IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN TRAINING OR GROWING HOPS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT
PATENT to Edwin Farmar, of Tenbury, in the County of
Worcester, Farmer and Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN TRAINING OR GROWING HOPS."
Sealed the 16th November 1866, and dated the 5th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Farmar at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th June 1866.
1, EDWIN FARMAR, of Tenbury, in the County of Worcester, Farmer and
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN TRAINING OR GROWING HOPS," to be
as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after explained in
apparatus to be used in training or growing hops in place of the hop poles
ordinarily employed.
In constructing or arranging apparatus according to my Invention for the
training or growing of hops erect at each end of each row of hops u
strong pole somewhat similar to the ordinary telegraph poles, which said poles
are supported firmly by stays. At the top of each pole is a horizontal cross

page_text: piece. From the ends of the cross piece of one pole to the ends of the
cross piece of the other pole two horizontal wires situated parallel and in the
same horizontal plane are stretched and secured, and near the bottom of each
pole is a third stretched wire extending from pole to pole. To these three
horizontal wires other and nearly vertical wires are joined, the lower end of
each vertical wire being joined to the lower horizontal wire, and the upper
ends of the said vertical wires being joined alternately to one or other of the
two upper horizontal wires. The wires thus stretched and fixed are well
suited to train or grow hops upon. Instead of one pole at the end of
each row of hops with a cross piece at top two poles may be employed at
each end, and the upper horizontal wires stretched between the tops of
the poles at either end of the row instead of between the cross pieces
described.
I do not limit myself to the particular arrangement of wires described,
the essence of my Invention consisting in arranging vertical or nearly
vertical wires between horizontal wires supported by poles for the training or
growing of hops.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edwin Farmar in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
FARMAR, of Tenbury, in the County of Worcester, Farmer and Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edwin Farmar, Her special licence that I, the said Edwin
Farmar, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Edwin Farmar, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN TRAINING OR GROWING Hops,
upon the condition (amongst others). that I, the said Edwin Farmar, my

page_text: 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 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 Edwin Farmar, do bereby 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 the improvements herein-after explained in
apparatus to be used in training or growing hops in place of the hop poles
ordinarily employed.
In constructing or arranging apparatus according to my Invention for the
training or growing of hops I erect at each end of each row of hops a strong
pole somewhat similar to the ordinary telegraph poles, which said poles are
supported firmly by stays. At the top of each pole is a horizontal cross piece.
From the ends of the cross piece of one pole to the ends of the cross piece of
the other pole two horizontal wires situated parallel and in the same horizontal
plane are stretched and secured, and near the bottom of each pole is a third
stretched wire extending from pole to pole. To these three horizontal wires
other and nearly vertical wires are joined, the lower end of each vertical wire
being joined to the lower horizontal wire, and the upper ends of the said
vertical wires being joined alternately to one or other of the two upper hori-
zontal wires. The wires thus stretched and fixed are well suited to train or
grow hops upon. Instead of one pole at the end of each row of hops with a
cross piece at top two poles may be employed at each end, and the upper hori-
zontal wires stretched between the tops of the poles at either end of the row
instead of between the cross pieces described.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 illustrates a portion of a bop field, the apparatus for training
or growing the hops being constructed according to one of the arrangements
of my Invention.
a, a, a, are strong poles somewhat similar to ordinary telegraph poles
erected at each end of each row of hops; these poles are supported firmly by
the stays b. At the top of each of the poles a is a horizontal cross piece c.
From the ends of the cross piece c of each of the poles a to the ends of the

page_text: cross piece of the other pole at the opposite end of the field two horizontal
and parallel wires d, e, are stretched and secured in the ordinary way of
stretching and securing wires for telegraph and other similar purposes. Near
the bottom of each pole is a third stretched wire marked f extending from
pole to pole. To the three horizontal wires d, e, f, nearly vertical wires g, h,
are joined. The lower ends of the said vertical wires g, h. are joined to the
lower horizontal wire f, and the upper ends of the said wires g, h, are joined
alternately to the one or other of the two upper horizontal wires d, e, as
illustrated in the Drawing, that is to say, the upper ends of the vertical wires
marked 9 are joined to the horizontal wire d, while the upper ends of the
wires marked h are joined to the horizontal wire c. By the arrangement of
the horizontal and vertical wires described and represented a permanent
skeleton or framework of stretched wires describing a series of wedge-shaped
figures is formed, which framework of wires is well suited to train or grow
hops upon.
The hop plant is situated underneath the bottom horizontal
wire f, and between each pair of nearly vertical wires g, h, and the manner in
which the hop plants grow or are trained upon the wedge-shaped framework
of wires is illustrated in the Drawing.
Figure 2 represents the arrangement of my Invention, in which two poles
are placed at each end of each row of hops to carry the upper stretched
horizontal wires instead of a cross piece at the top of each pole, as in the
first described arrangement. k, l, are the two poles situated at each end of
each row of hops. The said poles are inclined to one another, and are firmly
supported by the stays m. The top ends of the pair of poles k, l, are sepa-
rated from each other the distance required for the upper horizontal wires d, e.
The said upper horizontal wires d, e, are stretched between the tops of the
poles k, l, at either end of the hop field in the manner represented, the nearly
vertical wires g, h, being stretched between the lower horizontal wire f, and
the upper horizontal wires d, e, in the manner described with respect to
Figure 1.
Although I prefer to arrange the vertical and horizontal wires in the
manner described and represented, which I have found to answer well in
practice, yet other arrangements of horizontal and vertical wires may be
employed without departing from the nature of my Invention.
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 claim as
my Invention, the improvements in apparatus to be used in training or
growing hops herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, arranging vertical or nearly vertical wires between

page_text: horizontal wires supported by poles substantially in the manner described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Farmar, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
THOMAS COOKE,
The Bank,
Nr. Tenbury,
Worcestershire.
EDWIN FARMAR. (L.B.)