Improvements in Seed Planting.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 24th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 24th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Seed Planting.
I SAMUEL E. GROSS of Chicago in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, United
States of America, Estate Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This my invention relates to a new and useful improvement in Seed Planting of
which the following is a Specification reference being had to the accompanying
drawings in which―
Figure 1 is a plan representing one form of my device. Fig. 2 represents another
form; Fig. 3 still another form.
It is common to plant the seeds of flowers and other plants so that the plants will
appear in various ornamental and regular designs or forms. As this has been done
prior to the making of my invention, the designs have been made directly in or on the
ground and it has required considerable skill and labour to insure success, and many
persons have not the skill and time to prepare various designs and secure the desired
results.
The object of my invention is to provide for arranging seeds to be planted in regular
forms, so that they can be readily placed in the ground without disarrangement
whereby when the seeds germinate the plants will appear in the desired form, which
I accomplish by securing the seeds arranged in the desired form or forms upon a
foundation of thin cloth, paper or other suitable material by means of a paste that
serves to attach the seed and will supply nutriment to the plant which foundation with
the seeds thereon can be placed in the ground thereby avoiding the necessity of laying
out designs for flower-beds upon the ground and planting the seeds as has heretofore
been done and securing better reproduction of the desired design by the growing
plants than will ordinarily be produced by planting the seeds directly in the
ground.
In carrying out my invention I take either a loosely woven cloth-such as cheese-
cloth-perforated paper, or paper which is not perforated or other suitable material
which is easily disintegrated and lay out thereon any desired design or form and coat
the design or any desired part thereof with paste or other suitable adhesive material
which will supply nutriment to the plant, and place on such paste the seeds to be
planted. If the completed design or form is to be handled much or transported the
seeds may be covered with paste or other suitable adhesive material which will prevent
the loss or displacement of the seeds.
In the drawings A represents the foundation which may be of cheesecloth paper or
other suitable material.
Brepresents flower seeds upon the paste or other suitable adhesive material which
has first been applied to those portions of the foundation which form the design.
As shown in Fig. 1, the cloth or other material used for the foundation bis been cut
away outside of the seeds and the unused interior portions of the cloth are also supposed
to be cut away, which I think it will be desirable to do before planting; but if the
design is to be handled or transported it will be better not to cut away these parts

page_text: until the design is to be placed in the ground. For small designs the unused
interior portions of the foundation may be left if desired as indicated in Fig. 2 in
which I have represented a star. A in this figure represents the foundation and the
seeds secured thereon.
It will frequently be desirable to arrange single seeds in regular forms as indicated
in Fig. 3 in which the foundation A is represented.
a are single seeds secured to the foundation in any suitable manner. In Fig. 31
have shown at each end of the foundation A four seeds arranged in the form of a
square and in the centre a number of single seeds arranged in the form of a circle. In
planting, the foundation with the seeds secured thereto is to be placed upon or in
the ground and covered with a sufficient quantity of earth. The moisture of the
ground will soon disintegrate the paste or other adhesive material used and the
foundation will not be in the way of the roots from the seeds, which roots will
penetrate the earth below the foundation which will soon rot and be out of the way
of the growing plants. The paste or other adhesive material may be of such a
nature that it will furnish food for the young plants.
I do not limit myself to the use of the special designs and forms represented
in the drawings. They only illustrate a few of the many ways in which seeds can
be arranged for planting by the use of my invention. A great variety of patterns
or designs may be provided.
For simple forms-such as those shown in Fig. 3-the paste or other adhesive
material if used may be applied directly to each seed if preferred instead of being
placed upon the foundation.
It will be understood that seeds of annual plants will ordinarily be used and
as many varieties of seed can be used in a single design as may be desired; they
being distributed upon the foundation so as to produce the desired arrangement of
colours. By my invention the seeds are attached to the foundation by the paste and
I avoid covering the seed which would interfere with their germination.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
As a new article of manufacture a foundation for planting seeds consisting of a
sheet of fabric having its surface supplied with paste and seed attached to the fabric
by the paste in the regular form that the plants are desired to appear in the ground
substantially as described.
Unted th 9 day
Dated t
Catalan 1900
SAMUEL E. GROSS.
By his Agents,
Horn & Son.
SAMUEL E. GROSS.
By his Agents,
Horn & Son.