Improvements in Apparatus for Placing Cotton or other Thread Over Trees, Shrubs, or Seed Beds to Prevent Depredations by Birds, technically known as Webbing.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 30th June, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
INVIDIONAL DIUITIVATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Placing Cotton or other Thread Over
Trees, Shrubs, or Seed Beds to Prevent Depredations by Birds,
technically known as Webbing.
We HENRY DICKINSON of Stockport in the County of Chester Gardener, JAMES
WAINWRIGHT Pattern Maker and GEORGE HENRY RICHMOND Engineer both of
83 Carter Street Chorlton-upon-Medlock Manchester in the County of Lancaster
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is well known that seeds, fruit and flowers are subject to much damage whilst
growing from the attacks of birds and that market and other gardeners often
loose a great quantity of seed and consequently produce from this cause.
Hitherto it has been customary to use wire and fish netting and other devices for
the purpose of protection and cotton thread is also largely used and is found to be
the most effective.
When employing cotton thread it has been customary to use the cotton direct
from a bobbin or cop which is a most laborious and slow proceeding.
Now the object of this invention is to make the process of webbing trees bushes
and seed beds less laborious and slow than has hitherto been practicable.
In carrying out our invention we employ a spindle or shuttle tongue mounted in
a frame provided with a handle and depending from such frame is a stick or rod of
a suitable length. We mount a bobbin or cop (cop by preference) upon the spindle
or shuttle tongue and pass the end of the thread from such bobbin or cop down
and along a groove formed in the stick or rod for this purpose and at the extremity
of the stick or rod we mount a thimble or ring which thimble or ring is provided
with a slot through its entire length and such thimble or ring is capable of being
revolved so as to prevent the thread leaving the groove formed in the stick or rod
hereinbefore mentioned. This slot in the thimble or ring is formed for the purpose
of allowing the stick or rod and thimble or ring being more freely threaded.
It will now be obvious that if it is desired to webb say a shrub we first mount a
cop or bobbin upon the spindle or shuttle tongue and then pass the end of the
thread along the groove formed in the stick or rod and out through the slot formed
in the thimble or ring which thimble or ring is then revolved a slight distance so
as to form the slot at the end of the stick or rod into a hole so preventing the thread
leaving the end of the stick or rod. We should now pull a short length of the
thread off the bobbin or cop through the hole formed in the end of the stick or rod
and by then passing the thread over and about the shrub being webbed the thread
will leave the bobbin or cop as required and passing down the slot in the stick or
rod will become laced all over the shrub as required.
Although we have only described a stick or rod it will be apparent that a tube
may be employed but this we find not so convenient in practice.
Dated this First day of October 1890.
HENRY DICKINSON.
JAMES
WAINWRIGHT.
G. H. RICHMOND.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Placing Cotton or other Thread Over
Trees, Shrubs, or Seed Beds to Prevent Depredations by Birds,
technically known as Webbing.
We HENRY DICKINSON of Stockport in the County of Chester Gardener JAMES
WAINWRIGHT Pattern Maker and GEORGE HENRY RICHMOND Engineer both of
83 Carter Street Chorlton-upon-Medlock Manchester in the County of Lancaster
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
It is well known that seeds fruit and flowers are subject to much damage whilst
growing from the attacks of birds and that market and other gardeners often
loose a great quantity of seed and consequently produce from this cause. Hitherto
it has been customary to use wire and fish netting and other devices for the
purpose of protection and cotton thread is also largely used and is found to be the
most effective.
When employing cotton thread it has hitherto been customary to use the
cotton direct from a bobbin or cop which is a most laborious and slow proceeding.
Now the object of this invention is to make the process of webbing trees bushes
and seed beds less laborious and slow than has hitherto been practicable.
In order to make our invention more readily understood and carried into practical
effect we have hereunto annexed a sheet of drawings illustrative of the same and
will now proceed to describe the same with the assistance of the figures and letters
of reference marked thereon.
Fig. 1. is a complete representation of our apparatus as constructed for using a cop
and Fig. 2. is a modification as employed for using a bobbin. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
and 10 are detail views of our improved apparatus.
.
In carrying out our invention we employ a spindle A or shuttle tongue B mounted
in a frame C provided with a handle D and depending from such frame C is a stick
or rod E of a suitable length. We mount a bobbin For cop G upon the spindle A
or shuttle tongue B and pass the end of the thread from such bobbin F or cop G
· down along a groove H formed in the stick E for this purpose or if prefered eyes I
may be employed instead of the groove H. At the extremity of the stick or
rod E we mount a thimble J ring K or porcelain or other hole L and in the case
of using a thimble
such thimble J will be provided with a slot M and this
thimble J is capable of being revolved so as to prevent the thread N leaving the
groove H formed in the stick E. This slot M in the thimble J is formed so as to
allow of the thimble J being more freely threaded. The stick or rod E is secured
to the frame C by means of a screw thread as seen in Fig. 9 and it will be apparent
that if the groove H is extended slightly below the centre of the stick or rod E and
frame C that the groove H at the screw will be formed into a hole for the retention
of the thread N at this point. Another method of securing the stick or rod E to
the frame C is illustrated at Fig. 4, and consists of a sleeve P passing round the
stick or rod E and the end of the frame C which frame C is reduced in diameter at
this point for the purpose. This sleeve P is also provided with a slot H' for the
purpose of allowing the apparatus being more freely threaded. The method of
mounting the cop G as illustrated in Fig. 1 is as follows. The shuttle tongue B is
raised at right angles to the frame C (being hinged at Q for this purpose) and the
cop G is then passed over the shuttle tongue B which shuttle tongue is then forced
into the frame C as illustrated. The stick or rod E is next screwed into the
frame C and the groove H in the stick is placed in line with the groove in the
frame C a length of a thread N is then drawn from the cop G and placed along
the groove H and out through the porcelain hole L the stick or rod E is now
screwed up so that the groove in such stick or rod E is forced past the groove in

page_text: the frame C and this forms a hole to retain the thread N in position at this point,
the apparatus is now ready for use. When we employ the modification shewn at
Fig. 4 the slot H' in the sleeve P is placed parallel with the groove H in the stick
or rod E and frame C and the thread N passed through when the sleeve P is
revolved a slight distance so as to form a hole at this point. When we employ the
modification illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6 the thread N is passed through the eyes I .
and out through the ring K. When we employ a bobbin F we prefer to mount
such bobbin F on a spindle A which spindle A is capable of being withdrawn out of
the frame C for the purpose of having the bobbin F mounted upon it and as regards
the stick or rod any of the forms hereinbefore described may be used in conjunction
with the bobbin F. The method of using this improved apparatus is as follows:-
The cop or bobbin is first mounted upon the shuttle tongue or spindle and the end
of the thread from such cop or bobbin is passed along the groove H formed in the
stick or rod and out through the thimble ring or hole a short length of thread is
then drawn off the cop or bobbin and by passing this end of thread over and about
the tree or shrub to be webbed the thread will leave the cop or bobbin as required
and passing down the groove in the stick or rod will become webbed all over the
tree or shrub as required and this is found in practice to be a most efficient method
of protection. When it is desired to protect a bed in which seeds have been sown
sticks are placed at distances apart and the thread is webbed from stick to stick and
so a net is formed all over the seeds.
--
Although we have only described a stick or rod it will be obvious that a tube may
be used but this we find not so convenient to thread.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this our said
invention we wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the
precise details relative proportions or dimensions of any of the parts herein-
before described and illustrated on the accompanying drawing as the same
may be considerably varied without departing from the invention but what
we claim is :-
Firstly. The use of a cop or bobbin of cotton or other thread mounted sub-
stantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated on the
accompanying drawing.
Secondly. The combination of a handle frame and stick arranged substantially as
and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated on the accompanying
drawing.
Thirdly. The use and application of a thimble ring or hole formed in the end
of a stick for the purpose herein before described and illustrated on the accompanying
drawing.
Fourthly. The novel arrangement for forming a hole for the thread to
pass through as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, 9 and 10 for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
Dated this 29th day of June 1891
HENRY DICKINSON.
JAMES WAINWRIGHT.
GEORGE HENRY RICHMOND.