IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINES FOR SYRINGING OR WASHING THE LEAVES OF PLANTS PARTICULARLY THOSE OF THE HOP AND GRAPE VINE
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Arthur Drake and Richard Muirhead both of
Maidstone in the County of Kent Mechanical Engineers for an Invention of
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINES FOR SYRINGING
OR WASHING THE LEAVES OF PLANTS PARTICULARLY THOSE OF THE HOP AND
GRAPE VINE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Arthur Drake and
Richard Muirhead at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
27th June 1882.
JAMES ARTHUR DRAKE and RICHARD MUIRHEAD both of Maidstone in the
County of Kent, Mechanical Engineers " IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGE-
MENT OF MACHINES FOR SYRINGING OR WASHING THE LEAVES OF PLANTS,-
PARTICULARLY THOSE OF THE HOP AND GRAPE VINE.
Our invention relates to the construction combination and arrangement of parts
constituting a machine, or engine, for throwing a prepared liquid in the form of
spray upon the underside of the leaves of plants affected by the Aphis or other
destructive insect, with the object of destroying the same without injury to the
plant.
The machine consists essentially of a tank or cistern to contain liquid, it is
carried upon a pair of travelling wheels and fitted with a pump or pumps actuated
by mechanism set in motion by the travelling wheels.
The liquid is thrown upwards in the form of spray from a number of small holes
or jets situated in pipes arranged as hereafter described, on both sides of the
machine A pair of handles project from the back of the tank by which a man
guides and steadies the machine when at work.
As the ground to be traversed is generally very rough and uneven it is important
to have the travelling wheels, which are also the driving wheels of the pumps,
of large diameter, but as this would render the machine very unstable if the tank
were mounted above the axle, we adopt one or other of the following constructions
i.e. in order to have the advantage of large travelling wheels combined with a low
[Pierr

page_text: _centre of gravity, we pass the axle of the said travelling wheels through the tank,
at or near the centre thereof, the sides of the tank where the axle passes through
being provided with hollow trunnions and stuffing boxes packed to prevent
leakage.
On the centre of this axle and in the middle of the tank a spur wheel is mounted
which gears with and imparts motion to a second spur wheel or pinion on the crank
shaft which actuates the pump preferably placed horizontally in the forward part
of the tank by means of connecting rods. By adopting this method of construction
several important advantages are secured, for instance, all the working parts being
entirely inside the tank are not only themselves protected from dust and injury
but are likewise incapable of becoming entangled with and doing any damage to
the tender overhanging branches and foliage of the plants
When the machines are required for use in very hilly ground we construct them
with very large travelling wheels the axle being passed through the upper part
of the tank or entirely above it, the whole of the machinery being placed inside
the tank as just described. As the liquid used generally consists of a strong
solution of soft soap in water by this arrangement no other lubricant is required
for the bearings.
Although we consider the above the best method of carrying out our invention
we do not confine ourselves to that particular form of construction. For instance
instead of providing the tank with trunnions and stuffing boxes the axle may be
passed through a tubo which is firmly rivited between the sides of the tank in
this case the gearing or driving mechanism for working the pumps would be
situated outside the tank between the latter and the driving wheel on one side of
the machine. The pumps would then be placed inside and the crank shaft across
the top of the tank. Or instead of a tube the tank may have a U or shaped
partition across the centre in which the axle may be placed. The pumps and
mechanism being arranged on one side as in the previous case.
Or the axle may be bent or cranked so as to pass below the bottom of the tank,
in which case, as the axle would not revolve the motion for working the pumps &
would have to be taken from the wheels themselves on both sides of the
machine
Our Invention also relates to the construction and arrangement of the pumps
and valve boxes. In the methods of construction first described which are the
plans we prefer the pump barrels which are made separately from the valve boxes
are placed horizontally inside the tank and are bolted to the front plate by a flange
or flanges the valve boxes are bolted on to the outside of the same plate of the
tank by a similar flange or flanges to those on the barrels the same bolts passing
through both secure all together.
The valves boxes are outside and the valves are easily accessible and can be
taken out and cleaned at any time without necessitating the emptying of the
tank.
On the top of the valve box we mount an air vessel in the usual way and from
this two branch pipes proceed one to each side of the machine where they are sub-
divided into four or more pipes placed horizontally in tiers one above another.. All
these side pipes are perforated on the upper side only with small holes to form the
spray the two lower ones on each side being fixed outside the wheels perform a
double office as they also act as wheel guards to prevent the wheels from coming
in contact with the poles on which the plants are trained.

page_text: Another arrangement of mechanism is shown by Figures 16, and 17; according
to this method of construction, instead of a spur wheel, a pair of eccentrics 30, are
mounted upon a sleeve 31 fitted upon the main axle 25. 32 are a pair of beams
or levers of the third kind near the centre of which there are slots in which the
eccentrics work, one end of these beams is attached by a joint and pin 33 to a
bearing 34 fixed to one end of the tank and the other ends are connected by
rods 35 direct to the buckets 36 of the pumps 22 placed vertically at the other end
of the tank. The rotation of the eccentrics, will of course impart a reciprocating
motion to the beams and consequently to the pump plungers. This method of
construction which may be further modified for special cases has several other
important advantages besides those already enumerated; for instance as the liquid
used generally consists of a solution of soft soap and other ingredients in water
with either of the above described or similar arrangements no other lubricant is
required for the working parts, which being submerged in the liquid keep it in a
state of constant agitation and are not only lubricated thereby and protected from
dust and injury, but are likewise incapable of becoming entangled with and doing
any damage to the tender overhanging branches and foliage of the plants.
Our Invention also relates to the construction and arrangement of the pumps,
valve boxes, and delivery pipes.
In the method of construction first described and represented by Figures 1, 2
and 3, the pump barrels 22 which are made separately from the valve boxes 37,
are placed horizontally inside the tank and are bolted to the end plate by a flange
or flanges, the valvo boxes 37 are bolted on to the outside of the same plate of
the tank by a similar flange or flanges to those on the barrels, the same bolts
passing through all secure the whole together. The valve boxes are outside and
the valves are easily accessible and can be taken out cleaned or repaired without
necessitating the removal of any of the mechanism inside the tank.
On the top of the valve box two air vessels 38 are mounted with the rising
main 39 between them see Figures 1 and 2 and from this two branch pipes 40
proceed, one to each side of the machine where they are again subdivided into four
or more branches 41 and connected by pieces of flexible india rubber tubing 42 to
horizontal pipes 23 arranged in tiers at about equal distances one above another.
In the upper side only of these last mentioned pipes a number of very small holes
are pierced (shown by dots in Figures 16) from which the liquid is thrown upwards
in the form of fine spray so as to wet the undersides of the leaves. The pipes and
holes in them are arranged in such a manner relatively to one another that the
streams of liquid issuing from them although somewhat close together are kept
distinct and do not intermingle. These jet pipes are adjustable to suit the width of
the alley by simply slackeuing the nuts which hold the staples 43 the flexible con-
necting tubes 42 will then permit the jet pipes to be drawn nearer to or further from
the side of the machine, the object being to get the jet pipes as far as possible under
the leaves to be operated upon. They can also be set at any angle so as to direct
the jets to any part of the plant and adapt the machine to the various modes of
cultivation or growth and condition of the plants. The two lower rows of jet
pipes on each side being fixed outside the wheels perform a double office by acting
as wheel guards to prevent the wheels from coming in contact with the poles or
strings on which the plants are trained.
In order to obviate the man guiding the machine from behind where the width
of alley and headland will permit of their use, the machines are constructed with
shafts permanently attached to the sides of the tank as shown in Figures_14
and 16 and when this is done the handles may generally be dispensed with. But
as in many cases there would not be sufficient width to allow of a machine so
constructed being turned round in the alley we adopt the following contrivance:―
Instead of attaching the shafts permanently to the machine we make them detach-
able as shewn by Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. At the back end of the shafts an arm
or arms 44, project forming as it were a continuation of the shafts, and on the top
or sides of the tank as the case may be we provide a socket or sockets 45, to

page_text: receive the aforesaid arms of the shafts, the said sockets are each fitted with a
pawl or detent 46, which pressed forward by as pring catches into a notch 48* or
notches formed in the arms 44 and prevents them from being withdrawn. The
pawls are connected to a lever 47 placed in an accessible position on the top or
side of the machine.
When the machine arrives at the end of its journey and it is necessary to turn
it round the man in charge lifts the lever and pawls which releases the shafts.
The horse then walks away taking the shafts with him attached by the harness.
The man turns the machine round by means of the handles 24, Figure 1, and the
horse having previously turned round, backs sufficiently to make the shafts enter
the sockets, and the pawls having caught in the notches the machine is again ready
for another journey.
Although we consider the above the best methods of carrying out our Invention
we do not confine ourselves to those particular forms of construction or arrange-
ments of mechanism. For instance instead of providing the tank with trunnions
and stuffing boxes the axle may be passed through a tube 48, which is firmly
rivetted between the sides of the tank as shewn in Figures 4 and 5, or instead of
a tube the tank may have a Ụ or Ɑ shaped watertight partition across the centre
in which the axle may be placed, see Figures 6 and 7. In either of the above
arrangements the gearing or mechanism for working the pumps would consist of
an endless chain 49 passing round one chain wheel on the main axle and another
one on the crank shaft as shown by Figure 13. The crank shaft 50 would then be
placed across the top of the tank with the pumps 22 vertically below it inside the
tank.
Or the axle may be bent or cranked so as to pass below the bottom of the tank
in a way well understood, in which case as the axle would not revolve the motion
for working the pumps would have to be taken from the wheels themselves ou
both sides of the machine.
In certain cases, as for instance when the machines are required for use in very
billy ground we construct them with much larger travelling wheels than those
shown on the drawings the axle being then passed through the upper part of the
tank or entirely above it and the whole of the machinery placed inside the tank
as previously described.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed We declare that we claim :—
The movable machine or engine by and from which a liquid in spray form can
be projected from side pipes and branches for distribution against leaves of growing
plants as herein before described and substantially as shown in the annexed
drawings.
In witness whereof we the said James Arthur Drake and Richard Muirhead
have hereunto set our hands and seals this Twenty second day of
December in the year of our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and
eighty two.
JAMES ARTHUR DRAKE. (L.B.)
RICHARD
MUIRHEAD.
(L.B.)