AN IMPROVED PLOUGH
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Louis Auguste Peaucellier, residing at
Paris, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, No. 10, in the Empire of France, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PLOUGH."
Sealed the 17th September 1858, and dated the 30th April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Louis Auguste
Peaucellier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th April 1858.
I, BENJAMIN LOUIS AUGUSTE PEAUCELLIER, residing at Paris, Boulevard
Bonne Neuvelle, No. 10, in the Empire of France, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PLOUGE," to be as follows:-
To do a greater amount of useful work, still retaining the same means, and
thus consequently reducing in a marked manner the expense of cultivation;
this is the end the Inventor had in view when he made the plough with two
furrows, and he has in part attained his object, as the plough with two furrows
by the work it performs, doing double or thereabouts of work than what is
performed by an ordinary plough, requires in most cases but the same amount
of motive power, that is to say, but two plough horses. But the plough
with two furrows, as known in the present day, cannot work in lands which
are on the slope, because it is not capable of being turned as a common
plough, and one cannot throw the earth the same side in returning in the last
furrow; one was therefore obliged to go round the piece, or to make a shelving

page_text: bed in the middle, in going alternately from one side of the ground to the other.
One sees that in spite of the relative improvement on the work produced
by a common plough, there was a loss of time in transporting the plough from
one furrow to the other, or a difficulty in the execution of the work which it
was advantageous to overcome. This has been obtained by the invention of
the plough with two balance furrows, as it unites the convenience of an
ordinary plough because it turns in the same manner, and gives the additional
work obtained by the old plough with two furrows.
And if one consideres that the plough with two balance furrows can always
be substituted for the common plough in the cultivation of lands, principally
in light ploughing, is there not an immense advantage for the cultivator who
can thus diminish by one half his expenses each time he make use of it?
All the pieces which compose. the. plough are made either of iron or cast-
iron. The special mark in the plough with two balance furrows consists in
the possibility of returning at the end of the furrow.
The description of the machine being not sufficiently clear a Drawing is
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Louis Auguste Peaucellier in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 6th October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
LOUIS AUGUSTE PEAUCELLIER, residing at Paris, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle,
No. 10, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Benjamin Louis Auguste Peaucellier, Her special licence that I, the said
Benjamin Louis Auguste Peaucellier, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Benjamin Louis Auguste Peaucellier, 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 PLOUGH," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said Benjamin Louis Auguste Peaucellier, 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 Iuvention, 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 Benjamin Louis Auguste Peaucellier,
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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
To do a greater amount of useful work, still retaining the same motive
power, and thus consequently reducing in a marked manner the expense of
cultivation; this is the end the Inventor had in view, and in the present
machine he has in part attained his object, as this plough does double or
thereabouts of work performed by an ordinary one, although requiring in most
cases but the same amount of motive power, that is to say, but two plough
horses. The plough making two furrows as know in the present day cannot
work in lands which are on the slope, because it is not capable of being turned
as a common plough, and the earth cannot be thrown the same side in returning
in the last furrow, thus making it necessary to go round the piece, or to make a
shelving bed in the middle in going alternately from one side of the ground to
the other. Thus in spite of the relative improvement in the work produced by a
common plough there is a loss of time in transporting the plough from one
furrow to the other, or a difficulty in the execution of the work which it is
advantageous to overcome. This has been obtained by the invention of the
present plough, uniting as it does the convenience of an ordinary plough,
because it turns in the same manner and at the same time, giving the addi-
tional work obtained by the plough making two furrows.
And again this plough can always be substituted for the common one in the
cultivation of lands, but principally in light ploughing; thus there is an
immense advantage for the cultivator who can diminish by one half his expenses
each time he makes use of it.
All the pieces which compose the plough are iron or cast iron, and it may be
described as follows:-It is composed of the body and what may be called
tail of the plough, which contains four shares. The axle has a vertical
support of two uprights, meeting at the top by a centre part traversed by a
screw for earthing or unearthing the plough. This screw acts on a half circular
branch of iron, which supports a cast-iron box. Behind the body are two
riving knives and the shares for opening the first furrow (see Plan).

page_text: The special character of this plough consists in its power of turning at the
end of the furrow, and to effect this the handles are placed horizontally, and on
pulling a spring placed against the body of the plough a half revolution is
effected. The handles are then placed according to the necessary slope where
they are fixed by means of a shaft of iron which unites them (see Plan).
The ends of the shares can be raised or lowered by means of a screw, and
can be separately earthed or unearthed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Louis Auguste Peaucellier,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
AUGUSTE PEAUCELLIER. (L.S.)