IMPROVEMENTS IN POTATOE PLANTERS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JAMES MELLOR of Cheadle Hulme in the County of Chester, Retired Farmer;
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN POTATOE
PLANTERS" to be as follows:-
The object of the improvements is to enable a potatoe planter to be combined
with a plough, so that the operation of planting potatoes may be automatically
completed by the forward movement of the whole apparatus.
To accomplish this, and to effect my improvements, I form a suitable box
or holder for the seed potatoes at or towards the rear of the machine. An endless
chain or band is mounted on suitable pulleys, one end of which is in the box or
holder, and the other end at a convenient height and angle forwards therefrom.
This chain or band runs in a suitable trough or spout, and has attached thereto, at.
regular distances, lifters or scoops, for the purpose of lifting and carrying forward
the seed potatoes, one at a time by each scoop or lifter.
In connection with the upper part of the endless travelling chain or band, is a
shoot or spout, down which the potatoes are deposited either directly to the furrow
in the soil, or it may be on to another travelling chain or band, when it is required
to convey the potatoes farther forward before they reach the earth.
Attached in front of the plough frame is a coulter or opener for cutting the
furrow or groove in the soil in which the potatoes are to be sown; and also suitable
running wheels which communicate motion by strap, rope or wheel gearing to the
travelling chains or bands. The plough may be either single or double for the
purpose of ploughing in the seed, but by preference is double.
Variations in detail may be made without departing from the peculiar character
of the invention, which consists in the combination of a plough and, potatoe
planter, whereby the potatoes are deposited and ploughed into the soil by the
means described.

page_text: I, JAMES MELLOR, of Cheadle-Hulme, in the County of Chester, Retired Farmer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN POTATOE
PLANTERS, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
The object of the potatoe planter improvements is to enable a potatoe planter to
be combined with a plough, so that the operation of planting potatoes may be
automatically completed by the forward movement of the whole apparatus.
To accomplish this and to effect my improvements, I form a suitable box or
holder for the seed potatoes at or towards the rear of the machine. An endless
band or chain or rope is mounted on suitable pulleys upon a frame, one end
of which is in the box or holder, and the other end at a convenient height
and angle forwards therefrom. This band chain or rope runs in a suitable trough
or spout, either the whole or part of its length, and has attached thereto at regular
distances, lifters or scoops, for the purpose of lifting and carrying forward the seed
potatoes, one at a time by each scoop or lifter.
''
In connection with the upper part of the endless travelling band chain or rope
is a shoot or spout down which the potatoes are deposited, either directly to the
furrow in the soil or it may be on to another travelling chain' band or rope, when it
is required, or two shoots or spouts may be used.
Attached in front of the plough frame is a coulter or opener (or more than one)
for cutting the furrows or grooves in the soil in which the potatoes are to be sown,
and also suitable running wheels which communicate motion by strap, rope, chain,
or wheel gearing to the travelling bands chains or ropes. The plough may be
single.or double for the purpose of ploughing in the seed.
..
But that the invention may be better understood, I will by the aid of the
accompanying drawings, proceed more fully to describe means employed by me.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig 1 shews a' side elevation having portions broken away, and Fig 2 shews
a plan view of apparatus arranged in accordance with my invention. The same
letters indicate corresponding parts wherever they occur.
a, a. is the main bar of the plough to which is attached the main coulter b, b.
This coulter may be formed so as to carry within it, or to constitute of itself, a box
or holder for the seed potatoes, or such box or holder may be placed in any other
convenient position. c c'is the guide frame in which travels the continuous band
chain or rope.
In the design shewn this band or chain is placed edgewise and
travels around pulleys or wheels within the case at d, d, and d¹, d, the one at d 'd
-being the wheel giving motion to the traveller. e, e, are the special lifters or scoops
formed of plates or pieces of metal or other substance attached to and projecting
, from the band chains or rope; for the purpose of carrying forward the seed potatoes,
and it will be seen that as these lifters or scoops are carried through the box
or seed holder; they each should take forward a seed potatoe which follows the
direction of the guide frame c c until it arrives at d, d, where it is projected into
one of the sloping shoots f, f, and so is carried to the ground and deposited into the
grooves or furrows made in the soil by the small coulters or openers g, g. h, h,.is.
an oscilating shoot guide which is actuated by means of an excentric and lever h¹ h¹
and. h² ², or it may be by other analagous mechanism, whereby the seed potatoes
may be caused to enter the two shoots alternately. j,j, are wheels which run on

page_text: the ground, and are attached to the shaft j, j, and thus give motion to the upright
shaft k, k, on which are affixed the excentric ¹, h, and the driving wheel or
pulley d, d. The endless band may consist of any suitable chain rope or belt and
may be arranged to run flat-wise instead of edgewise, and the scoops or. lifters may
be varied in form, and the running wheels may be made to trail or to be capable of
adjustment in height, and motion may be given to the hand chain or rope by other
convenient means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what
I claim is
1st The construction of potatoe planters in combination with ploughs whether
such have one or more coulters or one or more shoots for the delivery of the seed
potatoes in manner substantially as shewn and described.
2nd The use of the specially formed scoop or lifters, for the seed potatoes,
attached to the bands chains or ropes or other flexible apparatus for the purpose
and in manner substantially as shewn and described.
Dated this twenty fifth day of November 1884.
WILLIAM GADD, C.E.,
64, Barton Arcade, Manchester,
Agent.