IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE PREPARATION OF FERTILIZERS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernard Ackerman, of the City of New York, in
the County and State of New York, United States of America, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE PREPARATION OF
FERTILIZERS."
Sealed the 30th April 1875, and dated the 10th February 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernard Ackerman at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th February 1875.
I, BERNARD ACKERMAN, of the City of New York, in the County and
à State of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE PRE-
PARATION OF FERTILIZERS," to be as follows:-
I propose to prepare the stable manure in city stables by a cheap and
expiditious process of forming in bales by simple compression and
banding.
· The importance to the community of more economically utilizing the

page_text: cities has long been appreciated. Expensive processes of forming in
bricks have long been employed in countries where labor is cheap, and
analogous methods have been employed and patented in other countries,
but none have come into general use, and stable manure continues to be
treated in loose masses, offending the senses while losing much of its
value in its costly and disagreeable transportation.
I esteem the straw a valuable element, and make it available in aiding
to hold the mass together, serving as an absorbent for liquid portions,
and by its silicious qualities contributing to the value of the fertilizer.
I have discovered that after sufficiently powerful compression and tying :
with stout wires or analogous bands the bales of mingled manure and
straw dry rapidly upon the outside, while the densely compacted interior
maintains a fixed condition without tendency to heat, and the whole
mass may be transported and handled with greatly increased convenience
and without losing its ammonia or being more than slightly offensive. ]
The material may be pitched fresh from the stalls into the rectangular
box of the press, and baled with but little time or skill. The bales
maintain an approximately rectangular form with deep grooves formed
by the presence of the bands. These grooves allow a sufficient circula-
tion of the air after the bales are piled tightly upon a wagon or canal 2
boat.
In what I consider the best means for carrying out this Invention a
suitable press of strong but cheap construction stands on or below the
stable floor, and the bales are secured by bands of about No. 8 iron wire
with the ends engaged by hooks or other strong fastenings.
As the pressure of the press is relaxed after the bands are confined
the material naturally swells out in the endeavour to regain its former
bulk; this causes more or less deep grooves over each band.
I
.
The bale retains an approximately square form but with the sides
more or less swelled, and with as many grooves extending around as 3
there are bands on the bale.
The compression should be such that the finished bales occupy only
about one-fourth of the ordinary bulk of the material. They may be
stored near the press or at other convenient points in the stable, and
removed after longer or shorter intervals at convenience.
The same class of cheap labor may be employed as heretofore both in
the stable and in the transportation of the material, but by reason of
3

page_text: these improvements it can be transported with greater convenience and
economy.
The ordinary rough laborers in the stable have sufficient skill to
operate the press and to apply the bands.
The rapidity with which successive charges can be baled and com-
pactly stowed away with ordinary stable help makes it easy to prevent
nearly all the disengagement of ammonia which is so destructive to the
varnish of carriages.
The said Invention allows the ordinary dung pit to be dispensed with.
It avoids the necessity of the array of filthy carts ordinarily employed,
and the dropping and scattering of the material over the floors and side
walks. The removal may, if preferred, be performed in similar carts
and by the same men, but the whole operation may be conducted with-
out littering the ground or offending tho neighbourhood.
The area on which the fertilizers from cities may be economically
spread is by my Invention very greatly enlarged, my mode of preparing
it being free from the objections which have prevented the introduction
of other modes of compacting manures.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
-
filed by the said Bernard Ackerman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BERNARD
ACKERMAN, of the City of New York, in the County and State of New
York, United States of America, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Bernard Ackerman, Her special
licence that I, the said Bernard Ackerman, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Bernard Ackerman,
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

page_text: 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
RELATING TO THE PREPARATION OF FERTILIZERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Bernard Ackerman, my executors or admini-
strators, 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 Bernard Ackerman, 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 :-
I propose to prepare the stable manure in city stables by a cheap and
expeditious process of forming in bales by simple compression and
banding.
The importance to the community of more economically utilizing the
immense amount of fertilizing principles wasted, or nearly wasted, in
cities has long been appreciated. Expensive processes of forming in
bricks have long been employed in countries where labor is cheap, and
analogous methods have been employed and patented in other countries,
but none have come into general use, and stable manure continues to be
treated in loose masses, offending the senses while losing much of its
value in its costly and disagreeable transportation.
I esteem the straw a valuable element, and make it available in
aiding to hold the mass together, serving as an absorbent for liquid
portions, and by its silicious qualities. contributing to the value of the
fertilizer. I have discovered that after sufficiently powerful compression
and tying with stout wires or analogous bands the bales of mingled.
manure and straw dry rapidly upon the outside, while the densely
compacted interior maintains a fixed condition without tendency to
heat, and the whole mass may be transported and handled with greatly
increased convenience and without losing its ammonia or being more than
slightly offensive. The material may be pitched fresh from the stalls.
into the rectangular box of the press, and baled without requiring but:

page_text: little time or skill. The bales maintain an approximately rectangular
form with deep grooves formed by the presence of the bands. These
grooves allow a sufficient circulation of the air after the bales are piled
tightly upon a wagon or canal boat.
In what I consider the best means of carrying out the Invention a
suitable press of strong but cheap construction stands on or below the
stable floor, and the bales are secured by bands of about No. 8 iron wire
with the ends engaged by hooks or other strong fastening.
The accompanying Drawing forms a part of this Specification, referring
to which A represents the excrementary matter or manure proper
B is the straw or litter; and C, the confining bands.
As the pressure of the press is relaxed after the bands are confined:
the material naturally swells out in the endeavour to regain its former
bulk; this causes more or less deep grooves over each band, as indicated
by a.
5
The bale retains an approximately squared form, but with the sides
more or less swelled, and with as many grooves a extending around as
there are bands C on the bale.
The compression should be such that the finished bales occupy.only
about one-fourth of the ordinary bulk of the material. They may be
stored near the press or at other convenient points in the stable, and
removed after longer or shorter intervals at convenience.
The same class of cheap labor may be employed as heretofore both in
the stable and in the transportation of the material, but by reason of the
3 improvement it can be transported with greater convenience and
economy.
The ordinary rough laborers in the stable have sufficient skill to
operate the press and to apply the bands.
The rapidity with which successive charges can be baled and com-
pactly stowed away with ordinary stable help makes it easy to prevent
nearly all the disengagement of ammonia which is so destructive to the
varnish of carriages.
The Invention allows the ordinary dung pit to be dispensed with.
It avoids the necessity of the array of filthy carts ordinarily employed

page_text: and the dropping and scattering of the material over the floors and side
walks. The removal may, if preferred, be performed in similar carts and
by the same men, but the whole operation may be conducted without
littering the ground or offending the neighbourhood.
.
The area on which the fertilizers from cities may be economically
spread is by my Invention very greatly enlarged, my mode of preparing
it being free.from the objections which have prevented the introduction
of other modes of compacting manures.
:
Having thus described my Invention, and the manure of carrying the
same into practice, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
the within described banded manure, composed of the excrementary
matter A and straw or litter B, confined in an approximately rectangular
form by the bands C so as to present the ventilating grooves a, as and
for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bernard Ackerman, have hereunto 1
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witnesses,
JNO. ZABRISKIE.
Wч. C. DEY.
BERNARD ACKERMAN. (L.S.)