AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HARROWING, ROLLING, AND SOWING CORN AND SEEDS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Laurence McDonald, and Michael Lenehan, both
of the City of Dublin, Ireland, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Laurence McDonald
and Michael Lenehan at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 26th March 1873.
B
We, LAURENCE MODONALD, and MIOHAEL LENEHAN, both of the City
of Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HARROWING, ROLLING, AND SOWING CORN AND
SEEDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the construction of a machine which
combines in itself a harrow, a roller, and a corn or seed sower or
distributor, and which by one course over the land performs the several
operations of harrowing, rolling, and sowing, thus saving a great
amount of time and labour when compared with the performance of

page_text: those several operations separately and successively as heretofore. The
several parts of the machine are connected with and supported by a
light frame of suitable materials, having parallel side bars connected at
both ends by cross bars. The shafts for the horse or other animal by
which the machine is drawn are attached as may be required to the
cross bars at cither end of the frame as the machine can be drawn from
either end thereof, and a scat for the driver being provided and placed
behind the shafts.
The machine consists of three essential parts, the harrow, the sowing
apparatus, and the roller arranged in a series. The harrow is placed
transversely at one end of the frame, and is of the revolving kind
consisting of teeth mounted on a central spindle or shaft as well under-
stood, such spindle or shaft being supported by and free to rotate in
suitable bearings provided in supports which are connected with or
keyed on to the shaft of roller. Next to the harrow is placed the
sowing apparatus consisting of a corn or seed box, the bottom of which
box is formed of an angular piece of wood attached to the upper end of
a wooden conductor extending in an inclined or oblique position from
the box to the revolving harrow, the lower part of the conductor
constituting the sower by which the corn or seed is distributed or sown
between the harrow and the roller. The conductor is so arranged upon
a transverse bar or pivot as to be capable of turning thereon. The
roller is the next portion of the series and is also placed transversely in
the before mentioned frame, to which latter suitable bearings are
attached in which the axis of the roller is free to revolve. A sheave is
attached to one end of the roller for the reception of an endless belt or
chain which passes over the same, and thence over a sheave attached to
one end of the axis of the harrow shaft on the same side as the sheave
attached to the roller, and by means of which belt or chain the simul-
taneous revolution of the roller and harrow is insured. A hexagon
wheel answering the purposes of studs or projections is rigidly fixed on
cach end of the shaft of the harrow and revolves with it. A sheave is
attached to the shaft of the harrow at one end only. The hexagon
wheels at cach end of the harrow shaft as aforesaid at each revolution of
the harrow strike at the same time the distributor or sower which is
connected with the conductor at each end of the harrow, and thus causo
this conductor to turn upon the transverse bar or pivot before referred
to, thus moving the angular picce forming the bottom of the box, and
:

page_text: allowing a sufficient portion of the corn or seed contained in the box to
escape down the conductor to the soil.
A lever is connected with the before mentioned supports for the
harrow, and centred upon a fulcrum placed at a suitable part of the
frame of the machine. One end of the lever is placed within reach of
the driver or attendant of the machine, and by depressing the same into
a position parallel to the frame the harrow and the distributor or sower
are lifted or raised from the surface of the ground, and thus the machine
forms a roller only. As the machine can be drawn from either end the
process of harrowing, sowing, and rolling can be performed by drawing
the machine from the harrow end. By drawing from the opposite end
the process can be reversed, and by raising the harrow from the ground
as aforesaid the machine becomes a roller only.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that the several
operations of harrowing, sowing, and rolling, or rolling alone can be
performed at one and the same time by one evolution of the machine.
over the land instead of by a series of separate operations as heretofore.
This observation applies not only to the treatment of purely arable land,
but also to those cases in which grass seed is sown after the corn crop
has made its first appearance for pasturage or meadowing purposes the
following year.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Laurence McDonald and Michael Lenehan in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, LAURENCE
MCDONALD, and MICHAEL LENEHAN, both of the City of Dublin, Ircland,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Laurence M'Donald and Michael Lenehan,
Her special licence that we, the said Laurence M'Donald and Michael
Lenehan, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
:

page_text: we, the said Laurence McDonald and Michael Lenehan, our 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 5
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
HARROWING, ROLLING, AND SOWING CORN AND SEEDS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Laurence McDonald and Michael
Lenehan, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 10
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 we, the said Laurence McDonald and Michael 1
Lenehan, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say:-
Our said Invention consists in the construction of a machine which.
combines in itself a harrow, a roller, and a corn or seed sower or 2
distributor, and which by one course over the land performs the several
operations of sowing, harrowing, and rolling, thus saving a great amount
of time and labour when compared with the performance of those several
operations separately and successively as heretofore. The several parts
of the machine are connected with and supported by a light frame of 2
suitable materials having parallel side bars connected at both ends by
cross bars. The shafts for the horse or horses by which the machine
is drawn are attached (as may be required) to the cross bars at either
end of the frame, inasmuch as the machine can be drawn from either
end thereof. The traveller on the shafts to which the back band is 3
attached contains a small pulley wheel, which rolling under the bar
cases the draught on the horse or horses. A seat is provided for the
driver behind the shafts.
..
The machine consists of three essential parts, the harrow, the sowing
apparatus, and the roller, the same being arranged in a series. The 3
harrow, which is of the revolving kind, is placed transversely at one end
of the frame, and consists of teeth respectively passing obliquely through
and wedged in a central spindle or shaft, this spindle or shaft being

page_text: -
supported by and free to rotate in suitable bearings provided in supports,
which supports are connected with the axle of the roller. Next to the
harrow is placed the sowing apparatus which consists of a corn or seed
box, the bottom of which box is formed of an angular piece of wood
attached to the upper end of a wooden conductor; this conductor
extends in an inclined or oblique position from the box to the revolving
harrow, the lower part of the conductor constituting the sower by which
the corn or seed is distributed between the harrow and the roller. The
conductor rests upon pivots by which it is attached to the corn or seed-
box. The roller which is free to revolve on its axle (which axle is also.
free to revolve in suitable bearings attached to the frame) is the next
portion of the series, and is also placed transversely in the before;
mentioned frame. A sheave is attached to one end of the roller, and
another sheave to the axis of the harrow for the reception of an endless
belt or chain which passes over both sheaves in a crossed belt form so as
to cause the harrow and roller from whichever end the machine is
worked to revolve simultaneously reversely to each other. The sheaves.
so attached to the roller and harrow are provided with projections on the
inside of the grooves thereof by which the links of the chain are caught
in their revolution and prevented from slipping. The said sheaves are
of different sizes, that attached to the harrow being so much smaller
than the sheave attached to the roller as to cause the harrow to revolve
four and a half times for each revolution of the roller. To the end of
theroller opposite to that at which the sheave attached thereto is situated
are placed studs or projections which strike and put in motion a
revolving wheel having four points placed under the seed conductor.
The points of this wheel in their revolution strike against the seed
conductor, causing it thereby to rise and fall for each revolution of the
roller, and allowing a sufficiency of corn or seed to escape to the soil.
Attached to the corn or seed box over the angular piece which forms the
bottom thereof is a sliding board, by which controul can be had over the
quantity of corn or seed required to be sown.
A lever is connected with the supports for the harrow, and rests
upon a fulcrum placed at a suitable part of the frame of the machine.
One end of the lever is placed within reach of the driver or attendant of
the machine, and by depressing the same into a position parallel to the
frame the harrow is thereby lifted or raised off the ground. The
distributor or sower is simultaneously by means of a chain connected

page_text: with the lever, also raised, and the flow of corn or seed stopped. The
harrow and corn or seed distributor can be easily removed when the
roller alone is required to be used. The machine can be drawn from
either end, and the processes of sowing, harrowing, and rolling are
performed by drawing from the harrow end. When drawn from the
harrow end the conductor is so placed as to cause the sowing to precede
the harrowing. By drawing the machine from the opposite or roller
end the processes of rolling, sowing, and harrowing successively aro
effected, and by raising the harrow from the ground the machine
becomes a roller only.. This machine is applicable not only to the
treatment of purely arable land, but also to those cases in which grass
seed is sown after the corn crop has made its first appearance for
pasturing or meadowing purposes the following year.
Having thus declared and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider novel and :
original and therefore claim as constituting the Invention secured to us
by the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the com-
bination and arrangement of machinery, parts, and mechanism,
substantially as and for the purposes herein-before set forth and
described, or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said Laurence McDonald and Michael
Lenehan, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-third.
day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-three.
S
LAURENCE MCDONALD. (L.S.)
MICHAEL LENEHAN.
(L.S.)