Improved Means for Use in Forcing and Protecting Seeds and Plants.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Mar., 1889
Improved Means for Use in Forcing and Protecting Seeds and Plants.
I, GEORGE WELLER BUTT of Trafalgar Lane, Glo'ster Road, Brighton, in the
County of Sussex, Timber Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improved means which are adapted to be readily transported
and set up for temporarily protecting or forcing seeds or plants.
According to my said invention 1 provide a number of supports, preferably of metal,
which at their extremities are pointed to enable them to be forced into the ground,
the portion of the supports above the ground being of approximately the same shape
as the roof of a house and forming what I term raiters.
Each of these rafters is provided with hooks for carrying sheets of glass. The
said hooks can be of such length that they will prevent pieces of glass laid upon
the rafters from being lifted by the wind. Or short hooks may be formed at the
top and bottom of each rafter.
In some cases each rafter may be formed with two or more hooks placed one
above another so as to receive a corresponding number of sheets of glass.
I sometimes modify the construction before described by using a support having
a central upright which is forced into the ground, and which, at a point corre-
sponding with the level of the ground, is provided with arms hooked at their ends
to support the lower edges of the glass plates. The upper end of the said
upright is bent so as to form a double hook for retaining the glass plates in
place. Or, instead of employing the double hook, I can employ a pivoted catch.
The hooked arms also for supporting the lower edges of the plate can be dispensed
with, the said edges being placed directly upon the ground.
Dated the 18th day of Tring 1888
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Use in Forcing and Protecting Seeds and Plants.
I, GEORGE WELLER BUTT, of Trafalgar Lane, Glo'ster Road, Brighton, in the
County of Sussex, Timber Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improved means which are adapted to be readily trans-
ported and set up for temporarily protecting or forcing seeds or plants.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it
can be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 are end elevations of various forms of my improved means
for use in forcing and protecting seeds and plants.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are edge views of Figures 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
Figure 8 is a longitudinal elevation of the structure of which Figure 4 is an end
view.
Similar letters in all the Figures indicate similar or corresponding parts.
I will first describe my invention by reference to Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6.
I provide a number of supports, preferably of metal, which, at their extremities a, a,
are pointed to enable them to be forced into the ground, the portion b, 6 of the
supports above the ground being, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, of approximately
the same shape as the roof of a house and forming what I term rafters.
Each of these rafters is provided with hooks c, c for carrying sheets of glass
indicated by dotted lines at d, d. The said hooks can, as shown in Figure 1, be of
such length that they will prevent the pieces of glass d laid upon the rafters from
being lifted by the wind. Or, as shown in Figure 2, short hooks c, e may be formed
at the top and bottom of each rafter.
One of the rafters of each support is made longer than the other so as to allow
the top edges of the sheets of glass to overlap without it being necessary to employ
sheets of different sizes.
The sheets of glass d for covering in the ends are retained in position by hooks e at the
top of the support the bottom edges of the said sheets resting on the ground as shown.
Or they may rest on hooks which could be provided to receive the lower edges of
the glass.
It will be evident that any number of supports can be used so as to form a structure
of any required length and that if more than two supports be employed the ends of
the sheets of glass would overlap one another. Also that the hooks e would not be
required on the intermediate supports but only on the end ones.
In practice
however I find it preferable to form all the supports with the hooks e as they are
then all uniform and can consequently be used with greater facility.
In some cases, as will be well understood without illustration, each rafter may be
formed with two or more hooks placed one above another so as to receive a corre-
sponding number of sheets of glass.

page_text: As illustrated in Figure 3 I sometimes modify the construction before described by
using a support consisting of a central upright the lower part a of which is forced
into the ground and which upright, at a point corresponding with the level of the
ground is provided with arms b, 6 hooked at their ends as shown at c, c to support the
lower edges of the glass plates d. The upper end of the said upright is bent so as to
form a double hook e for retaining the glass plates d in place. Or instead of employ-
ing the double hook c I can employ a pivotted catch.
The hooked arms b, b also for supporting the lower edges of the plates of glass can
be dispensed with, the said edges being placed directly upon the ground.
The supports shewn in Figures 4 and 8 are similar to those herein before described
with reference to Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6, with the exception that provision is made for
receiving side plates d', d¹ of glass beneath the plates & covering the rafters b, additional
hooks being provided for that purpose as well as additional hooks e' e¹ for holding the
bottom edges of the end plates. This modified construction is more particularly applic-
able for more spacious and lofty structures. Figure 8 illustrates an end support and
two intermediate supports with the plates of glass shown in dotted lines placed in
position and overlapping one another.
Instead of forming the supports with prongs for entering the ground 1 can obviously
form the basis of the supports or H shaped so as to enable them to stand on the
surface of the ground.
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) The use for forcing and protecting seeds and plants of independant supports each
provided with suitable means for maintaining it in a vertical position the said supports
being shaped to receive and hold sheets of glass substantially in the manner herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(2) The improved means for use in forcing and protecting seeds and plants, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 8th day of February.1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London.
Agents for the Applicant.