IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DISTRIBUTING CORN AND OTHER GRAIN ON LAND, AND ALSO FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN GIVING MOTION TO AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER MACHINERY
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HAWKINS NICHOLLS, of Grange Bourne, in the County of Lincoln, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of Septem-
ber, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the eleventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Hawkins Nicholls, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert
Hawkins Nicholls, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, as I, the said Robert Haw-
kins Nicholls, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DISTRIBUTING CORN AND OTHER GRAIN
ON LAND, AND ALSO FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN GIVING MOTION TO AGRICULTURAL AND
OTHER MACHINERY;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I
the said Robert Hawkins Nicholls, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months

page_text: next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert Hawkins Nicholls, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention has for its object apparatus for planting corn or grain in the
land at regulated intervals. And, in order that the Invention may be most
fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the
Drawings hereunto annexed, in the various Figures of which the same letters
are used to indicate the same parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a front elevation of a double apparatus, constructed and
combined according to my Invention. Figure 2 is a side section thereof, and
Fig. 3, a plan, partly in section. And I would state, that, although I have
shewn two apparatus combined into one instrument, one or more than two may
be arranged to constitute an instrument, as will be obvious to a person capable
of making such an apparatus. The two apparatus shewn in Figure 1. are
alike; and therefore the description of one will be sufficient, in order to the
whole being fully understood.. a is a tube having a cover b at its upper end,.
through which works the rod c freely, the lower end of the rod being somewhat
larger than the other parts, in order to fit the opening formed by the mouth-
piece d fixed at the lower end of the tube a; and it will be seen that the
mouthpiece is moveable, and it is fixed by a spring catch, or by other con-
venient means, so as to allow of the mouthpiece being readily removed and
again applied. And I would state that apparatus having fixed mouthpieces
have before been made which are liable to the objection that if a stone or
other impediment gets in, the apparatus, will be put out of order, and not
readily put in working order again; but, by having the mouthpiece readily
removable, the apparatus will be materially improved..e is a handle, which is
attached by a set screw f. to the stem.9.;, and.h, h, are, two rods fixed to the
stem g, by which arrangement the apparatus for distributing the seed can be
set further or nearer together, and be, securely held on, the, rods h, h, by set
screws i, 2¹. The rod c is raised and lowered in the following manner :-) is a
lever handle, which moves on an axis at k, supported from the projection / on

page_text: 8
the stem g. One end of the lever works in a slot formed in the rod m, which
slides in a socket or opening through the projection 1, as shewn, there being
rod n fixed to the lower end of the rod m, which, passing through eyes or
openings of the rods c, caused tliem to be raised and lowered by moving the
lever handle j. At the upper part of the tube a is an opening formed, in
front of which 'is fixed a seed box o, the section of which is shown at Figure 2.
The box is divided into two compartments o¹; 0%, the seed being filled into the
compartment o', from which it flows into the compartment o³ through the
slide p, which can be adjusted to suit the seed which for the time being is
being distributed by the apparatus. q is a curved and cranked instrument
which is fixed on the axis r, and the axis r receives motion from the upper
part of the rod c by means of the connecting rods, attached by a pin joint at
the upper end to the rod.c, and by a pin joint at its lower end to.the..arm t
fixed to the axis r. The upper end of the curved instrument q is hollow, so
as to receive one or more grains of the seed, and the hollow cup q' for such
purpose should be moveable, so as to be changed to suit the particular seed to
be distributed by the apparatus, and according as it is desired to put one or
more grains into the same hole. In using this machine the apparatus is
carried in one hand by means of the handle e, and on the instrument being
brought down the mouthpieces are pressed into the earth; then the handle j
is pressed down, which raises the rod c, by which means the instrument q will
turn upon its axis, and by its cup q' carry up seed and throw it into the tube-a,
down which it will descend, and remain till the rod c is again raised, when it
will fall through the mouthpiece into the hole in the land, and then the handle
jis raised up, which will drive the seed down on to: the land, and the instru-
ment will be raised, and moved to another place when it is desired to deposit
more seed.:
1-
・
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would remark that I do not confine myself
to the details as herein described, so long as the peculiar character of my
Invention be retained. And I would state that I am aware that apparatus
having a similar mouthpiece (but fixed); together with a rod acting through it,
as herein described, for distributing seed; has before been constructed. I do
not, therefore, claim the same. But what I claim is, the moveable mouthpiece,
and the mode of constructing and. working the instrument q.
In witness whereof I, the said Robert Hawkins Nicholls, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
ROBT H. NICHOLLS. (L.s.)

page_text: In the Matter of a Patent granted to Robert Hawkins Nicholls, of
Grange Bourne, in the County of Lincoln, Gentleman, for his
Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for Distributing Corn
and other Grain on Land, and also for Improvements in Giving
Motion to Agricultural and other Machinery," bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirtieth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-seven.
DISCLAIMER proposed to be entered by the said Robert Hawkins Nicholls
with the Clerk of the Patents of England, pursuant to an Act passed
in the fifth and sixth year of the reign of His late Majesty King
William IV., entitled "An Act to amend the Law touching Letters
Patents for Inventions."
i
I, the said Robert Hawkins Nicholls, do declare that since I obtained the
said Letters Patent I have discovered that the Invention which was intended
to have been described under that part of the title which is contained in the
following words," and also for Improvements in Giving Motion to Agricul
tural and other Machinery," is not of such practical utility as would make it
desirable to retain it in the said Patent; for which reason I am desirous to and
do hereby disclaim all that part of the title which is contained in the
following words:-"and also for Improvements in Giving Motion to Agricul-
tural and other Machinery."
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Hawkins Nicholls, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
ROBT H. (L.S.) NICHOLLS.
To the Clerk of the Patents of England.
This is to certify, that Robert Hawkins Nicholls, of Grange Bourne, in the
County of Lincoln, Gentleman, has applied to me for leave to enter with you
the above-written Disclaimer of a part of the title of a certain Invention for
which Letters Patent were granted to him under the Great Seal, dated the
30th of September, 1847; and having considered of the said application, and
no objection having been made to the same, I have accordingly granted leave
to the said Robert Hawkins Nicholls to file his said Disclaimer, pursuant to the

page_text: Statute passed in the 5th and 6th years of the reign of His late Majesty,
entitled An Act to amend the Laws touching Letters Patent for Inventions.
JOHN JERVIS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-ninth day of March, in
the year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid Robert Hawkins Nicholls came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thou-
Enrolled the Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and forty-eight.