AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR EARTHING UP AND UNEARTHING CELERY AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCE.
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Patrick Flynn, of East Greenwich, in the
County of Kent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
EARTHING UP AND UNEARTHING CELERY AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCE.'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Patrick Flynn at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th August 1875.
I, JOHN PATRICK FLYNN, of East Greenwich, in the County of Kent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR EARTHING UP AND UNEARTHING CELERY AND OTHER SIMILAR
PRODUCE," to be as follows:-
"
My Invention relates to a machine for "earthing" and un-
earthing cellery and other produce requiring to be blanched, such as
asparagus and sea kale.
The machine is mounted on wheels and consists of two side frames
united adjustably by cross frames, so that it may be varied in breadth to
suit the width of the rows apart.

page_text: For carthing up two endless chains of scoops or elevators are provided,
one at cach side of the machine, passing over drums mounted in suitable
frames capable of being raised or lowered into work as required. These
scoops or elevators work in the furrows between the ridges, whence they
raise the mould, and each discharges it on to a shoot, by which it is con-
veyed on to the ridge as required. The elevators are driven by suitable
gearing from the carrying wheels of the machine, and the shoot is
made movable and provided with a handle by which the attendant
guides the shoot and causes it to discharge the mould as near the top of
the ridge as required.
A rotary cutter (or cutters) on a shaft also driven by the travelling
wheels of the machine is provided for cutting down or paring the sides
of the ridges, the cutter shaft being mounted in a movable frame and
provided with a universal joint to enable the attendant to guide the
cutters as required by means of a suitable handle.
For unearthing, shares are provided in suitable positions, the shares
being either attached to the movable part of the shoots above mentioned
or mounted on separate movable frames controlled by the attendant by
suitable guiding handles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Patrick Flynn in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 14th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
PATRICK FLYNN, of East Greenwich, in the County of Kent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Patrick Flynn, Her
special licence, that I, the said, John Patrick Flynn, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Patrick
Flynn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time.

page_text: agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
5 tion for "ÅN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR EARTHING UP AND UNEARTHING CELERY
AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCE," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Patrick Flynn, 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 per-
formed, 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 John Patrick Flynn, 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 two
accompanying Sheets of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to a machine for "carthing up" and " un-
earthing" celery and other produce requiring to be blanched, such as
asparagus and sea kale.
The machine is mounted on wheels and consists of two side frames
united adjustably by cross frames so that it may be varied in breadth to
suit the width of the rows apart.
For earthing up two endless chains of scoops or elevators are
provided, one at each side of the machine, passing over drums mounted
in suitable frames capable of being raised or lowered, as required, to
bring the scoops into work. These scoops or elevators work in the
furrows between the ridges, whence they raise the mould and discharge
it on to a shoot, by which it is conveyed on to the ridge, as required.
The elevators are driven by suitable gearing from the carrying wheels of
the machine, and the shoot is made movable and provided with a handle
by which the attendants may guide the shoot and cause it to discharge
the mould as near the top of the ridge as required.
un-
For cutting down or paring the sides of the ridges and for
earthing" coulters and mould boards are provided in suitable positions,
the coulters being either attached to the levers carrying the movable parts

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side clevation and Figure 2 a plan of the improved
machine of my Invention.
A, A, are the two main or side frames of the machine, each made
double, as shown, and the two braced together by arched cross frames B
constructed in two parts bolted together adjustably, as shown, to admit of
the side frames A being fixed at any required width apart. The machine
is carried on wheels, C being the steering wheels mounted in steering
forks C¹ so as to turn each wheel on its own vertical axis, the steering
being effected by levers C² on the forks C' coupled by a rod and operated
by chains or ropes c passing round a drum turned by a steering handle
cat the back of the machine. D, D, are two endless chains of scoops,
one at either side of the machine, running on chain wheels or drums E
and F, the former mounted in bearings on uprights E' rising from A,
and the latter in a ladder F¹ supported near its lower end on a cross picce
resting on side frames A. f are chains or rods, and f¹ a lever by which
the chains of scoops may be raised or lowered as required. Each chain
of scoops is driven from the adjacent carrying wheel D¹ by an endless
belt G running on riggers G¹, G*, the former on the shaft of the chain
drum and the latter mounted in bearings on frame A, and driven by a
ring of teeth on wheel D¹. H, H, are the shoots by which the earth
raised by the scoops is deposited. The upper part of each shoot is hung
upon uprights rising from frame A, and the lower part is made in onc
with a mould board I, which is maintained parallel to the side of the
ridge and serves to press the earth deposited by the shoot against the
face of the said ridge and prevent it falling down into the furrow.
Each mould board I is bolted to a hand lever K pivoted on an inclined
rod, whose inclination, as well as the height of lever K upon it, may
be adjusted to suit the height and slope of the ridge desired. For this
purpose rod is supported in brackets k¹, carried by side frame A, the
upper one being provided with a number of holes, in any of which rod k
may be fixed according to the position desired. The levers K are
adjusted at the required height on rods & by slipping short lengths of
tube on said rods beneath the levers K. By means of levers K any
desired pressure on the mould boards against the sides of the ridge may

page_text: be obtained to regulate the amount of earth deposited on the ridge as
required. L, L, are guards of the form shown attached to the mould
boards at a short distance from the face thereof. They serve to
raise the lower leaves of the celery from the ridge previous to the
earth being deposited thereon, and also to prevent the earth being
deposited in the heart of the plant, sec Figure 3. By means of the
adjustment in rod k the guards L, mould boards I, and part of shoot
may be adjusted in any position intermediate of the black and blue line
positions shown, according to the height of the ridge. M is a
combined coulter and mould board hinged at the front end to frame A
and guided by a handle m. There is one at either side, and two others
may be affixed to levers K, the mould boards, shoots, and guards being
in this case removed. These coulters and mould boards are for the
purpose of "
unearthing" and paring down the ridges, for which latter
purpose they are inclined more or less on hinges similarly disposed to
those of the shoots.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the berciu-before part recited Letters Patent is,--
1st. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
improved machine, constructed and operating substantially as and for
the purposes hercin set forth.
2nd. The application and employment in a wheeled vehicle of two
endless chains of scoops operating as described in combination with
the adjustable shoots, mould boards, and guards, constructed as shown
and described.
3rd. The employment in a machine provided with chains of scoops,
shoots, mould boards, and guards as described, of coulters and mould
boards as and for the purpose set forth.
"
In witness whereof, I, the said John Patrick Flynn, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-
six.
JOHN PATRICK FLYNN. (L.S.)