MACHINES FOR DISTRIBUTING SEED AND MANURE
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Honore Le Pontois, of Lorient, Town in the
French Empire, Merchant, for the Invention of
MACHINES FOR DISTRIBUTING SEED AND MANURE."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
Scaled the 20th April 1860, and dated the 19th November 1850.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Honore Le
Pontois at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th November 1859.
1, AUGUSTE HONORE LE PONTOIS, of Lorient, Town, in the French Empire,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN MACHINES FOR DISTRIBUTING SEED AND MANURE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in certain arrangements of machinery for sowing
seeds and depositing manure, by which the seeds are sown in line scattered
about or broad cast," or in patches or bunches. I place round the interior
circumference of a cylindrical box, which contains manure in a state of powder,
say 6, 7, or 8 pipes or tubes so arranged that as the box revolves these tubes
become filled with manure when in one position, but when in the opposite the
contents of the tubes are deposited in the earth through apertures formed in
the box for that purpose; the apertures through which the manure passes
lead first into boxes or trays arranged round the exterior circumference of the
box. These boxes or trays receive the seed from a hopper and carry it with
the manure to the ground. The lower part of the hopper, which is inclined, is
formed of three plates, a central plate embraced on each side for a part only
of its width by two other plates, which form together a slide. The central plate
is composed of two parts connected together. A groove is formed in the
[Price Sd.]

page_text: the central plate through which a screw passes, connecting each end of the
slider, which enables it to be pushed forward the whole length of the groove,
at the extreme end of which it is held by a spring. The central plate has a
groove formed in it, in which a plate is free to slide; a hole is also made in
this same plate for the passage of a screw which screws into the slide, and
enables the said slide to move the whole length of the groove. By this means
the size of the opening can be regulated according to the grain that is to be
sown, and the quantity desired to be deposited. The before-mentioned cylinder
has rotary motion communicated to it by the wheels on which the machine is
mounted; as it revolves the boxes or trays come in contact with projections
formed on the lower part of the slide, and open the hole or holes for the passage
of the seed to the trays, from which it, with the manure, falls to the soil pre-
pared for its reception by coulters placed at the fore part of the machine. A
jointed rake at the rear end of the machine covers the seed with soil after it
has been deposited in the furrows or drills.
For another machine and modification of that just described, I place two,
three, or more cylindrical boxes between the running wheels of the machine,
the tubes in which, for the passage of seed to the ground, are so arranged that
the seed shall be sown in line or otherwise. Bent tubes are placed in the
interior of boxes which contain diaphragms to divide them into two parts,
which by an opening allows the passage of a regulated portion of seed intro-
duced into the cylindrical boxes by an opening provided at the upper part.
From this arrangement of the tubes, the seed falls into the tubes by the
openings at the upper part, descends as far as the diaphragms, where it remains
at the junction of the tubes until the revolution of the boxes places the tubes
in such a position that the seed falls out and becomes deposited in the ground.
Cast iron or other conical wheels are placed at the fore part of the machine to
form drills for the grain. There is also a rake at the rear end to cover the
grain. A cover is provided for each of the tubes containing the grain furnished
with an opening, the size of which can be regulated according as it is desired
to deposit a large or small quantity.
In some machines the axle of the cylindrical box or boxes is not the same
as the axle of the wheels. The cylinder is in this case driven by an endless
chain which passes round two toothed wheels. The running wheels, the coulters,
or the furrow wheels, can be raised from the ground by a chain and lever. An
apparatus is sometimes placed in front of the furrow wheels to remove stones
or other impediments. Manure may be deposited with the seed, or either
separately.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Honore Le Pontois in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. I. AUGUSTE
HONORE LE PONTOIS, of Lorient, Town in the French Empire, Merchant,
send greeting!
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Auguste Honore Le Pontois, Her special licence that I, the said
Auguste Honore Le Pontois, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Auguste Honore Le Pontois. my executors, ad-
ministrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DISTRIBUTING SEED
AND MANURE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Auguste
Honore Le Pontois, my executors or administrators, 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 J, the said Auguste Honore Le Pontois, 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 and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in certain arrangements of machinery for sowing
seeds and depositing manure by which the seeds are sown in line, broadcast,
or in patches or bunches. The system will be easily understood, reference
being made to the annexed Drawings.
In my first arrangement, shown in Plan, Fig. 1, the hoppers A are sepa-
rated and carried on a transverse iron rod B, which is attached by the hooks C,
-fixed on the back of the box D. The hoppers are put on the rod so that they
may be placed near to each other, or otherwise; the manure cylinders E are
also separated and are fixed on the axle F, so that they may be subjected to

page_text: the same distancing as the hoppers. The coulters II and the rakes G are
also arranged in the same manner: they are mounted on the double cross-
beam B. B. in the grooves C. C. which permits of their being adjusted at the
same distance as that given to the hoppers A. and thus to sow in lines at
different spaces from cach other. The funnel X is likewise adjusted at Z, so
as to admit of a similar distancing. Fig. 14 is a smaller arrangement on the
same principle.
The box or receptacle D passes the whole length of the machine, and is
divided in two parts, one of which serves to contain the manure, the other
the seed for filling the hoppers and the cylinders. Between the two openings
of this box a place is left for the man in charge of the machine: he guides
the machine with his hands, and works the wheel T with his knees by means
of the bar J. The wheel I is carried on the iron cross beam D, D, so that
the direction may be changed by means of the bar J; it can also be raised or
lowered by means of the rod E. E. in order to be able to sow at once either
in row or broadcast. The rakes can also be made to take this direction.
The two driving wheels K are moveable on their axles; one of them is
furnished with a grooved wheel L, which by means of a chain M, Fig. 2, com-
municates motion to another grooved wheel N, which is moveable on the axle F
of the cylinders E. On a square part of the shaft or axle F an iron wheel O is
placed, bearing two side pins, which. on the wheel being pushed by the lever Q
towards the grooved wheel N. penetrate between the fellies of the wheel,
which thus becomes fixed to the axle F, and gives a rotary movement to the
cylinders E. When it is desired to stop this movement, the lever Q is worked
in the opposite direction; the wheel O then becomes removed from the
wheel N, leaving it free to rotate without causing the cylinders to turn.
The manure cylinders E are each furnished with seven teeth, S, placed at
equal distances on their circumference, before the openings of the manure
distributing tubes T; the teeth act upon the slides U of the distributors of the
seed. The manure is introduced in the cylinders by means of an opening
covered by a sliding lid. As seen by A, A, the furrow markers are hinged
so that they may be either raised or lowered; they are each furnished with a
chain V, V, which is fixed to a swinging cross beam I, I, which serves to raise
them from the soil when not in use, or when turning at the ends of the fields;
to effect this the driver has simply to press with his foot on the part of the
lever placed under his seat (see Fig. 15, showing the hopper and manure
cylinders in detail.)
Fig. 2 is an elevational view. It will be seen by this Figure that under
each hopper a funnel, having a conducting tube V, is fixed, by which the seed

page_text: in measure as it is delivered passes into the funnels X placed beneath the
manure cylinders E. At the bottom of these funnels, at the joining of the
conducting tubes Y, are placed keys acting as valves, which stop the seed at
this part until the portion of manure is emptied, and the tooth S has exercised
its pressure on the tail of the valve placed, as will be seen, on the funnel
(Fig. 1) by which means the seed, together with the manure, is let fall in the
lines by the tubes Y.
As shown by these two Figures, the furrow-markers H, as well as the
front wheels, can be raised or lowered from the soil: they have above their
sockets two rakes G. moveable on the rod of the furrow-tracer, covering the
line traced by it, and laying the earth over the seed. As the rakes are
adapted to the furrow-tracer, they are obliged to follow all its movements,
and so cannot fail to cover the seed in measure as it is deposited; one of
every two furrow-tracers is placed in advance to prevent any accumulation of
earth between them.
As above stated, the rotary movement is communicated to the cylinders by
the chain M, which passes on the two wheels L, N, which, as they are of the
same diameter, the cylinders E make one revolution to each revolution of the
driving wheel K. These cylinders have each seven teeth, S, consequently
there are seven jets of seed and of manure; by means of wheels of different
diameters the jets in the lines can be at any desired distance, so that the
machine can be applied to any kind of seed. The lines can also be regulated
in the same way from the possibility of placing the furrow-tracers and the
rakes at conformable distance with the cylinders and the hoppers.
The Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, & 17 show different views of the bottom of the
hoppers. Fig. 3 shows the bottom without slide; Fig. 5 shows the thickness
of the plate furnished with slide. These two Figures, with 4 and 6, are half
the natural size. Fig. 4 shows the plate in the inside of the hopper, and
Fig. 6 the under part of the same plate; as will be seen by the Figures 3 & 5;
the plate has its entire thickness formed of two parts P. P, forming the entire
size, which is two-thirds of its thickness, and L, L, which is only the size of
the slide M, M, completes the entire thickness. These two parts fixed
together have, 1st, a long groove marked R, which gives passage to the
screw S, which holds the two parts of the slide M, M, and permits of its being
advanced the whole length of this groove, and to take its former position by
means of the spring O, as shown Figs. 5 & 6; 2nd, the same plate has
another groove T; the part L, L, which is joined to it is also grooved in the
same manner, the groove being continued to the end of the plate. The groove
or notch has a bevelled edge in order to adapt to it the filling piece U,

page_text: Figs. 4, 5, & 6. The filling piece is held in place when the desired size of
the opening has been given to the distributing measure by a screw 0, 0.
The modus operandi is as follows. see Figs. 2 & 5-When the cylinder E
is put in movement by the wheels K. the end of the teeth S coming in contact
with the slide M. M. it is forced forward, and the part N, Figs. 4 and 5.
which passes in the interior of the hopper, closes over and covers the opening T
at the same time that it is opened at the bottom, the opening Z arranged in
that part of the slide which passes beneath, Fig. 6, and corresponds with the
opening T, which being then closed in the inside of the hopper, is open outside,
allowing the portion of seed regulated by the filling piece P, contained in the
distributing receptacle to fall into the funnel V, and by the tube of this funnel
to pass into the other funnel X. placed beneath the cylinder E. The seed
and manure thus collected in the funnel is only allowed to fall in the line made
by the furrow tracer II on one of the teeth of the cylinder pressing on the stop
or tail of the valve, causing it to rise; this valve or key is not indispensable
should it not be thought necessary for the seed to be enveloped, as it were, by
the manure; by many it is even preferred that the manure should fall by the
side of the seed. This would be effected by leaving the bottom of the funnel
open, that is, without valve. All kinds of seed may be sown by this machine.
For peas, however, it would be necessary to change the part N of the slides
M, M. passing in the interior of the hopper, which in order to give it a
tolerable thickness a groove P is arranged beneath, as represented, Figs. 4 & 5.
The arrangement of the tube sowing machine, as represented further on, is the
same as in that for the manure, only as more manure than seed is necessary,
the tubes in this case are larger, and have no second tube. There is only a
diaphragme between the outer and inner part, leaving at the back part of the
tube a space regulated by the quantity of manure required.
Fig. 7 represents a side elevation of a sowing machine not distributing
manure. Instead of the teeth borne by the cylinder, a certain number of
toothed wheels A are arranged on a transverse rod. These teeth act on the
slides of the hoppers, so as to distribute the seed regularly. The seed falls
into the funnel C, and then into the lines; these lines are pressed in the soil
by the conical wheels D, which are mounted in a stay E, arranged as breaker
at F, thus permitting the wheels D to give to the irregularities of the soil.
To facilitate this impression the arms supporting the wheels are furnished with
a knife G, which opens the earth before them, clearing off the stones and
roots. On the bolt, which serves as pivot to the wheels A, on each side of
the arms E a rake H is adapted, which covers over the seed, which has fallen
in the line. A crossbeam connects them at the part where the tube of the

page_text: funnel passes between the two rakes, and where that part of the tube which is
of india-rubber rests. The tube sowing machine is on the same principle as
applied to the distribution of manure, as above described.
Fig. 8 shows the cylinders A, containing the seed, and put in movement by
the bevel wheels B, and as in the two others, the different diameters of the
pullies L, M, on which the driving strap passes permits of the jet of seed being
sown at different distances.
Fig. 9 shows the manner in which the wheels B are mounted on their axles,
on which they may be fixed at a determined distance by means of the key C.
They are furnished with a rake D, which is held and can slide in a groove in
the cross-beam C; the rakes are held in accordance with the wheel B by
means of an iron band furnished with screws. Figs. 10, 11, 12, & 13 show
the form of the tubes G, as well as the manner in which they are fixed to the
cylinders. In the tube used for the distribution of the seed, a second tube H
is introduced, forming a sort of draw under the part of the diaphragm I, so
that the more it is forced in the tube G, the more the seed distributing
receptacle is increased, and the contrary on withdrawing it. Figs. 12 & 13
represent another arrangement, the closing them at the back part of the
tube G; this arrangement is preferable as it gives a greater exactness, since
by this means the communication of the inner tube J, with the outer one G
is formed at the back, thus permitting nothing to fall in the lines but the
portion of seed contained in the receptacle of the opening given by the tube II,
whereas the others would sometimes lei fall in the lines in passing on the
openings. This machine, like those above described, can be made of any size
that may be deemed most suitable. Fig. 8 shows it in a barrow form, which
may be driven by a man; the wheel K being raised, and the machine sup-
ported by the bevel wheel B, which also traces the line, the cylinders A turn,
& the distribution is made. On turning at the end of the field, it must rest
on the wheel K, so that the cylinders may not turn.
Fig. 16 represents a tube sowing machine. The spring M serves to fix the
tube I in the desired position; the part N is introduced in an opening, which
marks the degree of opening. Movement is communicated to the cylinders
by means of the pulley M acting on the endless band L.
Fig. 18, 19, & 20 represent the rakes and hoes which complete my
Invention. They are separated from each machine, so that when the seed is
in such a state as to be ready to be hoed, by arranging the rakes at a proper
distance a man can sow and rake three lines at one time. By means of the
Screw C. the furrow tracers can be placed at the desired distance apart.
Having thus described my Invention, and the manner in which the same is

page_text: or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details, as they may be varied or modified
without departing from the principle thereof; what I claim and desire to secure
by Letters Patent, is-
1st, the system and arrangement of apparatus for the distribution of seed
by means of the hopper and slide M, M, as shown Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
15 and 17.
2nd, the system and arrangement of apparatus for the distribution of the
inanure by means of the cylinders E. Figs. 2, 14, & 15 show the form of the
tubes G, and the way in which they are placed.
3rd, the system and arrangement of these tubes, so adapted as to act as
distributors of seed, as above described and shown Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,
13 & 16.
4th, the accessory parts, among which may be mentioned the bevel wheel
serving as furrow or line tracer represented Figs. 7, 8, & 16, as well as the
covering rakes, Figs. 1 & 2, and the hoes, weeders, and rakes represented
Figs. 18, 19, & 20.
5th, the arrangement by which the space between the lines may be changed
as well as the space between each patch or jet of seed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Honore Le Pontois, have here-
+
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
AUGUSTE HONORE LE PONTOIS. (L.S.)