AN IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
STEPHENS BROWN, of the Old Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said David Stephens Brown, my exors, aditiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said David Stephens
Brown, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said David
Stephens Brown, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "AN IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said David Stephens Brown, shall
cause a particular description of 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 Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
David Stephens Brown, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
The nature of my Invention consists in the adaptation of revolving cutters
or blades to till the soil, and the manner in which my said Invention is to be
performed is as follows:-
Upon a framework I mount spindles, to the lower ends of which cutters or
blades are fitted, and I communicate rotary motion to them by means of wheel
gearing from any prime mover. The rotary motion of the cutters, and the
manner in which they are disposed, cause them to enter, break up, and
pulverize the soil.
ment.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan, of my improved imple-
A, A, is the framework; B, B, three wheels, by which the framework
is supported; D, D, D, and E, E, E, are two sets of revolving cutters; and
D', D', D', and E', E', E', are the spindles to which they are fitted. The front
cutters are smaller than those placed behind them. The sets of cutters do not
follow each other in a straight line, but each cutter of the back set is made to
follow in a line drawn from the centre of the space between two cutters of the
front set. G, G, are the wheels by which motion is communicated from cross
shafts H, H, to both sets of spindles D', D', E', E, and to the cutters. The
bearings I, I, I, of the cutter spindles are jointed to the framework, so as to
allow of any particular spindle or all the spindles and cutters being raised out
of the ground by means of the quadrants K, K, of which there is one to every
spindle. If all the spindles and cutters are desired to be raised out of the
ground, the bearings of the cross shafts H, H, are made to slide upon the
framework, when the shafts may be taken back by means of the handles L, L,
a sufficient distance to put the wheels upon them out of gear with those upon
the spindles of the cutters. The power, supposing it to be derived from a small
steam engine mounted upon the framework of the implement or upon a separate
truck, is communicated to the spindles and cutters through the shafts H, H,
by means of bands, pulleys, or cranks. When the machine is at work it is
propelled over the ground by horse or steam power. I have shewn the cutter
spindles placed in a downward inclined position, as being that which I consider
the most suitable for the purposes of my Invention, but I do not confine myself
to any precise position, neither do I confine myself to any size or shape of
the cutters, as both may be varied according to the nature of the soil to be
operated upon, the distinctive feature of my Invention being, as before stated,

page_text: the tilling of the soil by means of revolving cutters or blades arranged and
disposed as shewn. Figures 3 and 4 are different forins of cutters.
And having now described my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as of my Invention is, the
improved agricultural implement before described, that is to say, in so far as
regards the employment therein of revolving cutters or blades, in the manner
exemplified in the Drawing, and before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Stephens Brown, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of March, in
the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid David Stephens Brown came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.