SEVERAL IMPROVMENTS ON A MACHINE FORMERLY INVENTED BY ME FOR PLOUGHING AND DRILLING LAND, AND THEREIN PLANTING OR SOWING ALL SORTS OF GRAIN, PULSE, AND SEEDS, MIXED WITH OR WITHOUT PULVERIZED MANURE, AND HARROWING THE SAME, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS WILL RENDER THE SAID MACHINE MORE PERFECT, AND MAY ALSO BE USED FOR HORSE-HOEING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1788

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
COOKE, of Ardwick, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Clerk, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the
Twelfth day of August, in the Twenty-eighth year of His reign, did give and
grant unto me, the said James Cooke, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that I
the said James Cooke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I or they should agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the Kingdom
of Great Britain called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "SEVERAL IMPROVMENTS ON A MACHINE
FORMERLY INVENTED BY ME FOR PLOUGHING AND DRILLING LAND, AND THEREIN
PLANTING OR SOWING ALL SORTS OF GRAIN, PULSE, AND SEEDS, MIXED WITH OR
WITHOUT PULVERIZED MANURE, AND HARROWING THE SAME, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
WILL RENDER THE SAID MACHINE MORE PERFECT, AND MAY ALSO BE USED FOR
HORSE-HOEING AND OTHER PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said James Cooke, should within the space of one calendar
month next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters;.
Patent, particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention;
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing:
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
'

page_text: Chancery, otherwise the said Letters Patent to be void and of no effect, as in
and by the said Letters Patent (referrence being thereunto had) may more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Cooke, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention of
Several Improvements on a Machine formerly invented by me for Ploughing
and Drilling Land, and therein Planting or Sowing all sorts of Grain, Pulse,
and Seeds, mixed with or without Pulverized Manure, and Harrowing the same,
which Improvements will render the said Machine more perfect, and may also
be used for Horse-hoeing and other Purposes, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, is particularly described in the several Plans,
Drawings, or Figures hereunto annexed, with the explanations and referrences
thereto herein-after mentioned, that is to say: -
A, A, A, A, A, A, Fig. 1, axis and wheels, with shafts or poles applied to
the same by screw bolts and nuts; a, a, steps of wood or iron or other materials
upon
the axis A, A; B, B, cross bar, with braces b, b, made of wood or iron,
and applied to the upper or under side of the shafts by screw bolts, and, nuts, or
tenant and mortice, and extending so much wider than the shafts as to admit
of, horses, drawing within or, on the outside the same by the hooks. C, C,
applied. at different distances to the cross bar, B, B. D, D, rails of wood or
iron or other, materials with the handles. E, E, part of the former Patent,
made fast to the rails by screw bolts and nuts, or plates of iron and nails, and
applied to the cross bar B, B, at d, d, and occasionally, for horse-hoeing, to the
axis A, A, at d, d, d, d, by, means of, hooks and eyes, or racks and pins, with
holes to fix the ends of the rails. D, D, higher or lower, and so as to move.
freely upwards or downwards to the right or left.. F, F, coulter beam and.
part of the former Patent, with holes or mortises at different distances for:
coulters to be fastened by wedges, or screws and nuts, and made. hollow
or curved at the backs for the reception of funnels. The said coulter..beam
F, F, may be applied to the upper or under side of the rails D,. D, by means
of screw bolts and nuts going through the same, also through the coulter beam
F, F, also through braces of iron or wood or other materials on the, under or
upper side of the coulter beam, the same being made fast, with nails. or screws
to the rails, D. D, so that if the handles E, E, are moved upwards.or.downwards
to the right or left, from one eighth of an inch to twelve inches and, upwards,
the coulter beam F, F, shall nevertheless continue parrallel to the axis of the
wheels A, A, by which means the direction of the coulters and hoes is easily
ascertained. G, G, funnels or hoppers made of wood, tin, copper, or other
metals, and applied to the back edge of the coulter beam by nails, pins, or

page_text: screws, and placed behind the coulters, a funnel to each coulter, so as to
convey the seed into the drills. H, a chain or cord applied to the axis A, A,
and the coulter beam F, F, by means of which the coulter beam may be sus-
pended at any given height. I, a lever with a weight applied to the under side
the axis A, A, also to the coulter beam F, F, to ascertain the height at which
the coulter beam may be kept; and consequently the depth to which the
coulters enter the ground more accurately. K, K, hooks of iron in the handle's
E, E, to which weights may be applied to force the coulters into the ground,
or the lever I may be reversed for that purpose, one end being applied to the
axis A; or cross bar B, and the other end resting upon the coulter beam F, F,
or suspended from the under side of it. L, L, a bar of iron or wood or
other materials, with holes in it, applied to the cross bar B, B, by a staple.
M, a tooth'd or cog wheel of different diameters, made of cast iron and
fixed on the end of the nave of the right-hand wheel A. N, N, N, N,
seed box, in partitions, and part of the former Patent, and covered by a
lid, applied to the edge of the same by hinges, and represented in the
annexed Plan for the sake of perspicuity, as being detached from the other
parts of the machine; but in constructing the machine, or when the machine is
at work, it is lowered down to the axis A, A, so that the pins or pivots O, O,
shall rest upon the steps a, a, and move in the same as centers, the front part
of the box N, N, being supported by means of the bar L, L; upon which a piece
of iron or wood fixed to the edge of the box N, N, and clipping the bar L, L, an
iron pin going through the same to keep them where fixed; by which means
the seed box N, N, N, N, may be elevated or depressed so as to keep the top
of the box horizontally level, whether going up hill or down. P, P, the bottom
part of the seed box, curv'd as specified in the former Patent, so as to admit
the revolution of the cups or ladles. Q, Q. the ladle cylinder with cups or
ladles upon it, as described in the former Patent. R, R, tooth'd or cog wheels
of different diameters, fix'd on gudgeons in the ends of the cylinder Q, Q, with
or without universal or ring joints as represented at D, Fig. 7, and turn'd by being
respectively applied to the wheel M, on the principle of the former Patent; which
said wheels R; R, are respectively lifted out of generation with the wheel M, so
as to stop the distribution of grain or seed at pleasure by means of the hook S
being applied to the under side of the gudgeon in the end of the cylinder Q,
and fastened to the end of a chain, wire, or cord S, going over a pully to the
lever T; which said lever, by being moved to a notch or stop in the staple t,
will lift the wheel R out of generation with the wheel M. U, slides of wood
or metal, part of the former Patent, made to the curve of the box, which may
be raised or depressed, and fixt at any given height by hooks or springs applied

page_text: to the upper part of the box a little above the slides, and going into holes or
notches in the slides, or by pins or screws going through holes in the box and in
the slides with cotters, or keys, or screw nuts in the inside or outside of the box;
by raising or dropping these slides, so as to increase or diminish the width of the
orifices from the back of the box to the bottom edge of the slides through which
the grain or seed will descend spontaneously from the upper to the lower boxes,
the quantity distributed is increased or diminish'd. V, V, funnels, as described
in the former Patent, one to each separate division of the boxes through which
grain or seeds are conveyed into the lower funnels G, G. These funnels are
fixed to the edge of the lower seed box by means of a pin in the edge of the
box upon which the funnels are suspended, and are easily moved to the right
or left as upon centers, and kept in their places by.keys, or cotters, or straps
going through the pins. W, a rake or harrow in one or more pieces, joined
together by hooks and staples or hinges. w, w, two parallel rails applied to
the harrow W, also to the axis A, A, by iron pins or hooks and eyes, so as to
turn or move upon the same as centers. , a bevel tapet made of wood or
iron, and made fast with rails or screws to the nave of the wheel A, which
tapet x, by revolving with the wheel A, will force the parrallel rails w, w, and
consequently the harrow W, out of their rectilineal direction, acquiring thereby
a retrograde motion as they are drawn over the land, but will, nevertheless,
continue parallel to the axis A, A. This harrow, with the rails w, w, may be
made of different sizes for different uses, and applied to the cross bar B, B, for
the purpose of harrowing land previous to or at the time it is drill'd; also to
the axis A, A, for harrowing land at the time it is drill'd, so as to cover the
grain or seeds in the drills. It may also be applied to other common uses,
in which case all the apparatus for drilling, except the axis and wheels, with
shafts and cross bar, may be taken away. Y, Y, a rail of wood or iron, with a
pivot or pin at each end, resting upon steps projecting from each end of the
seed box N, N, N, N, so as to have a retrogade motion given to it by means of
the lever Z being acted upon by the tapets or notches z, put round the ladle
cylinder Q, Q; or the lever Z may be applied to the end of the rail Y, and to
the wheel R, so as to give the rail Y a retrogade motion or agitation. A, a
round or square boxes with lids or tops made of wood, tin, iron, copper, or
other materials made fast upon the rail y, y, with screws or rails opposite the
respective seed boxes and over the funnels; v, v, a box over each respective
funnell with one or more holes in the bottom of each box A, a, and through
the rail y, y, of different sizes or diameters, for different sorts of grain or seeds
to pass in quantities proportioned to the size of the holes in the bottom of the
boxes A, a, into the respective funnells v, v, and conveyed thereby into the

page_text: drills at the same time that grain is deposited, or into the spaces between the
drills at the last hoeing. B, Fig. 2, is a section of the box A, a, Fig. 1, with
a pin or spindle made of wood or metal, having shoulders or notches of
different diameters upon it. This spindle is elevated or depressed by means of
a screw upon the said spindle and two nuts, one on the top and another on the
under side of the box lid or cap, by which means the hole or orifice at the
bottom of the box is occupied by such notch or shoulder upon the spindle, as
may be found necessary to discharge a proper quantity of seeds into the
funnells v, v, at the time that grain is drilled, or into the middle of the spaces
between the drills at the last hoeing; or, for the purpose of depositing small
seeds with different grain and into the same drills, or into the spaces between
the drills, an additional seed box in partitions and similar in every respect to
the seed box N, N, N, N, Fig. 1, but upon a smaller scale, may be fix'd to the
machine either by uprights from the axis A, A, Fig. 1, or by rails projecting
from the ends of the seed box N, N, N, N, Fig. 1, so as to confront the seed
box N, N, N, N, Fig. 1, and so that the wheels upon the ends of the gudgeons
of the above additional seed box shall be respectively turn'd by the wheel R,
Fig. 1, by which means the grain or seed of the seed box N, N, N, N, Fig. 1,
and the sced from the additional confronting seed box, will be discharged into
one and the same funnells v, v, Fig. 1, respectively, and consequently into one
and the same drills respectively. C, Fig. 3, shank of the hoe, made of wood,
wrought or cast iron, or other metal, with a square hole or mortice near the
bottom of it for the reception of hoe plates, D, of different sizes, with square pins
to each hoe plate fitted to the size of the hole or mortice, and made fast in the
mortices by a screw on the end of the pin, with a nut upon or a key through the
same. These hoes are fixed in the coulter beam F, F, Fig. 1, and supply the
place of the coulters for the purpose of horse-hoeing, and are easily moved to
the right or left so as to avoid cutting up the rows of corn by means of the
coulter beam F, F, Fig. 1, continuing parallel to the axis A, A, Fig. 1, as de-
scribed. For the purpose of influencing the direction of the coulters, so as to
make the drills straight for horse-hoeing, several hooks may be applied at different
distances upon the axis A, A, Fig. 1, to which the ends of the rails D, D, Fig. 1;
may be respectively applied. E, E, Fig. 4, hoe plough, made of cast iron, all
in one piece, growing as it were together, with a shank F, of wrought iron, one
end of which said shank F is made fast to the hoe plough E, E, by screw bolts
and nutts, or rivetts; the other end F is applied to the mortice in the coulter
beam F, F, Fig. 1, and fastened by wedges or screws, and nuts, or keys, one
hoe plough in each mortice or in such respective mortices in the said coulter
beam F, F, Fig. 1, as may be required; for particular purposes the mould

page_text: board may be cast upon the contrary side so as to turn the furrow to the left.
This cast-iron hoe plough may also be applied to the uses of common ploughing
by fixing it to the handles and beam G, G, G, G, by means of screw bolts and
nuts, or rivets, or tenants, cast upon the uppermost edges of the hoc plough,
so as to go through mortices in the handles and beam G, G, G, G, Fig. 5, with
keys on the top side to keep them fast together with or without a wheel H,
applied to an iron shank h, so as to slide up and down in a mortice in the
beam G, Fig. 5. The handles G, G,. Fig. 5, may also be fixed in sockets cast
in the inside of the mould board and land side of the hoe plough. When this
hoe plough, made of cast iron, begins to be too much wore by use to retain its
construction, viz, an inclined plane, having the mould board regularly twisted,
plates of wrought or cast iron or steel may be applied to the sides of the same
hoe plough by means of screw bolts and nuts or rivets; screw bolts or pins of
iron may also be fixed within the body of the plough in order to strengthen it.
I, I, Fig. 6, section of the seed box N, N, N, N, Fig. 1, applied to the frame
K, K, in the same manner. L, section of the ladle cylinder Q, Q, Fig. 1.
M, a beam or pole made fast by screws or nails to the frame K, and applied to
the axis A, A, Fig. 1, and drawn by the chain N, applied to the said axis.
O, a rail applied to the beam M by a pin at P, so as to move upon the same
as a center. Q, a wheel having its axis applied to the rail O. R, a circular
bar of wood or iron with holes in it, sliding up and down in a mortice in the
beam M, by which means the wheel Q will always touch the ground. S, S, S,
three pullies of different diameters made fast upon the axis of the wheel Q.
T, a cross cord, chain, or strap, respectively applied to the pullies S, S, S, also
to a pulley upon the cylinder L, in order to turn the cylinder L with different
degrees of velocity. U, a weight inclosed by a box so as to move up and
down readily with a tightening pully V, applied to the cord, chain, or strap T,
in order to turn the cylinder L with greater certainty. W, a lever supported
by a center or fulcrum X, by means of which the weight U is raised so as to
take off the friction of the pully V, by which means the cord, chain, or strap T
will not be able to turn the pully surrounding the cylinder L, thereby stopping
the distribution of the grain or seed at pleasure. Y, two lips on the under side
of the lever L, which, being let down into notches or teeth surrounding the
cylinder L, will prevent the distribution of grain or seed at pleasure more
effectually. Z, a notch or pin upon which the lever W is supported while the
pully surrounding the cylinder L is in motion. For particular purposes, the
machine Fig. 6 may be used alone, in which case the bar R must not slide in
the mortice in the beam M, but must be fixed at. a proper height by a pin
going through the bar R and the beam M. Fig. 7 represents a different

page_text: method of turning the cylinder L, Fig. 6, by means of the wheels A, B, and
the ground wheel C, which turns or causes to be turned the wheels A, B,
whether it is elevated or depressed by means of the universal or ring joint D,
and is raised from the ground so as to stop the distribution of grain or seed at
pleasure by means of the lever T, the cord or chain with the hook S being, as
in Fig. 1, applied to the axis of the wheel C. Fig. 8, E, section of a seed
box, which may be applied to Fig. 1 or Fig. 6. F, section of a seed cylinder,
with cups or cavities indented in the circumference of the same, so that the
direction of the cups or cavities shall form an angle of forty-five degrees with
the circumference of the cylinder F. H, a slide as described by U, Fig. 1, by
which the orifice G, through which the grain or sced descend spontaneously and
freely to the cylinder F, may be enlarged or contracted at pleasure, by which
means a greater or less quantity of grain or seed will be distributed. Fig. 9,
A, A, axis of Fig. 1. B, B, cross bar, Fig. 1. C, a seat applied to the upper
or under side of the said axis and cross, bar, and supported by means of the
rails D, D, being applied to the axis A, A, and cross bar B, B, Fig. 1, by
screw bolts and nuts. This seat is intended for the person who has the
management of the horse-hoes, and by means of which he will be better able
to influence their direction to greater certainty by keeping the guide C, c,
Fig. 1, directly over and lineable with one of the rows of corn. Fig. 10
represents the harrow W, Fig. 1, upon a larger scale for common uses, and is
applied to the axis A, A, Fig. 1, by the rails w, w, Fig. 1, so as to derive a
retrograde motion by means of the tapet x, Fig. 1, and the rails w, w, being
applied to the harrow W at D, D, also to the axis A, A, Fig. 1, at E, E, by
loose pins or screw bolts and nuts, and moving upon the same as upon centers.
C, a lever made fast to the harrow W and laid loose on the top side of the axis
A, A, Fig. 1, by which the harrow W is lifted from the ground while the
horses are turning round. B, a chain applied to the under side of the lever C,
and the axis A, A, Fig. 1, by which the harrow W is drawn. The lever C
may be fixed obliquely to the harrow W, and applied to the tapet x, from
whence a retrograde motion may be derived; or a piece of timber may be
framed into the lever C, and extended to the tapet x, which will have the same
effect. F, F, two check chains to prevent the harrow W from touching the
wheels A, A, Fig. 1.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Cooke, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight..
Sealed and delivered, being first duly
stamped, in the presence of
THO. DAW.
JAMES (L.S.) COOKE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of September, in
the twenty-eighth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the
said James Cooke came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the several Statutes made
in the sixth year of the reign of the late King and Queen William and Mary
of England, and so forth, and in the seventeenth and twenty-third years of the
reign of His Majesty King George the Third.