coulters E and F to score, cut through, or divide
the ground in an upward direction, and the sock which follows. will cut
through or divide the ground in a horizontal direction, and the earth or
ground so divided will be forced up and along the inclined plane or mould
board C*, C*, until it arrives at the termination or nearly so of the curved
part thereof, when it will fall by its own gravity and be deposited on one side
of the trench or opening so formed. And I would here remark, that the angle
of inclination which the upper surface of the sole should make with the under
surface thereof, will require to be varied to suit the variations in the nature
and quality of the soil or ground to be operated upon, as. also the amount of
power employed to work the plough, and the depth of cut or distance which
the sock is 'below the surface of the ground; for instance, when working
in heavy land or stiff loamy soil, the angle of the upper: surface of the sole
should be more acute than when working in a light. loose soil; and I have
found in practice, that this variation of the angle of the upper surface of the
sole is most favorable for general purposes when ranging between thirty and
forty-five degrees of inclination, and this applies also to the mould board.
Thus it will appear evident, that by causing the earth thus loosened. to be
raised from off the surface of the ground, it will be more effectually turned
over, and its impurities will be more exposed to the action of the weather than
by the means hitherto employed for that purpose, thereby effecting a great
improvement in this branch of agriculture.
Having now described the nature of this part of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed and carried into practical effect, I wish
it to be distinctly understood that I do not claim the exclusive use of any of the
separate parts above mentioned and referred to, except. in so far as the same
may be employed in combination and for the purposes of my said Invention;
which I hereby declare to consist in, and I claim, the. modes of arrangement,
'principles of construction, and general combinations of parts herein-before
particularly described, set forth, and represented by the Drawings hereunto
'annexed, whereby the loosened ground or earth is raised from off the surface of
the unloosened portion thereof, as constituting improvements in the apparatus
or machinery known and distinguished as ploughs for "tilling land," and more
particularly calculated for subsoil ploughing, as above mentioned...
My Invention of improvements in the apparatus. or machinery for draining
land consists, firstly, in, the :application of the plough lastly mentioned, when

page_text: arranged, combined, and actuated in 'the manner herein-after particularly
described, set forth, and represented at the Figure 7 of the Drawing No. 1,
and at the several Figures of the Drawing No. 2, hereunto annexed, at which
Drawing similar letters of reference are placed upon and denote corresponding
parts, in so far as such parts appear or can be seen in each of the Figures
respectively. The Figure 7 of Drawing No. 1 exhibits a diagram, illustrative
of the principle of arrangement of the mould boards, and of the socks in
connection therewith, which is as follows:-Suppose it is required to form a
trench thirty inches deep by about eighteen inches wide at the top and five
inches wide at the bottom. The inclination of the coulters should be formed in
accordance with such angle of inclination of the sides of the trench, as also the
width of the socks employed; and as it would be unnecessary at the commence
ment of the operation to raise the loosened earth higher than was necessary to
effect the depositing of it on one side of the trench in the course of formation, I
construct the mould board C³, employed to remove the first quantity of earth,
so that the highest part or end B' thereof clears the surface of the ground
about 3 or 4 inches when the plough is in work; and I employ a sock of
corresponding width to the required width of the top of the trench to be
formed; and I connect this sock and mould board to the sole of the plough
and the framing A, A, in a precisely similar manner to that shewn at the
Figures 1 and 6 of this Drawing. I then adjust the moveable coulter F
(shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), to the width of the sock, and having gone
the entire length of the drain to be formed and removed about seven and a half
inches of earth in depth, more or less, according to the nature and quality of
the soil and the amount of power employed, I then substitute another sock
and mould board C'in the place of the first-mentioned one, which sock is
somewhat less in width according to the required inclination of the sides of
the trench and depth of earth removed; and the part B₁ of this mould board
should clear the surface of the ground as in the former one; and having
adjusted the coulter F to the width of the sock, and removed another quantity
of earth of the entire length of the drain to be formed, I substitute another
sock and mould board C³ in the place of the last-mentioned one; this mould
board clearing the surface of the ground as before mentioned; and this I repeat,
according to the depth of the trench required to be formed; and having gone the
full extent of the-depth required, I remove the plough and insert an apparatus,
which I call a mould or superseder, the construction of which is represented at
Figures (7) and (8), where A², A², marks a hollow wooden box or superseder
of about nine feet in length, more or less, and of the figure or shape shewn;
the siles of such box being formed at the same-angle of inclination or nearly

page_text: so to that of the sides of the trench; and I cover the top and outer surface B³
of the said box with thin sheet metal, zinc by preference, as being more
durable than iron; and at the under side of the said box I arrange or dispose
wheels C, C², at distances of about three feet asunder, more or less, such said
wheels being mounted upon suitable axles attached to the under side of the box
as shewn.. And having first placed at the bottom of the trench the inclined
plane or piece of wood D³, the construction of which is shewn at Figures
9, 10, 11, I place the mould A thereon, the wheels C³ resting in grooves a¹, b',
formed in the direction of the length of the said piece, as shewn. I then
insert into the ground at each side of the said mould, at distances of about
twelve to eighteen inches asunder, taper pieces of wood or metal E' of the
shape shewn at Figure 16; and I then fill in with the earth or surface soil
removed to form the trench, the space F, F, above the top of the mould or
superseder to within about two or three inches of the top of the trench, and
ram it down hard; after which I withdraw the pieces E' and fill up the
openings G³ thus formed, as also the upper part of the trench, with burnt sand,
ashes, or other porous matter, and this I cover with the earth or surface soil
removed to form the trench. It will now be necessary to withdraw the mould
or superseder A³, A', which it will appear evident can be readily done by
having the said mould placed upon the inclined plane D³, a very slight move-
ment of the mould bringing it out of contact with the top or crown of the
drain thus formed; and this mode of operating I repeat until the entire length
of the trench is covered in; and for finishing the drain I employ moulds or
superseders of from one to three feet in length, as may be found necessary.
Now the rain descending on the surface soil H³ filters through it and deposits
its carbonic and ammoniacal manure in F³. The filtered rain descends by
F, G, to the drain through burnt clay, ashes, or other porous matter, and
falling into the drain passes off to the river or other outlet. Thus, this system
of drainage presents a free course for rain to deposit its manure in the soil,
and afterwards to pass off through the subsoil, thereby preparing the surface
soil to receive a fresh quantity of alkaline and carbonic manure, whence the
improvement in this mode of draining land.
Having now described the nature of this part of my said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed and carried into practical effect, I wish it
to be distinctly understood that I do not claim the exclusive use of any of the
separate parts above mentioned and referred to, except in so far as the same
may be employed in combination and for the purposes of my said Invention,
which I hereby declare to consist in, and I claim, the machinery and apparatus
lastly above mentioned for the purposes of this Invention in the manner

page_text: herein-before particularly described, set forth, and represented by the Drawings
hereunto annexed, as constituting improvements in the apparatus and ma-
chinery for draining land, whereby the use of drain tiles, hitherto employed for
that purpose, is entirely dispensed with.
And such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used in that part of Her said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her said Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Guernsey,
Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my Specification of the
same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specification doth comply in all
respects, fully and with reserve or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent contained. Wherefore I hereby claim
to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morris, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
WILLIAM (L.s.) MORRIS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid William Morris came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.