CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPA- RATUS. FOR WATERING,. MANURING, AND DRYING TREES, PLANTS, SEEDS, AND ROOTS, AND. FOR ACCELERATING AND IMPROVING THE GROWTH AND PRODUCE OF TREES, PLANTS, SEEDS; AND ROOTS
Year: 1845

page_text: ROSENBORG AND MALAM'S SPECIFICATION..
TO ALL TO WHOM: THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERIC
ROSENBORG, of the Borough of. Kingston-upon-Hull, Gentleman, and JOHN
MALAM: also of the same Borough, Gas Manufacturer, send greeting.
..WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty, Queen. Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under. the: Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Second day of October, in the ninth. of Her
year
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Frederic Rosenborg and John Malam, Her especial license, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that we, the said Frederic Rosenborg and John
Malam; our executors; administrators, and assigns, and such others as we, the
said Frederic Rosenborg and John Malam, our executors, administrators, 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 mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise; and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed; our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPA-
RATUS. FOR WATERING,. MANURING, AND DRYING TREES, PLANTS, SEEDS, AND ROOTS,
AND. FOR ACCELERATING AND IMPROVING THE GROWTH AND PRODUCE OF TREES,
PLANTS, SEEDS; AND ROOTS;" in. which said.Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging us, the said, Frederic Rosenborg and John Malam, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, par-
ticularly to describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her

page_text: said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months 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, we, the said
Frederic Rosenborg and John Malam, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof (that is to say):-
Our Invention of "Improvements in or Apparatus for Watering, Manuring,
and Drying Trees, Plants, Seeds, and Roots, and for Accelerating and Im-
proving the Growth and Produce of Trees, Plants, Seeds, and Roots," consists,
first, of an improved method of infusing or diffusing, through the ground in
which the trees, plants, seeds, and roots are growing, either warm or cold
water, or steam, or manure either in the form of gas or liquid, or warm or
cold air, according to the purpose which it is intended to effect. Our Inven-
tion consists, secondly, in passing currents of electricity through fields or lands
in which agricultural produce is growing, in order to accelerate the growth
of the plants and increase the produce thereof. The means we adopt for
carrying into effect the first part of our Invention consists in the employment
of a series of tubes or pipes, or covered channels, made of earthenware, clay,
or other suitable material, the top and sides of which are perforated with holes
or slits. These pipes, tubes, or channels, are laid down in the field or fields
at from one to six feet, or at any suitable depth below the surface, somewhat
upon the plan or principle that drain tiles are now laid down. The shape of
the tubes, pipes, or channels, is not material, and their depth below the sur-
face, and also the distance they are laid apart, must be regulated according to
circumstances and the nature of the soil. In order to water the field or infuse
humidity into the ground we cause warm or cold water, or steam, to circulate
through these pipes, tubes, or channels, which are all made to communicate
with each other, and by the water or steam escaping through the holes, slits,
or perforations made in the same, it will diffuse itself through the soil and
communicate moisture to the roots of the trees or plants growing in the field
in a much more effective way than by surface watering,. and with considerably
less liquid. In order to make the water or steam exude from the pipes, tubes,
'or channels, we make use of such an amount of pressure as is necessary to
effect this object, but we do not confine ourselves to any particular mode of
imparting this pressure, as any of the known plans which may be found con-
venient may be employed. In order to manure a field we prepare and em-
ploy the manure in two different forms, either of which may be used at

page_text: pleasure. The manure may be prepared and used either in the form of steami
or a liquid, or in the form of gas. If the former plan is intended to be em-
ployed, the substances containing the requisite constituents of the manure are
to be dissolved or boiled in water, and this liquid, or the steam therefrom, is
conveyed under pressure through the perforated pipes, tubes; or channels, in
the same way as the common water when required for watering or moistening
the ground as above described; or the liquid manure, such as ammoniacal
water or other liquids, may be forced through the pipes in a liquid state;
either cold or hot, as may be thought desirable. If the manure is to be em-
ployed in the form of gas we make use of an ordinary gas retort, or several
retorts, in which the substance containing the gaseous manure in a latent state
is enclosed, and by exposing the retorts to heat the gas will be obtained or
driven off in the same manner as in the manufacture of ordinary coal
gas, and
by the pressure from the retort or retorts, or by pumps or other means, the
gas is forced through the perforated pipes and diffused throughout the adjacent
ground and among the seeds or roots. In order to dry the earth around seeds
or roots, and to evaporate the water or superabundant moisture from the soil,
we cause hot or cold air to be forced by pumps, fans; or any other convenient
mode, through the above described perforated pipes, which, by escaping there-
from into the adjacent ground, will find its way to the surface, and carry off
a considerable quantity of moisture. If it be desired to use warm or hot air
it may be heated in any convenient and well-known manner, as we do not
confine ourselves to any particular mode of heating the air; and as such a
number of different means of effecting this object are already known and in use
for other purposes, we have not thought it necessary to enter into any detailed
description thereof. In order to pass currents of electricity. through or beneath
the surface of the ground for the purpose of accelerating the growth of trees,
plants, seeds, and roots, and encrease their produce, we lay down a series of
wires at a convenient and suitable depth in the ground, and we pass currents
of electricity obtained. from a high-pressure steam boiler or boilers,' or
from a powerful battery along these wires, from whence the electricity diffuses
itself among the seeds and roots, and materially assists and accelerates vege-
tation. In order to obtain electricity from steam boilers the boiler should be
insulated by being mounted upon columns or pillars made of glass, or in any
other convenient manner, and the steam should be raised therein to a pressure
of from fifty to one hundred pounds upon the square inch. The boiler will
then give off a large amount of negative electricity proportionate to the pres-
sure of the steam in the boiler. The electricity thus obtained is conducted
from the boiler in precisely the same manner.as from an ordinary electrifying

page_text: machine, or, from a charged battery; and by means of, any, of the ordinary kinds
of conductors, such as chains or copper wires, the electricity may be conducted
to any distant, point, or through any given.'course; or circuit. The electricity
obtained in, the manner, above),described, is negative, but positive electricity
may be obtained from the same source by employing a number of jets of steam,
which must be made to emanate from the boiler and directed towards as many
sharp brass points, one jet of steam to every point... These points: must be
mounted, on an insulated frame separate from the boiler, and a brass or.copper
ball, is placed at one end of the frame,, and, the positive electricity is conducted
therefrom, in the usual way. The positive electricity, may be used for agri-
cultural purposes in the manner above set forth, as well as the negative, but
the,,apparatus necessary to. obtain the former; being, more costly and com-
plicated, than that required for the latter, negative, electricity will perhaps be
most generally, employede
"
2. 5
Having now, described, our Invention, and the manner in which, the same is
carried into.effect, we wish it to be understood, that we do not claim as any
part of our, Invention laying down pipes or tubes of earthenware or clay in
land, for, the purpose of, draining, nor do we intend to confine: ourselves to any
particular, means of forcing the water,, steam,, air, or gases, through: the per-
forated pipes or tubes, but we claim 'as our Invention, secured to us by the
herein before: in part, recited: Letters Patent; the mode or modes: above
described, of watering, drying, manuring, and accelerating the-growth. and
produce, of trees, plants, seeds, and roots...
In witness whereof; we, the said Frederic Rosenborg and John Malam,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirty-first day of March,
in the year of our Lord: One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
JOHN (L.s.) MALAM.
FREDERICK (L.s:) ROSENBORG..
:
AND. BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Thirty-first day of Marchi,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Frederic Rosenborg and John
Malam came before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid and all and every thing therein contained in form