CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GILLETT, of Brailes, near Shipston-on-Stour, in the County of Warwick,
Agricultural Implement Maker, 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 Seventeenth day of April, in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Gillett, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Gillett, my exors, adññors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said John Gillett, my exors, adññors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
John Gillett, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, parti-
cularly to 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 Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Gillett, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and:

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is simultaneously with the act of ploughing to
break up the track made by the horses, and thereby to prevent the impressions
made by their hoofs. from harbouring water beneath the soil which is turned
over by the breast or turn-furrow as the plough follows the beaten track of
the horses. To prevent the inconvenience arising from the retention of water
immediately below the surface of the soil, whereby the productiveness of
growing crops is seriously interfered with, I. propose to employ a forward
share, which, being set at the ridge side of the plough in the line of the track
of the horses, or at a little distance to the right of the ordinary ploughshare,
and adjusted so as to cut the earth at a line. a little. below the imprint of the
horses hoofs, will lighten the subsoil, and leave it in a fit state to receive the
slice of earth which is thrown upon it by.the breast or turn-furrow.of the plough.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents in. side elevation, a single-
breasted plough, with my Invention applied thereto; and. Fig. 2. is a plan view
of the same. To the ridge side of the plough beam. a a bracket..frame b is
secured by means of clamps,..bolts, and screws in the usual way of. making such
attachments, and in this frame. a socket is formed for receiving, a stem.ic, which
is capable of being adjusted to any required height., Through. the lower. end
of the,stem ca pin d passes, and keyed to that.pin is the forward share, shewn
ate, Fig. 1. The pin d is capable of receiving an axial motion,, and..of
imparting that motion to the share e, as indicated by the dotted lines in. Fig..1 ;
but the share is prevented from. moving backwards in an opposite direction out
of the position in which it is drawn by reason of a shoulder on, the, stem.c,
bearing against the back of the share. when the share is in a position for
working. To the same pin da crank lever f is.keyed, and a connection
is made between, the lower arm of the crank lever and the share e, which will
ensure the simultaneous movement of both the crank and the share. n. The
upper arm of the crank lever is connected by a rod 9 to a lever h, having as its
fulcrum a pin on the side of the plough frame. The object of this arrange-
ment of levers is to admit of the share being raised out of the ground, when
the plough has arrived at the end of the furrow, so that it may, form no
obstacle to the turning of the plough. This the ploughman is enable to effect
by drawing back the hand lever h to the dotted position of Fig. 1, which will
cause the crank lever to rock with its fulcrum pin, and lift the share into the
dotted position of the same Figure.

page_text: A modified arrangement for obtaining a similar result to that just described
is shewn at Fig. 3, which shews a partial elevation of a plough fitted according
to this Invention. In this instance the stem and share are formed in one
piece, as at a, and the socketted frame b, which carries the share, is hinged to a
clamp c, by which it is secured to the plough beam; d is a check piece
attached to the plough beam, and intended to prevent the depression of the
frame below a given line. An arm projects upwards from the frame b, and
to it a rod e is attached, which leads to the hand lever, as before explained.
When therefore the plough has reached the end of a furrow, the plough will,
by drawing back that lever, raise the frame b on its centre of motion, and
thereby lift the share out of contact with the soil.
Having now described my Invention of Improvements in Ploughs, I wish
it to be understood, that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,―
First, the application to turn-furrow ploughs of a forward share for the
purpose above set forth; and,
Secondly, the modes herein described of mounting the share to admit of
its being raised clear of the ground when required.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gillett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand night hundred and fifty to