AN IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL INSTRUMENT FOR PREPARING LAND IN VARIOUS WAYS FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME GREETING,
1, JOHN THANG HARRADINE, of Holywell-cum-Needingworth, in the County of
Huntingdon, Farmer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Fourteenth day of October, in the eleventh year of Her reign, did give
and grant unto me, the said John Thang Harradine, my exors, admors, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said John Thang Harradine, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such
others, as I, the said John Thang Harradine, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times hereafter during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in our Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and also in all our Colonies and Plantations abroad, my
Invention of "AN IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL INSTRUMENT FOR PREPARING LAND
IN VARIOUS WAYS FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Thang Harradine, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrunent in writing under my
hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery

page_text: within six calendar months next immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Thang Harradine, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved agricultural instrument for
preparing land in various ways for agricultural purposes; Figure 2 is a back
elevation, and Figure 3 a plan of the same; Figures 4 and 5 are some of the
parts shewn detached, in order to render them more intelligible, and to make
their construction more easily understood. Similar letters of reference refer
to similar parts in all these Figures.
My improved instrument consists, in the first place, of a travelling frame or
carriage, to which a second or working frame is connected, as herein-after
described. A, A, is the longitudinal travelling frame, of a ring-shaped a
circular form at the one end A', A', and resting at the hinder part. upon
two wheels B, B. These wheels are connected with the frame A, A, by hori-
zontal rods b, b, which slide in eye bolts c, c, permanently affixed to the
frame A, which admits of the wheels B, B, being set at any required distance
as under, according to the purpose for which the instrument is to be employed.
Within the ring-shaped or circular portions of the fore part of the frame A¹, A¹,
there is an independent axletree C, C, carrying the larger wheels D, D, which
wheels, like the smaller ones, are capable of lateral adjustment by means of
the horizontal rods 6' sliding in the eye bolts c¹. Two traverse bearing plates
E, E, rise from the axletree c, and support the cross rail F, which is bolted to
the circular part of the frame A', A¹. When the independent axletree C, C,
turns horizontally within the circular part of the frame A', A', upon its central
pin C', the ends of the cross rail F traverse on the top of the plates E. In
order to effect the girding of the wheels D, D, there is placed on one or both
sides of the instrument a lever G, which extends from the hinder part or back
of the instrument to the top of the circular fore part of the frame, where it is
centred upon a bolt at g, and terminates in two curved arms, which descend,
clasping the independent axletree C, C, between them, so that on raising or
depressing the handle of the lever G, the axle C is pushed forwards or back-
wards, and so caused to turn horizontally upon its centre C', and the instrument

page_text: inclines to the right or to the left, according to the direction in which the axles
of the wheels have been moved. The instrument is to be drawn by horses,
for which purpose it is furnished with a pair of shafts H, H, attached to the
instrument by a rod h, which passes through holes made at various heights in
the frame A', A', for that purpose. For breaking up land and similar heavy
work I prefer to use the shafts H, H, but when the instrument is employed
for hoeing, drilling, or other light work I prefer to use whippletrees, attached
by a ring or other convenient method to the central portion of the frame A', A',
as shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 3.
The parts herein-before described comprise so much as constitutes what I
term the travelling frame or carriage of the instrument, upon which is mounted
a second frame, carrying the implements for preparing land in various ways
for agricultural purposes. The second or working frame is formed by the three
longitudinal bars I, I, I, and the cross bars I, 12; the former are attached at
one end by bolts to the circular part of the frame A', A', in which several
bolt holes are made for adjusting the point of attachment, according to the
nature of the work to be performed. The central longitudinal bar I passes
between two upright guides K, attached to the frame A, which guides K
also carry. an apparatus for raising or falling the working frame and the
implements attached thereto. This apparatus consists of a lever or handle L,.
turning on a centre at 1, and terminating in a curved blade, as is shewn by the
dotted lines in Figure 1. This curved blade works within a sheath or case
affixed to a curved lever M, turning on a centre at m, beyond which it pro-
jects, and is jointed by a link piece N to the frame I. When it becomes
necessary to lift the implements which are affixed to the frame I out of work,
for the purpose of turning corners, passing over paths, or other purposes, it is
accomplished by pulling down the lever L, which depresses the curved lever
M, the other end of which, by means of the link piece N, raises the frame I,
and the implements which it carries, clear of the ground. O, O, are two
guiding handles, affixed to the frame I. Upon the cross bars I, I, of the
working frame are placed any required number of adjustable sockets, S, S, S,
t, t, t, for the reception of tines, hoes, coulters, or other implements suitable
for preparing land for agricultural purposes. The height of the attached
implements in the sockets may be regulated by set screws in the ordinary
manner, or by a spring catch, as herein-after described. For hoeing between
the rows of young plants, the sockets S, S, S, may be equipped with hoes of
the usual form, as represented in the Drawings. For scarifying or breaking
up land a larger and more powerful implement must be used. For drilling, a

page_text: drill box, constructed and worked in the usual manner, may be mounted on
the top of the frame I, and the sockets s, s, s, equipped with a coulter of the
form shewn in Figure 5. P is the coulter, and p, p, p, the seed funnels. This
Figure also shews my improved method of raising and depressing the various
implements in the sockets by means of a lever motion; for this purpose an
upright rod is mounted on the socket t, to the top of which rod a lever T is
jointed; the coulter or other implement being attached to this lever, rises and
falls with it. For holding the implement at any required elevation, the back
edge of its stem is notched, for receiving a spring catch, which is attached to
the socket at q. On pulling back this spring the coulter or other implement
is free to move up and down in the socket, but on releasing the spring catch
it becomes fixed in its position. Figure 4 shews an improved tine for har-
rowing, any required number of which may be inserted in the sockets S, S, t, t,
converting the instrument into an efficient harrow. The straight upper part of
these tines are furnished with a revolving sheath W, by which means they
work much cleaner than when the earth comes in contact with a fixed surface.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as new
and of my Invention is, an improved instrument for preparing land in various
ways for agricultural purposes, consisting of a working frame for the attach-
ment of suitable implements, mounted upon a travelling frame or carriage, the
fore part of which rests upon an independent axletree, capable of being guided
by a lever, arranged and constructed as herein-before described, and shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
I also claim the peculiar method of raising and lowering in their sockets
the various implements, such as harrow tines, scarrifyers, coulters, and the
like, attached to the working frame by means of a separate lever to the stem of
each tool, and also the mode of retaining such implements at any required
elevation in their sockets by means of a spring catch, all which is described
and shewn in Figure 5, which exhibits a coulter fitted in this way.
And, lastly, I claim the application of a revolving sheath W, whether applied
to tines for harrowing, or to other agricultural implements, as herein-before
described, and shewn in Figure 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thang Harradine, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my seal, this Fourteenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
JOHN THANG (L.S.) HARRADINE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of April,
in the year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid John Thang Harradine came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification 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 Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.