IMPROVEMENTS IN DRILLS USED IN AGRI- CULTURE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Stanley Kipping, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRILLS USED IN AGRI-
CULTURE
"
Sealed the 12th March 1878, and dated the 14th September 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Stanley Kipping at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th September 1877. *
JAMES STANLEY KIPPING, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
« IM-
PROVEMENTS IN DRILLS USED IN AGRICULTURE."
My Invention consists in a construction of apparatus for distributing the seed in
measured quantities. For this purpose I use a cylinder provided with perforations
and constituting the bottom of a hopper which contains the seed. The bottoms of
these perforations are moveable surfaces which, as the cylinder revolves, are capable
of being protruded and drawn inward, which motions 1 effect by using a piston for
each perforation, the series being governed by a cam or other such part, but
revolving toothed wheels may be employed. As the aforesaid cylinder revolves the
cavities formed by the perforations take up the seed from which the superfluous
quantity is removed by a brush, after which the bottom drops and allows the
measured quantity to be retained in the recesses by a fixed guard until the proper
position for delivery is attained, and then the pistons advance and discharge the
seed, there being, if desired, the usual funnels or other ordinary conducting
parts.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Stanley Kipping in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
March 1878.
JAMES STANLEY KIPPING, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gentle-
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DRILLS USED IN AGRICULTURE."
man.
My Invention consists in the use of a travelling surface provided with recesses
of suitable magnitude for receiving the particular seed required to be sown, and
in the desired quantity, such surface constituting the bottom of a hopper and
being provided with pistons which move in the said recesses for the purpose
hereafter to be explained.
In the accompanying Drawing Figs. 1 and 2 represent the operating parts in
transverse and longitudinal sections, and may be considered half size, but that is
not material.
At 1 is a cylinder fixed upon a shaft 2, which is caused to revolve in any con-
venient manner, but a method will hereafter be referred to. In Fig. 2 this cylinder
is broken off at the middle, but along its length are formed groups of perforations,
a, b, c, d, which it will be seen are of different sizes, suitable for various sizes of
seed, that shewn at a being adapted for turnip, for instance, and that at d for
beans, the intermediate sizes being suitable for wheat, barley, or other grain.
Within these perforations are pistons e, f, g, h, their inner ends being provided with
loops which are strung upon bars i, the ends of which are situate in grooved cams
k, l, through which the shaft 2 passes loosely, the said cams being fixed (so as not to
revolve) to the framework of the drill.
The configuration of the grooves is shewn by dots in Fig. 1, and at m are slots
formed in the ends of the cylinder which act as guides for the rods i; at n is a
hopper, the bottom of which is constituted by the cylinder 1, the said hopper being
mounted so as to be capable of being slidden upon rods a, carried by the frame-
work, and of being fastened in any required position by set screws. To this
hopper is attached a guard p extending downward along the circumference of the
cylinder 1, and terminating in a spout q. Within the hopper n is a rod r, curved
so as to correspond with the circumference of the cylinder 1, and upon this rod is a
brush & which may be moved thereon and tightened in any required position by a
set screw.
The Drawing, Fig. 2, shews the recesses b, and one row only continued around the
circumference of the cylinder, but the others, a, b, c, d, are of course disposed in
like manner, and the pistons are omitted except where the section is taken in order
to avoid confusion.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-It being assumed that the cylinder 1 is
caused to revolve in the direction of the arrow, and that seed is fed to the hopper n
from a main hopper in any ordinary manner, it being required to be measured and
distributed by means of the rings of recesses b; the description, however, will
refer to the sowing of one row of grain only into a furrow made in the usual manner
by a coulter. As soon as the revolution of the cylinder has carried the recesses
into the hopper n, the shape of the cams k, l, draws the rods i downward, and the
pistons (which before this have filled the recesses) partaking of that motion,
cavities are successively formed into which a certain number of seeds pass, the
brush s sweeping off the superfluous quantity, and the said recesses are therefore
measures always containing the same, or nearly the same number. As soon as a
recess b passes the brush the shape of the grooved cams draws the pistons further
downward, so that when the said recess reaches the guard p the measured quantity
of grain has a superfluity of space, the object of which is to prevent any grain
from being ground or sheared off by the said guard, which then closes the recesses
as they are consecutively carried around and prevents the seed from falling out;
but when a recess has passed the guard p it is free to fall through the spout q, and
to ensure the emptying of the recess; the grooved cams then quickly project the

page_text: piston, as seen at A, the said piston also serving to clear away any dirt that may
have been taken up. The grain having been thus delivered to the spout q, is con-
ducted to the furrow by any usual means.
The above description has referred to the sowing of one row only, but the cylinder
has as many groups of recesses a, b, c, d, as there are rows to be drilled, each group
having its hopper n and brush 8, as seen in Fig. 2; and in order to use this hopper
for any one of the rings of recesses, according to the size of the seed, or it may be
the quantity to be delivered at a time, the said hopper is slidden longitudinally
the rods o. It has been stated that the brushes 8 are mounted on the curved
rods ; this is for the purpose of adapting them backward or forward so that the
quantity of seed which passes into the recesses may be varied.
on
Instead of the above arrangement the cylinder may be perforated with any
other number of holes, or with one size only, in which case one continuous hopper
only will of course be required.
Having thus described the principle of action of my Invention, I refer to Figs. 3
and 4, which are partial views of a drill with the improved apparatus adapted.
Upon the axle u is a pitch chain v, the lower shaft of which has a pinion w in gear
with another, x, on the axis of the cylinder 1, and these may be change wheels for
regulating the speed of the cylinder 1 so as to modify the distance apart at which
the measured quantities of seed are to be deposited. At y are the coulters into
which the seed passes by means of the spout, and any ordinary arrangement
of clutch may be adopted for disconnecting the gearing from the axle u when
required.
Fig. 5 shews a modification in the method of constructing the cylinder. In this
instance it is made in separate parts B, C, D, &c., capable of sliding upon the shaft 2,
but caused to revolve therewith by means of a feather z; and by adjusting these
separate cylinders longitudinally, and securing them by set screws or other suitable
means, a provision is made for different widths of furrow. The other parts belonging
to the cylinder are as before.
Fig. 6 shews a modification in the method of mounting the cylinder 1. In this
instance its axis 2 is carried by the coulters as at y, which coulters are each carried
by a pair of arms y¹, capable of turning upon the cart axle u, and the hollow coulters
y receive the seed direct from the cylinder 1, which in that case is supposed to be at
Fig. 5, as soon as the recesses have passed the guard p. At z is a roller projecting
from the arms y' so as to cause the apparatus to rise and fall on irregular ground,
The cylinder, as before, is driven by the pitch chain and toothed wheels, but as the
whole apparatus turns upward or downward bodily on the centre u, the gearing is
not disturbed.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood that I
claim as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, and for the
purposes above set forth, without limiting myself to the precise arrangement of
operating parts shewn, or to the methods of applying the same, the use of measuring
recesses in a travelling surface constituting the bottom of a hopper in combination
with their clearing pistons.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Stanley Kipping, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight
J. S. KIPPING. (LS.)