IMPROVE- MENTS IN PLOUGHING AND TILLING LAND
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Mortimer Platt, of the City of New York,
United States of America, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PLOUGHING AND TILLING LAND."
Sealed the 27th August 1858, and dated the 1st March 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Mortimer Platt
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st March 1858.
I, HENRY MORTIMER PLATT, of the City of New York, United States'
of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHING AND TILLING LAND," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of certain improvements in machinery for ploughing
and tilling land, the object being to turn up the soil in a superior manner, and
to pulverize it at one operation, the said Invention being designed to facilitate
the employment of steam as a motive power as well as the power of men and
animals. The principle consists in the use of a revolving screw-shaped share,
supported upon a wheeled carriage, and so coupled and geared to the wheels
that as the machine advances the screw-shaped share will enter the ground and
be made at the same time to revolve with a certain velocity according as it is
geared with the wheels and also proportioned to the speed of the latter. As
the furrow slice is lifted it is at the same time so completely cross-cut by the
revolving share as to effect its proper pulverizing, whereby it is left fit for
the immediate planting of seed, and the harrowing operation is thereby -
saved.

page_text: The cart frame is supported upon three wheels, two of which are the
driving ones for revolving the plough share. These are broad-faced wheels
with cross ribs at short distances fixed upon them, these latter being for the
purpose of securing the necessary grip or friction on the ground to cause them
to turn the share; combined with these is the third wheel standing at the
front end or plough beam, to which it is connected in such manner that the
height of the latter from the ground may be varied according to the varying
depths at which it is desired that the ploughing shall be done. The plough-
share or instrument for turning the furrow consists of two or more blades of
metal formed into a spiral or screw upon a shaft; this tapers to a point at
its advancing end, and is so attached to the frame by its shaft as to incline
toward the ground. The shaft passes through journal boxes, and has at its
inner end a toothed pinion wheel, which meshes into a like wheel upon the axle
of the cart. The operation is as follows:-Having set the beam by elevating
or lowering the third wheel to give the depth at which the ploughing is to.be
done, and the machine being then drawn over the field, the ploughing will go on
by a furrow being formed by the pointed end of the screw entering the ground
in a slanting direction; as this advances a furrow slice will be raised up,
sliding along and up the spiral blade of the screw, but as the screw revolves,
at the same time that it advances, the ground is thrown out, and is then cut or
broken into fragments by the edges of its blades coming successively upon it
before it has time to get clear of them. The screws may be made of several
blades, thus forming two, three, or four-threaded screws. The screw starts at
its point as two-threaded, and near its upper and largest part it has two other
blades attached so as to make it four-threaded at and near its rear end.
In ploughing so deep as to raise the subsoil the action is peculiarly
advantageous, since that subsoil instead of being thrown up so as to lie on the
top of the earth which has been turned over where it can come into contact
with anything planted to the injury thereof, the said subsoil is by these
improvements completely subdivided and distributed so evenly throughout the
mass as to do. no injury, but on the contrary becomes rapidly assimilated
therewith.
In ploughing by steam a number of the screws can be arranged across one
frame, and be operated by a single pair of wheels, these latter being placed far
enough apart to admit of the necessary geared wheels to act on the pinions of
the ploughs; variations in the shape of the screw-cutters are also contemplated
by which either greater depth with less width of furrow, or greater width with
less proportionate depth, can be ploughed according to circumstances.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Mortimer Platt in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
MORTIMER PLATT, of the City of New York, United States of America,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Mortimer Platt, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Mortimer
Platt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henry Mortimer Platt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
PLOUGHING AND TILLING LAND," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Henry Mortimer Platt, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly 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 I, the said Henry Mortimer Platt, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:--
My Invention is for improvements in machinery for tilling land, the object
being to turn up the soil in a superior manner, and to pulverize it at.one
operation, said Invention being designed to employ steam as a motive power,
as well as the power of men and animals. The principle consists in the use of
a revolving screw shaped share supported upon a wheeled carriage, and so
coupled and geared to the wheels that as the machine advances the screw-
shaped share will enter the ground, and be made at the same time to revolve
with a certain velocity according as it is geared with the wheels, and also pro-
portioned to the speed of the latter. As the furrow slice is lifted it is at the

page_text: same time so completely cross-cut by the revolving share as to effect its proper
pulverizing, whereby it is left fit for the immediate planting of seed, and the
harrowing operation is thereby saved.
The cart frame is supported upon three wheels, two of which are the driving
ones for revolving the plough share. These are seen at A, and as repre-
sented are broad-faced wheels with cross ribs at short distances fixed upon
them, these latter being for the purpose of securing the necessary grip or
friction in the ground to cause them to turn the share. At B is the third
wheel standing at the front end or plough beam, to which it is connected in
such manner that the height of the latter from the ground may be varied
according to the varying depths at which it is desired that the ploughing shall
be done. The plough share or instrument for turning the furrow consists of two
or more blades of metal formed into a spiral or screw upon a shaft, as seen at
C; this tapers to a point at its advancing end, and is so attached to the frame
by its shaft as to incline towards the ground. The shaft passes through journal
boxes D as shown, and has at its inner end at E a toothed pinion wheel,
which meshes into a like wheel F upon the axle of the cart. The other parts
of the construction are sufficiently indicated by the Drawings. The operation
is as follows:-Having set the beam by elevating or lowering the wheel B
to give the depth at which the ploughing is to be done, and the machine
being then drawn over the field, the ploughing will go on by a furrow
being formed by the pointed end of the screw entering the ground in a
slanting direction. As this advances a furrow slice will be raised up, sliding.
along and up the spiral blade of the screw, but as the screw revolves at the
same time that it advances, the ground is thrown out, and is then cut or
broken into fragments by the edges of the blades coming successively upon it
before it has time to get clear of them. The screws may be made of several
blades, thus forming two, three, or four-threaded screws. As shown in the
Drawings, the screw starts at its point as two-threaded, and near its upper
and largest part it has two other blades as at (a), attached so as to make it
four-threaded at and near its rear end.
In ploughing so deep as to raise the subsoil the action is peculiarly advan-
tageous, since that subsoil (instead of being thrown up so as to lie on the top
of the earth which has been turned over, where it can come into contact with
anything planted to the injury thereof), is by these improvements completely
subdivided and distributed so evenly throughout the mass as to do no injury,
but on the contrary becomes rapidly assimilated therewith.
In ploughing by steam a number of the screws can be arranged across one
frame, and be operated by a single pair of wheels, these latter being placed

page_text: far enough apart to admit of the necessary geared wheels to act on the pinions
of the ploughs. Variations in the shape of the screw cutters are also con-
templated, by which either greater depth with less width of furrow, or greater
width with less proportionate depth, can be ploughed according to circumstances.
What I claim is the revolving spiral cutter constructed and made to
operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at New
York, this Eighth day of July, A.D. One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight.
HENRY MORTIMER PLATT. (L.S.)
aken and declared at Her Britannick
Majesty's Consulate, at New York,
this Tenth day of July, A.D., 1858,
Before me,
PIERREPONT EDWARDS,
(L.S.)
H. B. M. Vice-Consul.