AN IMPROVED IMPLEMENT FOR RAISING AND LOOSENING TURNIPS AND OTHER ROOTS IN THE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lister, of Dunsa Bank, near Richmond,
in the 'County of York, Farmer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
IMPLEMENT FOR RAISING AND LOOSENING TURNIPS AND OTHER ROOTS IN THE
Sealed the 25th May 1855, and. dated the 14th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lister at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
March 1855.
I, WILLIAM LISTER, of Dunsa Bauk, near Richmond, in the County of
York, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED IMPLEMENT POR RAISING OR LOOSENING TURNIPS AND OTHER ROOTS IN THE
GROUND, AND CUTTING OFF THE TAILS THEREOF," to be as follows:-
The object of this improved implement is to cause a blade or instrument
attached to a suitable framing to penetrate under the surface of the ground,
and by passing along beneath the roots to raise the same from their bed, and
loosen the surrounding earth, so that the root- may be afterwards picked up
by hand, and thrown into a cart, barrow, or other receptacle, and then removed
from the field.
The parts of the implement are so arranged that the blade or instrument is
fixed and retained in such a position and distance below the surface of the
ground, that it will pass under the body of the root, supposing it to be a
turnip, and cut off the tail therefrom, and at the same time lift it up, as
'before mentioned.
The implement consists of a framing made of wood or iron, and provided

page_text: with one, two, or more tines, having affixed at their lower ends the blades or
instruments which are intended to operate on the roots. These blades are
mounted in an inclined position, their forward ends being made to point
downwards and enter the ground, and the tines are fixed to the framework
or beam at such an altitude that the points of the blades will just pass under
the body of the roots, which as the blade moves forward will be raised in situ,
and left there with the earth loosened about them.
The implement is mounted on three wheels, two of which are ordinary
running wheels, and the third is a steering wheel in front. The latter is
mounted in bearings at the lower end of a vertical shaft, the upper end of
which is provided with a steering handle. The running wheels are mounted
on a cranked shaft, which passes through the sides of the frame, and is
provided with a lever whereby it may be turned in its bearings, so that
when the supporting wheels are resting on the ground, the frame may be
raised or lowered, and the blades of the implement made to enter more or
less into the ground, or altogether removed therefrom. This implement is
more particularly applicable for turnips and other round bulbous roots, and
it may be made to operate upon one or more rows at a time.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Lister in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LISTER, of Dunsa Bank, near Richmond, in the County of York, Farmer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, IIer heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Lister, Her special license that I, the said William Lister, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Lister, my executors, administrators, 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 "AN IMPROVED IMPLEMENT FOR
RAISING OR LOOSENING TURNIPS AND OTHER ROOTS IN THE GROUND, AND CUTTING OFF

page_text: THE TAILS THEREOF," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said
William Lister, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 I, the said William Lister, 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,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say)
This Invention relates to a novel construction of implement which will
facilitate the operation of removing turnips and other bulbous roots from the
ground in which they are growing. For this purpose, I mount in a suitable
frame (which runs on wheels and is drawn by animal power) adjustable blades,
which will enter the ground and make a horizontal cut therein, somewhat
below the bulb of the turnips, thereby removing the tails of the turnips, and
loosening their hold in the ground.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the implement
which I denominate my improved "turnip tailer." Fig. 2 is a front elevation,
and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. It consists simply of a wrought-iron
frame a, a, supported at its forward end by a steering wheel b, and at its
hinder end by the running wheels c, c. The wheels c, c, are. mounted loosely
on a crank axle d, which has its bearings in the under side of the frame a, and
is capable of being rocked therein, for the purpose of raising and depressing
the frame, as circumstances may require. To this crank axle d, a hand lever e
for effecting this rocking movement is firmly secured. f is a curved bar,
bolted at its opposite ends to the frame a, and provided with a row of holes
arranged segmentally, to receive a pin or bolt which is projected through the
hand lever, for the purpose of retaining the crank axle at a given position.
This pin or bolt I prefer to attach to a spring lever e*, which has its bearing in
lugs projecting from the hand lever e, but a loose pin may be used if thought
desirable. The hind bar of the frame a carries a pair of adjustable clamps g, g,
which are severally intended to receive the vertical stem of a horizontal blade
or cutter h. I prefer that the cutting edges of these blades shall stand at an
acute angle to the line of progress of the implement, in order that they may
overcome any obstruction which they may meet with the greater facility.
When the cutters are set at the required distance apart, and at a proper
elevation in the clamps, their position therein and on the end bar of the frame

page_text: a is secured by means of the binding screws shewn in the Drawing. The
depth of cut is then regulated by raising or depressing the lever e, and the
required relative levels of the blades and the wheels when thus obtained is
secured by passing the pin of the spring lever et through the pin hole in the
lever e, and into that hole in the segmental portion of the bar which is oppo-
site thereto. The steering wheel 6 has its bearings in the forked end of a
vertical rod i, which passes through the head of the frame a, and serves to
support it. Affixed to this rod is an arm k, which is jointed to a hand
lever, that has its fulcrum at' m, and extends backwards to the hind end
of the frame. By means of this hand lever the attendant, who walks behind
the implement, will be enabled to direct its course. with precision while it
is being drawn over the field. The fulcrum on which the lever works stands
up from the frame a; to which it is bolted; and a guide n; which is carried
by the bar f, serves to steady the lever in its horizontal. movements.
In operating with this implement, the blades are caused to enter the ground
at a depth that will just clear the bulb of the turnip; and this level is retained
as nearly as possible during the operation of tailing. The action of the imple-
ment will be not only to cut off the tails, but also to raise the bulb slightly out
of the ground, and render it unnecessary for the labourer to use any great
muscular exertion in gathering up the turnips. It will be understood that
this implement may be applied to facilitate the gathering up of mangel-
wurzel and other roots, if thought desirable. ⚫
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "an improved imple-
ment for raising or loosening roots in the ground, and cutting off-the tails
of the same," and explained the manner of carrying the same into use, I wish
it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim
the construction of implement as above described, which, although possessing
some of the characteristics of the horse hoe, is capable of performing work
essentially different from that for which such an implement is designed.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lister, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM LISTER. (L.S.)