IMPROVED APPARATUSES FOR PLANTING GRAIN AND SEEDS, DEPOSITING MANURE, AND FOR PERFORMING OPERA- A
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Pierre Joseph Meeus, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUSES FOR
PLANTING GRAIN AND SEEDS, DEPOSITING MANURE, AND FOR PERFORMING OPERA-
A communication
MYANS CONNECTED THEDALT
Sealed the 1st August 1854, and dated the 9th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Pierre Joseph Meeus
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th February 1854.
I, PIERRE JOSEPH MEEUS, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUSES FOR
PLANTING GRAIN AND SEEDS, DEPOSITING MANURE, AND FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS
CONNECTED THEREWITH," communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad, to
be as follows:
This Invention consists of a series of apparatuses for planting or sowing at
a simultaneous operation in the midst of an appropriate manure, all kinds of
grain and seeds in tufts or masses quadrangularly at regular intervals, for
covering over the deposited seeds, for weeding, for dressing a second time, and
for earthing up the growing plants in longitudinal and transverse lines.
The apparatus consists of two distinct parts, which must, however, of
necessity, be employed in conjunction. These are a wheelbarrow or carriage,
which serves to work the preparing and other instruments herein-after men-
tioned, and a planting apparatus.
The wheelbarrow or carriage, Figure 1, is constructed of wood and iron. It

page_text: is employed when the ground is prepared to receive the seed, and after the
sowing for working the several detached parts herein-after mentioned. It is
furnished with two wooden handles, which are fixed within reach of the
workman by means of two screws. The side frames of the carriage are
supported on a wheel by means of a bolt passing through its centre, and they
are connected together by transverse bars, to which are fitted the different
parts necessary for performing the successive operations of culture. An iron
bar with a swivel hook is fixed to the fore part of the carriage to enable the
horse by which it is drawn to be attached to it. A, A, are two holes in which
is fitted the furrow raker, Figure 2. B, B, C, C, and E are apertures for
attaching the teeth, the knives, and the rollers, Figures 3, 4, and 6. D is an
opening in which the weeding knife, Figure 5, and the jointed share, Figure 7,
are placed. By enlarging the dimensions of the carriage, several rows can be
operated on at the same time.
The furrow maker, Figure 2, is composed of wood and iron. It is fixed to
the carriage at the points A, A, by means of screws, and is employed for
marking the furrows and spots where the sowing or planting is to be performed.
It is constructed of a long wooden bar, protected by longitudinal strips of iron
on its upper and under side, to which are fixed iron teeth which mark several
lines or furrows at a time. The teeth are moveable on hinges, with stops to
prevent their moving too far, and are weighted according to the amount of
pressure they are required to exert. They are brazed or welded on to sockets
which are fixed to the wooden bar by means of screws at any required distance
apart.
The teeth, Figure 3, are composed of iron, and are fixed to the carriage by
means of screws at B or B¹. Their use is successively to cover the deposited
seeds with earth, and to go over the ground a second time during the springing
up of the young plants.
The rollers, Figure 4, are composed of iron, and are fixed to the carriage
by means of screws at or C. They are furnished with an iron scraper for
removing the earth which may have adhered to them. Their use is to heap
up the earth raised by the teeth, so as to cover the seeds and manure.
The weeding knife, Figure 5, is composed of iron. It is fitted to the
carriage at D, its object being to weed the land over which it is driven.
The bent weeding knives, Figure 6, are placed at opposite sides of the bar
E, also for the purpose of weeding.
The jointed share, Figure 7, is fitted to the carriage at D, for earthing up
the plants, or for covering over some kinds of seeds. The hinder moveable
parts can be fixed in any required position.

page_text: The dibble or planter, Figure 8, is employed to spread over the ground at
determined intervals simultaneously, and in any required quantity, the seeds
and manure without bringing them in contact with each other. This instru-
ment consists of a cylinder, divided interiorly into two compartments of unequal
size and of a nearly conical form, the smaller of which A contains the seeds,
and the larger one A¹ the pulverulent manure. It has a wooden handle B
fixed to the cylinder by means of a screw in any required position at the con-
venience of the workman. A bar of iron C, at the extremity of which is a
wooden handle, serves to guide the slides D and D', which are employed to
permit and intercept alternately the passage of the seed and manure, their
movement being governed by the bar C. There is also a series of rings E, by
which the quantities of grain are measured out and placed in the tube F,
which is fixed to the cylinder on the side A, while there is another tube G fixed
at the side A', for the manure. The tube F terminates in an enlarged mouth-
piece, and receives from the cylinder A the seeds, which it deposits on the
ground in the centre of the manure. A horn-shaped funnel H is bent round
the tube F, receiving its supply from the tube G, and spreading it circularly
on the ground.
The roller, Figure 9, may be used in place of the rollers attached to the
carriage for heaping up the earth. This roller runs in a separate carriage,
which is furnished in front with two teeth to cover over the grain.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Pierre Joseph Meeus in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
JOSEPH MEEUS, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Pierre Joseph Meeus, Her special licence that I, the said Pierre
Joseph Meeus, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Pierre Joseph Meeus, 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 "IMPROVED

page_text: APPARATUSES FOR PLANTING GRAIN AND SEEDS, DEPOSITING MANURE, AND FOR
PERFORMING OPERATIONS CONNECTED THEREWITH," (communicated to me by a
foreigner residing abroad,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Pierre Joseph Meeus, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Pierre Joseph Meeus, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:
This Invention consists of a series of apparatus for planting or sowing at a
simultaneous operation, in the midst of an appropriate manure, all kinds of
grain and seeds in tufts or masses quadrangularly at regular intervals, for
covering over the deposited seeds, for weeding, for dressing a second time,
and for earthing up the growing plants in longitudinal and transverse lines.
The apparatus consists of several parts or divisions, which must, however, of
necessity be employed in conjunction. The more prominent parts are, first, a
wheelbarrow or carriage which serves to work the preparing and other instru-
ments herein-after mentioned; and second, a planting apparatus.
The wheelbarrow or carriage, Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings annexed, is
constructed of wood and iron. It is employed when the ground is prepared
to receive the seed, and after the sowing for working the several detached
parts herein-after mentioned. It is furnished with two wooden handles b, b,
which are fixed so as to be under the command of the workman by means of
two nuts c, c. The side frames a, a, of the carriage are supported on a wheel
d, by means of a bolt passing through its centre, and they are connected
together by transverse bars e, e, to which are fitted the different parts necessary
for performing the successive operations of culture. An iron bar with a swivel
hook is fixed to the fore part of the carriage to enable the horse by which it is
drawn to be attached to it. f. f, are two screw clamps to receive the arms to
which the furrow maker, Figure 3, is attached. g, g, and h, h, are screw
clamps for attaching the teeth, Figures 4 and 5, the rollers, Figure 6, and the
knives, Figure 8; and i is another screw clamp to receive the weeding knife,
Figure 7, and the jointed share, Figure 9. By enlarging the dimensions of the
carriage several rows can be operated on at the same time.
The furrow maker, Figure 3, is composed of wood and iron. It is fixed to

page_text: a couple of arms fitted to the carriage at the points f, f, by means of screws
h, h, and is employed for marking the furrows and spots where the sowing or
planting is to be performed. It is constructed of a long wooden bar a, pro-
tected by longitudinal strips of iron on its upper and under sides, to which are
fixed iron teeth b, b, which mark several lines or furrows at a time; the teeth
are moveable on hinges c, c, with stops d, d, to prevent their moving too far,
and are weighted according to the amount of pressure they are required to
exert by means of the moveable weights c, e. They are brazed or welded on
to sockets f, f, which are fixed to the wooden bar by means of screws g, g, at
any required distance apart.
The teeth, Figures 4 and 5, are composed of iron, and are fixed to the
carriage by means of the screw clamps at g, g. Their use is successively to
cover the deposited seeds with earth, and to go over the ground a second time
during the springing up of the young plants.
The rollers, Figure 6, are composed of iron, and are fixed to the carriage
by means of screws at h, h. They are each furnished with an iron scraper n, for
removing the earth which may have adhered to them. Their use is to heap
up the earth raised by the teeth, so as to cover the seeds and manure.
The weeding knife, Figure 7, is composed of iron; it is fitted to the
carriage at i, its object being to weed the land over which it is driven.
the
The bent weeding knives, Figure 8, are fitted in the clamps ff; also for
purpose of weeding.
The jointed share, Figure 9, is fitted to the carriage at i, for earthing up the
plants, or for covering over some kinds of seeds. The hinder moveable parts
can be fixed in any required position, so as to throw up more or less earth as
may be required.
The digging punch, Figures 10 and 11. This instrument is employed in
cultivation on a small scale; it serves to dig the ground to the required depth,
and to cover over the seed deposited therein. It is of iron, and is composed
of a hollow spindle a, which carries the two rods b, b, which are each furnished
with a wooden handle c, c. These rods are connected to the spindle a, by
means of the hinge joints d, d, on which they are free to turn when set in
motion by the handles c, c; they are also connected to the bars e, e, which are
hinged to the spindle a at f, f, and are forked at their lower extremities, and
carry the semi-elliptic blades g, g. These blades approach or recede from each
other according to the amount of motion given to the handles c, c. An arched
plate of iron h, supported by the bar i, occupies the space between the blades f,f.
A screw serves to regulate the position of the plate h, and consequently
ensures the digging of the earth to the required depth.

page_text: The dibble or planter, Figures 12, 13, and 14, is employed to distribute
over the ground simultaneously at determined intervals, and in any required
quantity, the seeds and manure, without bringing them in contact with each
other. This instrument consists of a cylinder a, divided interiorly into two
compartments b, c, of unequal size, and of a nearly conical or funnel-shaped
form, the smaller one of which, b, contains the seeds, and the larger one, c, the
pulverulent manure; d is an iron rod which is fixed on the cylinder, and furnished
at its extremity with a handle e. This rod d moves on an axis f. and is divided
at its lower end into two branches g, h, which actuate the plates k, k, l, l, by a
horizontal to and fro movement, the plates k, l, sliding in the tubes m, n, which
form the terminations of the two compartments of the cylinder. The plates k, l,
may be worked by other arrangements than that described. The tube m is
fixed to the cylinder while the tube n is moveable, and is fixed when in use by
means of the rings o and screws p at the lower part of the compartment b.
The tube n may be replaced at pleasure by other tubes of different dimensions,
according to the quantity of seed required to be delivered. The sliding plates
k, l, are cach perforated with a hole, and are disposed so as to allow and in-
tercept alternately the passage of the manure and the seeds, at the same time
measuring out a regulated quantity of manure and seeds, and depositing them
both at once. 9 is a tube terminated by an enlarged mouth piece which forms
a continuation of the tube n, and spreads out the seeds at the centre of the
manure; r is a funnel which surrounds the tube q, and receives the end of the
tube m, and spreads the manure in a circle round the seeds; s is an iron bow
piece surmounted by a handle which serves to hold and carry the planter. The
tube n and the plates k, l, may be in some cases advantageously replaced by
seed boxes, having delivery rings of different dimensions so as to regulate the
delivery as may be required.
The seed boxes are shewn in Figures 15 to 22 inclusive; Figure 15 is an
elevation of the box when closed; Figure 16 is a plan of the same; Figure 17
is a plan of the box when open; Figure 18 is a vertical section of Figure 15;
Figure 19 is an elevation of Figure 17, the part which receives the feeding
ring being in section; Figure 20 is another view of the open part in Figure
19; Figures 21 and 22 are a plan and elevation of a feeding ring for de-
livering a large quantity at a time; and Figures 23 and 24 are similar views
of a feeding ring for delivering a smaller supply. Several planters may be
fixed to the same carriage, and be worked simultaneously, either by hand or by
the motion produced by the progression of the carriage.
The roller, Figure 25, may be used instead of the rollers, Figure 6, before
mentioned, for the purpose of heaping up the earth. This roller runs in

page_text: a separate carriage, which is furnished in front with two teeth, to cover over
the grain, &c.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the
Invention, is,
First, the wheel-barrow or carriage, shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the Draw-
ings annexed, and the combination therewith of the several instruments or
apparatuses shewn in Figures 3 to 9 inclusive of the Drawings annexed, as
herein-before described.
Second, the apparatus shewn in Figures 10 and 11 of the Drawings
annexed, and herein-before described.
Third, the dibble or planter, shewn in Figures 12, 13, and 14 of the Draw-
ings annexed and herein-before described, and also the modification thereof by
the employment of the apparatus or instruments shewn in Figures 15 to 24
inclusive, in the manner herein-before described.
And, fourth, the apparatus shewn in Figure 25 of the Drawings annexed,
and herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Pierre Joseph Meeus, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
PIERRE JUSEPH MEEUS. (L.S.)