IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING LIQUID MANURE
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Russ, of Romford, in the County of
Essex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
DISTRIBUTING LIQUID MANURE."
Sealed the 4th July 1865, and dated the 12th January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Russ at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th January 1865.
I, WILLIAM Russ, of Romford, in the County of Essex, Gentleman; do.
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS-
FOR DISTRIBUTING LIQUID MANURE," to be as follows:-
This improved apparatus consists of a carriage frame mounted on running
wheels, and with means for attaching a draught horse to either end for the
purpose of moving the apparatus to and fro over the land desired to be treated
with liquid, manure. On this carriage frame a drum is mounted, its axis
being parallel with the axles of the running wheels. This drum is supported
by trunnions, one of which is made hollow; the drum is intended to receive
a coil of hose pipe, one end of which is secured to the drum, and communi-
cates with the hollow trunnion, leaving the outer end thereof open, while the
other end of the hose pipe is attached temporarily to a stand pipe or other

page_text: source whence the liquid manure is obtained. Beside the drum is mounted
a box, which terminates in a shute, the extremity of which overlies a long
transverse distributing pipe, similar to the pipes applied to water carts. This
pipe is supported by brackets on the carriage frame, and is intended to dis-
tribute over a broad surface the liquid manure which passes through the coil
of hose pipe, and is discharged through the hollow trunnion into the box and
shute before mentioned. To permit of this the liquid manure must be sup-
plied to the hose at a pressure, which may be obtained in any suitable way
according to the locality or nature of the source of supply. Rotary motion is
transmitted to the drum from one of the running wheels, and it is thus
caused to take up the hose from or deliver it on to the ground according to the
direction in which the implement is traversed. In the liquid manure box
a screen is fitted to retain any extraneous matters and prevent the clogging of
the distributing pipe.
In order to adapt this apparatus to varying circumstances a box is affixed
to the frame for holding pulverized manure, and an endless band of cups is
used for carrying up a regulated quantity of this manure and discharging it
into the liquid manure box. By this means the quality of the liquid manure
used may be modified as desired, or any available water may on accasion be
used in lieu thereof, the fertilizing element being introduced from the dry
manure box.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Russ in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
Russ, of Romford, in the County of Essex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Russ, Her special licence that I, the said William Russ,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Russ, 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

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
DISTRIBUTING LIQUID MANURE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Russ, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 William Russ, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the distribution of liquid manure
over pasture and other lands, whether such liquid manure be derived from
sewage works or produced by the admixture of guano or other fertilizing
substance with water in the act of distributing the same as it is continuously
supplied to the apparatus.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn the improved apparatus in
elevation at Figures 1 and 2, Fig. 1 being a view of one side of the appa-
ratus, partly in section, and Fig. 2, a similar view of the opposite side thereof.
Fig. 3, is a partial plan view, shewing the mode of attaching the shafts for
the draft horse, so as to admit of their position being reversed when the appa-
ratus has arrived at the end of a field.
A, A, is a rectangular frame mounted on a pair of running wheels B.
Affixed to the spokes of each wheel, and concentric with their bosses, is a
ring B', with a plain or it may be a cogged periphery. These rings B¹ are
intended to carry a drum C, round which is coiled a length of hose D for con-
ducting the liquid manure or water to the distributing pipe. On the ends of
this drum are rings C¹ concentric with the periphery of the drum. These
rings bear upon the rings B¹, and they are plain or cogged to correspond
thereto, the object being to produce sufficient friction of contact between
these surfaces to ensure the rotation of the drum when the wheels B are set
in motion. In order to allow of a draught horse drawing the apparatus back-
wards and forwards without the apparatus being required to be turned, I
secure the shafts E to the frame A by means of a fulcrum pin E set in the
middle of the length of one of the side bars of the frame, and I make the
shafts fast in position by means of a bolt E³, which I apply to either end of
the transverse bar of the shafts (as the case may be) dropping it through a

page_text: bolt hole in the end or cross bar of the framing A. The axis of the drum C
is parallel with the axle of the running wheels, and besides being supported
by the rings, as above stated, it is fitted with trunnions, which pass through
side standards A¹. One of these trunnions is made hollow, and it is connected
with the inner extremity of the coil of hose pipe D, which is laid evenly
around the drum. The other end of the hose pipe is attached temporarily to
a stand pipe or other source whence the liquid manure or water is obtained.
Beside the drum is mounted a hopper or box F, with which the hollow
trunnion is brought into connection, as shewn at Fig. 2; from the bottom of
this hopper F depends a pipe G, which leads down to a long transverse
distributing pipe H, similar to the pipes applied to water carts. This pipe is
jointed to the pendent pipe, and it is supported by adjustable arms I pendent
from the carriage frame; the distributing pipe is intended to discharge the
liquid manure which passes through the coil of hose pipe, and through the
hollow trunnion into the box F, and down the pendent pipe, as before men-
tioned. To permit of this the liquid manure must be supplied to the hose at
a pressure which may be obtained in any suitable way according to the
locality or nature of the source of supply. Rotary motion is transmitted to
the drum from the running wheels as the apparatus approaches or recedes
from the source of supply, and it is thus caused to take up the hose from or
deliver it on to the ground according to the direction in which the implement
is traversed, maintaining throughout its connection with a stand pipe or other
stationary delivery pipe. In the liquid manure box a screen is fitted to
retain any extraneous matters, and prevent the clogging of the distributing pipe.
In order to adapt this apparatus to varying circumstances, a box K is
affixed to the frame for holding pulverized guano or other dry manure. In
this box is mounted a pulley L, round which passes an endless band M, fitted
with cups for carrying up a regulated quantity of manure and discharging it
into the hopper F. A similar but smaller pulley is mounted in the hopper
F to receive the cup band; this band is driven by straps from driving pulleys
on the drum axle. Two straps N and N¹ (see Fig. 2) are used for this
purpose (the latter being crossed) in order to permit of the cup band being
driven in the proper direction for delivering manure into the hopper, what-
ever may be the direction of rotation of the drum. Fast and loose pulleys will
necessarily be required for throwing these straps alternately into and out of
action. By the use of the manure box and cup band not only may the
quality of the liquid manure used be modified as desired, but any available
water may on occasion be used in lieu thereof, the fertilizing element being
introduced from the dry manure box.

page_text: The distributing pipe may be made to extend over any given width of land
according to the delivering capacity of the apparatus, but in general I prefer
to give it a length equal to about three times the width of the framing of
the apparatus.
5 Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of improved apparatus
for distributing liquid manure, and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim, the construction and arrangement of appa-
ratus, as above described, for distributing liquid manure.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Russ, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred.and sixty-five.
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lane.
WILLIAM RUSS. (L.S.)