Year: 1839

page_text: LONDON:
PRINTED BY GEORGE E. EYRE AND WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE,
PRINTERS TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY:
PUBLISHED AT THE GREAT SEAL PATENT OFFICE,
25, SOUTHAMPTON BUILDINGS, HOLBORN.

page_text: GROUNSELL'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GROUNSELL, of Louth, in the County of Lincoln, Machine Maker, -send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date .at
Westminster, the Twelfth day of June, in the second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, .the
said William Grounsell, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Grounsell, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Grounsell, my exors, admiors, or assigns,
should at any time 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 England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR DRILLING CORN, GEAIN, PULSE, AND MANURE;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said William Grounsell, shall cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Grounsell, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a-side view of an ordinary drilling machine, having my improve-
ments applied thereto. Figure 2 is a back view of the drilling machine.
Figure 3 is a section of parts thereof; and Figure 4 shews some of the parts
separately. The object of the improvements is to drill corn, grain, pulse, and
manure at intervals, and not in a continuous stream; and the intervals or dis-
tances apart of such drilling can be varied at pleasure.
The first part of the Invention relates to the application of valves and
apparatus to work them at intervals. On one of the wheels of a drilling
machine is applied the circular ring a, in order to carry a series of studs b, b,
and according to the distance such studs are set apart so will be the closer or
wider sowing or drilling of corn, grain, pulse, and manure; and if several
holes be formed in the ring a, tapped with suitable female screws, and the end
of each stud b be screwed, the studs may be set closer or further apart,
according to the desire of the person employing the machine. c is an axis
turning in suitable bearings in front of the machine. d is a projecting arm
affixed to the axis c. On the lower end of the arm dis hinged a curved pro-
longation in such manner that it may be lifted upwards, and will not be so acted
on by the studs 6 as to move the valves in the event of backing the machine;
but when the machine is drawn forwards each stud will strike against the
projection d, and by this means cause the axis c to move partly round, and in
doing so will open the valve or slide and let out the grain and manure in the
following manner: e, e, are arms affixed to the axis c, as is shown in the
Drawing, and they have chains faffixed thereto; these chains f are also attached
to the hooks g, and h is another axis below the machine, which moves in
bearings h², as is clearly shown. To this axis is affixed the arms i, and the num-
ber of such arms will depend on the number of drills used in the same machine.
The Drawing shows the machine having two drills. These levers or arms i are
supported at their outer ends by chains , by which the depth of the lower end
of the drill is permitted to enter the ground will be regulated. The stems of

page_text: the hooks g are attached by pin joints to the arms i, and to the stems 9 are
attached the connecting rods j, which connecting rods each embrace its
respective drills, and they are attached to the levers k, which, at their lower
end, carry the valves or slides which close the drill. The levers each move on
a fulcrum at affixed to the arms i, all which will readily be traced in the
Drawing; hence when the studs 6 act on the lower end of the projection of the
arm d, the valves or slides will be opened and allow of the seed and manure to
pass, and again close till the next stud 6 strikes the arm d, and the closing of
the valves or slides is assisted by the weights on the upper parts of the
levers k. The Drawing shows one drill to have a slide and the other drill to
have a valve, the only difference in construction being the cutting a slit in the
lower part of the drill where the slide is used, and attaching the slide to the
lever k by a pin joint, all which is clearly shown in the Drawing. A, A, repre-
sents the coulter pipes; they are carried by the arms or levers i, and are of the
ordinary construction, and the same are clearly shown in the Drawing. And
it will be seen that the machine is arranged for drilling manure at the same
time as the seed, the seed being supplied in the usual manner through the
funnels and tubes n, m, and the manure through the funnels and tubes n, n,
which are, as usual, suspended on chains to allow of considerable play.
I would remark, in respect to the first part of my Invention, that variations
may be made in the details by which the slides and valves are acted on, in
order to open and close them, so as to sow at intervals, the valves or slides
being suitably arranged to close the drill when shut, and allow of the grain,
corn, pulse, and manure, passing freely when open.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
relates to the mode of supplying the manure to the tins. In the ordi-
nary construction for drilling manure the projecting arms o, o, on the shaft
p, are spoons or hollow ladles which, in the revolution of the axis p, take
up a quantity of the manure and throw it over the shaft p into the hoppers
or funnels leading to the coulter pipe. According to my second improve-
ment I cause the shaft p to turn in the opposite way to that now practised,
by applying the wheel 9; and then the projecting arms, in place of being
ladles to take up and carry over the manure, act simply by their broad concave
ends drawing the manure to the hoppers or funnels, as will readily be traced in
the Drawing.
I have not thought it necessary to enter into a description of the construction
and working of ordinary drills, they being well understood. I have, therefore,
confined myself to describing the improvements which, together with the ordi-
nary construction of drills, are clearly shown in the Drawing.

page_text: And I would have it understood that what I claim as my Invention is, the
mode of constructing drilling machines, by applying valves or slides and
suitable apparatus for working the same, as above described.
And secondly, I claim the mode of applying the manure to the funnels or
hoppers of drilling machines, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Grounsell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand cight hundred and thirty-nine.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of December, in the
year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid William Grounsell came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification 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.
Inrolled the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.