Improvements relating to Spraying Machines for Agricultural and Horticultural Purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Jan., 1899-Accepted. 18th Feb.. 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Spraying Machines for Agricultural and
Horticultural Purposes.
I, WILLIAM HIGGINS, of Corbally, Ballydooley, in the County of Roscommon,
Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;
-
My invention relates to machines for spraying strawsonite and other chemical
substances over crops, plants and trees, such as those machines known as knap-
sack spraying machines.
It has been found in practice that in such machines as now made the chemical
substances are liable to sink to the bottom of the water in the apparatus so that
a quantity of such substances is ejected unmixed with the water.
Now, my invention has for its object to remedy this defect and for this purpose
J provide the apparatus with an agitator adapted to be worked by the person using
the apparatus by means of suitable lever mechanism which can be also arranged
to simultaneously control the air-valve of the apparatus.
With this arrangement it will be obvious that the same strength of solution is
always sprayed from the apparatus owing to the action of the agitator which
prevents the strawsonite or other substance collecting at the bottom of the
apparatus.
The apparatus is advantageously provided with what I term a deposit chamber
from which a tube leads up into the main chamber. The object of this deposit
chamber is chiefly to enable any of the substance to be forced by the air pressure
into the main chamber which may become deposited before the agitators have
been set in motion, that is to say whilst the apparatus had been out of use, the
said chamber also enabling the solution to be kept more uniformly and efficiently
mixed.
Dated the 3rd day of September 1898
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements relating to Spraying Machines for Agricultural and
Horticultural Purposes.
I, WILLIAM HIGGINS, of Corbally, Ballydooley, in the County of Roscommon,
Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
[Price 8d.1

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My invention relates to machines for spraying strawsonite and other chemical
substances over crops, plants and trees, such as those machines known as knap-
sack spraying machines.
It has been found in practice that in such machines as now made the chemical
substances are liable to sink to the bottom of the water in the apparatus so that
a quantity of such substances is ejected unmixed with the water.
Now, my invention has for its object to remedy this defect and for this purpose
I provide the apparatus with an agitator adapted to be worked by the person using
the apparatus by means of suitable lever mechanism which can be also arranged
to simultaneously control the air-valve or pump of the apparatus.
With this arrangement it will be obvious that the same strength of solution is
always sprayed from the apparatus owing to the action of the agitator which
prevents the strawsonite or other substance collecting at the bottom of the
apparatus.
The apparatus is advantageously provided with an arrangement from which a
tube leads up into the main chamber. for enabling any of the substance, which
may become deposited before the agitators have been set in motion, that is to
say, whilst the apparatus had been out of use, to be discharged back to the main
chamber instead of through the nozzle, the said arrangement also enabling the
solution to be kept more uniformly and efficiently mixed.
To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a knapsack spraying machine having my
improvements applied thereto;
Figure 2 is a vertical section; and,
Figure 3 a plan thereof.
a is the can or container of the apparatus, b is the filling opening thereof, the
said opening being closed by a lid b₁ and being provided with a strainer 62 for
straining the strawsonite or other liquid introduced into the can a and adapted
to be sprayed on to the crops, plants or the like. c is the air chamber provided
within the can a for giving a continuous spray and d is the pump which is fitted
to the lower part of the air chamber c, the said pump having a flexible piston (
adapted to be operated by the piston rod d2 and crank-shaft d³, the latter being
oscillated through the medium of the handle e fixed upon its outer end; the pump
barrel is connected with the air chamber c by a non-return valve c¹ and with
the container a by a similar valve f. All these parts are of ordinary construction.
g, g are two paddles or agitators which are pivotally suspended to a transverse
rod g and are provided at one end with eyes g² with which engage pins / upon
the lower ends of vertical rods passing up through the top of the can a and
each connected by a pin and slot to one end of a lever i; the two levers i, i
are hinged to a transverse rod and are connected at their outer ends to connect-
ing rods, the lower end of each of which is connected to a crank-disc rotated
by a bevel pinion . The two bevel pinions are operated from the handle e
through the medium of the bevel wheel having upon its boss a pinion e adapted
to be operated by a toothed sector e' secured to the handle e. This bevel and
crank gear is supported upon a bracket j rivetted or otherwise secured to the can a.
kis the pipe leading from the air chamber c. -This pipe is provided with two
branches, and is fitted with a three-way cock . The branch is furnished 5
with a rubber pipe terminating in a nozzle of ordinary construction and the
branch passes upwards and opens, as illustrated at 14, into the upper part of the
can a.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-Assuming the strawsonite or
other chemical substance with the water to have been introduced through the 5
opening b into the can a and the apparatus strapped upon the back of the user
in the ordinary manner, the three-way cock 13 is turned so that the branch
.
4

page_text: is placed in communication with the air chamber c, the lever e is reciprocated so
as to oscillate the crank-shaft d³ thereby pumping liquid from the can a through
the valve f into the pump cylinder d, hence through the valve c¹ into the chamber c
and finally out through the pipe and branch to be sprayed on to the crops,
plants, and the like in the ordinary manner. The operation of the lever e, how-
ever, also agitates or mixes up the liquid by means of the paddles or mixers g
through the medium, as above described, of the toothed sector e¹, pinion es, bevel
wheel e, bevel pinion *, crank-discs 2, connecting rods, levers i and rods h¹ so
that the chemical substance is prevented from settling at the bottom of the
apparatus and from being ejected through the nozzle of the apparatus in a condition
practically unmixed with water.
Should, however, such a deposit take place by reason of the apparatus being
left unused for some time, the contents of the can can be well mixed before being
sprayed out by turning the cock so that the branch 12 is placed in communication
with the air chamber c, whereby, on operating the lever e in the usual way, the
pump forces the deposited substance up through the said branch 13 and into the
top of the can a thereby thoroughly mixing the contents before they are ejected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;-
1. In spraying machines of the kind described for agricultural and horticul-
tural purposes, the combination with the can containing the material to be
sprayed of a mixing or agitating device, substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In spraying machines of the kind described for agricultural and horticul-
tural purposes, the employment of a tube connecting the air chamber with the
upper part of the can containing the material to be sprayed, substantially as, and
for the purpose, hereinbefore described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved spraying
machine for agricultural and horticultural purposes, hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated thie 14th day of Jonu 1800
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.