IMPROVEMENTS IN POTATO PLANTING MACHINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Ferguson, of Kinnochtry, Cupar-Angus,
in the County of Perth, North Britain, Farmer, for the Invention
J
Dance DMWINDO "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Ferguson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th June 1875.
I, THOMAS FERGUSON, of Kinnochtry, Cupar-Angus, in the County
of Perth, North Britain, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN POTATO PLANTING MACHINES," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which relates to potato planting machines, has for
its objects to effect expedition in planting, the saving of manual labour,
and the prevention of waste attendant upon potato planting machines
as at present constructed, whereby more than one potato is frequently
deposited at the same place.

page_text: Instead of entire cups the potato lifters are under this Invention
bollow or ring-shaped, and the potatoes rest in the ring or lifter, the
aperture of which is small enough to prevent them from dropping
through. On arriving at the top of the travel of the endless chain the
rings fixed thereto are inverted, and are so caused to discharge the
potato on to the back of the preceding ring; and in order to ensure
this taking place a revolving roller brush having bristles of steel, whale-
bone, or equivalent material, is so placed that some of its bristles enter
into the aperture of the inverted ring or lifter at the back thereof, and
so force the potato from its seat should it have become fixed. The
endless chain in travelling downwards discharges the potatoes into
the open drill after passing through a trough or tube in the usual
manner.
To provide against the planting of more than one potato from a
single ring or lifter each link or alternate link of the endless chain
is provided on its inner side with a flat spring, secured at its upper end
to the link, and having its lower end projecting a sufficient distance
from the upper side of the ring as not to interfere with the picking up
of the potato from the usual box or hopper. On the inner face of the
said flat spring, and at its lower end, is secured one end of a spiral
spring projecting at right angles to the normal plane of the flat spring
and attached at its extreme inner end to the lower end of an inclined
bar or rest, whose upper end is attached to the top of the link, so that
the flat spring forms with the spiral spring and the inclined bar or rest
an approximation to a right-angled triangle.
A roller carried on a shaft extending transversely across the machine
is so placed as to impinge upon the bar or inclined rest aforesaid as
each link presents itself, and so presses the flat spring attached to the
link outwards to dislodge such potatoes as may have been taken up in
excess of that in the ring, the dislodged potatoes falling back into the a
hopper. The bottom of the flat spring is preferably made forked to
more efficiently dislodge the surplus potatoes without disturbing the
potato in the ring or lifter.
Under a second arrangement a flap or hinged plate is substituted for
the flat spring and a toothed wheel for the roller, and the spiral spring 3
is dispensed with, the teeth of the wheel forcing the flap or hinged
plate outwards,
.

page_text: Under a third arrangement no plate or spring is used, and a wheel
having triangular shaped teeth projecting over the rings is substituted
for the toothed wheel employed under the second arrangement.
By means of either of the arrangements of mechanism herein-before
described the planting of more than one potato in the same place is
obviated, and waste thereby prevented.
The wheels of the machine are so gauged that each travels on the
top of a drill or ridge of earth, and the horse on a third ridge between
the two. The wheels are provided with angular or curved peripheries,
which to some extent embrace the drills, and so prevent the wheels
from slipping, by which arrangement any manure laid to receive the
seed is not disturbed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Ferguson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th December 1875.
'
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
FERGUSON, of Kinnochtry, Coupar-Angus, in the County of Perth,
North Britain, Farmer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the 38th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Ferguson, Her special license,
that I, the said Thomas Ferguson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Ferguson, my executors,
administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
POTATO PLANTING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Thomas Ferguson, by an instrument in writing under my
band and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of

page_text: 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 Thomas Ferguson, 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 accompanying
Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
My said Invention, which relates to potato planting machines, has
for its objects to effect expedition in planting and the prevention of
waste attendant upon potato planting machines as at present constructed,
whereby more than one potato is frequently deposited at the same
place..
Instead of being entire cups the potato lifters are under this Invention
hollow or ring-shaped, and the potatoes rest in the ring or lifter, the
aperture of which is small enough to prevent them from dropping
through. On arriving at the top of the travel of the endless chain the
rings or lifters fixed thereto are inverted, and are so caused to discharge
the potatoes either on to the back of the preceding ring or lifter, or to
some point between the two; and in order to insure this taking place
a revolving roller brush having bristles of steel, whalebone, or equivalent
material, is so placed that some of its bristles enter the aperture of the
inverted rings or lifters at the back thereof, and so force the potatoes
from their seat should they have become fixed therein, and they pass
thence downwards to the drill through a tube or trough in the usual
manner.
To provide against the planting of more than one potato from a
single ring or lifter each link or alternate link of the chain is provided
with a hinged plate or spring, or both of these combined, with or without
an adjustable plate projecting a sufficient distance from the upper side
of the ring or lifter as not to interfere with the picking up of the
potatoes from the usual box or hopper. An antifriction roller or cam
is so placed as to impinge on the plate or combination of springs and
plates aforesaid as each link of the endless chain presents itself opposite
thereto, and so forces the adjustable plate or its substitute outwards to

page_text: dislodge such potatoes as may have been taken up by the ring or lifter
in excess of that to be planted.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, reference being had to the annexed Sheet of Drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
Figure 1 on the hereunto appended Sheet of Drawings represents a
vertical section of my improved potato planting machine; and Figure 2,
an end view of the same, having a portion of the back of the hopper A
removed.
The wheels are so gauged as to extend over two rows or drills, and
are provided with bevilled peripherics to enable them to travel on the
tops of the ridges of earth destined to cover the tubers when planted,
whereby the manure laid to receive the tubers is not disturbed by the
traversing of the machine. Two drills or rows are thus planted at the
same time from the two endless chains B carrying the rings or cup-
shaped lifters C, which take up the tubers from the hopper A on the
up travel and discharge them on the down travel, as seen at Figure 1.
The said rings or lifters C are firmly secured to the links of the endless
chains B at the lower ends thereof, and at the opposite ends are hinged
the triangular frames D, upon whose upper faces are secured the
plates E, whose lower ends depend to within any desired space of the
top of the rings or lifters C, as shown. The triangular frames D are
free to move on their pivots, and consequently tend to maintain the
position seen on the upward travel.
When traversing the machine the chain G passing round the notched
pulleys H, H', causes the revolution of the chain pulleys I, I', over
which the endless chains B are carried. The latter passing upwards
through the hopper A take up the tubers therefrom; and as each link
approaches the top of the travel the inner member of the triangular
frames D is in its turn brought into contact with the antifriction
roller a carried in a bracket attached to the upright of the hopper A,
as shown. This contact forces the frames D outwards over the top
of the ring or lifter C, and should the latter have gathered more than
one tuber the surplus is forced off by the plate E, which may be adjusted
to various sizes of potatoes. At the top of the hood or guard K is placed

page_text: a roller brush L actuated by a belt or otherwise from the journal of the
chain pulley I, and having bristles of steel, whalebone, or equivalent
material. The said brush is so placed that as the lifters C are about to
be carried down by the endless chains B to deposit the tubers in the
drills the bristles thereof enter the aperture in the under side of the
ring or lifter and force the tuber from its seat should it have become
fixed. The tuber falls on to the preceeding triangular frame D, and
should the short member of the latter consist of a rod or bar only the
tuber falls on to the back of the preceding ring or lifter. It is now
carried down to the lower extremity of the trough or tube M, where it
falls into its position in the drill.
It will be seen that the waste arising from the planting of more than
one tuber in the same place is obviated, and planting is rendered certain
through the action of the roller brush L aforesaid.
A short tube or trough m is attached to the bottom of the hopper A,
the tubers being prevented from escaping by the passage therethrough
of the endless chains B.
At Figure 3 is a diagram showing a modification of the means of
forcing off the surplus potatoes, under which a hinged plate E is acted
upon by the cam N, caused to rotate from the journal of the chain
pulley I, as shown; Figure 4 shows a portion of the endless chain B
on the downward journey, and is fitted with a modified arrangement of
hanging the triangular frames D. The short member of the frame is
embraced by a spiral spring d, which tends to keep the frames in the
position shown, both on the upward and downward journeys of the
endless chains, this tendency being overcome by the antifriction roller
attached for the purpose of forcing off the surplus tubers, as herein-before
described with reference to Figure 1. By this modification nothing
intervenes between the tubers and the back of the preceding ring or
lifter C, on which they consequently fall, as shown.
The forcing off of surplus tubers may also be effected by the use of
a cam having suitably shaped teeth to project over the rings or lifters
without the intervention of a plate.
My improved machine may be so arranged as to plant one drill
separately, or two or more at the same time.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the

page_text: same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would observe
in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First Providing potato planting machines with hanging frames or
plates acted upon by rollers or cams to force surplus potatoes from the
lifters, as herein-before described and shown on the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings.
Second. The use of a roller brush or similar device to prevent the
tubers from remaining in the lifters after being inverted, as herein-before
described, etc., etc.
Third. The form of the rings or lifters, curved at the sides and hollow
at the bottom, as herein-before described, etc.
Fourth. The trough or tube attached to the bottom of the hopper,
whereby the tubers are prevented from falling out, as herein-before
described, etc.
Fifth. The grooved traversing wheels arranged so as to prevent
displacing the manure laid to receive the tubers, as herein-before
described, etc.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Ferguson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-five.