IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Vickers, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Bone Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE."
Sealed the 13th October 1854, and dated the 20th April 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Vickers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
April 1854.
I, THOMAS VICKERS, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Bone Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE" to be as follows:-
I propose to reduce wool, hair, woollen rags, woollen shoddy, or other similar
materials to a fit state or condition for manure, by means of soda or soda ash,.
made into a caustic lce by lime or other suitable substance; I then boil the
wool, hair, rags, &c., in the liquor thus produced, either by fire, steam, or any
process by which I can produce a boiling heat; this process will reduce the
material to manure, which may be either used alone or in combination with
other manures, according to the strength required for particular crops.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Vickers in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
VICKERS, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Bone Mer-
chant, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent,-bearing date the Twentieth-day-of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Vickers, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Vickers, my
executors, administrators, -and-assigns,--or such others as I, the said Thomas
Vickers, my 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
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF MANURE," upon the. condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Vickers, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas. Vickers, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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):-
My Invention consists in dissolving wool, hair, woollen rags, shoddy, horns,
hoofs, and other similar matters or products in soda, soda ash, or potash, by
means of artificial heat-applied-in any convenient manner, but I prefer steam
at a high pressure, for the purpose of manure; and also in the combination of
the solution thus made with pulverised bones, either boiled or raw; and animal
charcoal or other similar substances. And in order that my Invention may
be fully understood and easily carried into practical effect I will proceed to
describe the process thereof. I take about 10 cwt. of wool, hair, woollen rags,
shoddy, or other waste products-of-wool- or hair,-and-with about 1½ or 2. cwt. of
soda, soda ash, or potash, dissolved to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and place
them in a suitable vessel, into which I admit steam at a high pressure for

page_text: about one hour, when the whole will be dissolved. I then empty the contents
into a vessel containing about 3 cwt. of hoof or horn, dissolved in sulphuric
acid by the aforesaid process. I then add again about 10 cwt. of pulverised
bones, boiled or raw, with about 2 cwt. of animal charcoal or other similar
substances. The whole of the said compound, after being well worked together,
is removed from the vessel to a suitable dry-house, and when sufficiently dry it
is taken and passed through a fine sieve, which renders it capable of being
deposited either alone or conjointly with the seed, either by hand or implements
provided for the purpose.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact
proportions or quantities of the respective matters herein named, as such may
be varied with advantage according to the kind of crops required; the pro-
portions herein given are suitable for turnips, or other similar crops; neither do
I claim the exclusive use of boncs, animal charcoal, &c., dissolved in sulphuric
acid; but I claim as of my Invention, and which, to the best of my knowledge
and belief, has not been hitherto used within this realm, the dissolving of
wool, hair, shoddy, or woollen rags and other waste products of wool and hair
with soda, soda ash, or potash, by means of artificial heat, and combining the
said mixture with horn, hoofs, pulverised bones, calcined animal charcoal,
or other similar substances, for the purposes of manure.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Vickers, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred & fifty foun
THOMAS VICKERS. (L.s.).
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-named
Thomas Vickers, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.