IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF COMBINED MANURE AND SEED DRILLS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Rainforth, senior, and William Rain-
forth, junior, of Brayford Head, Lincoln, in the County of Lincoln,
Wire Workers and Weavers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF COMBINED MANURE AND SEED
DRILLS."
Sealed the 10th February 1874, and dated the 10th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rainforth,
;
senior, and William Rainforth, junior, at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th November
1873.
We, WILLIAM RAINFORTH, senior, and WILLIAM RAINFORTH, junior,
of Brayford Head, Lincoln, in the County of Lincoln, Wire Workers and
Weavers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF COMBINED MANURE AND
SEED DRILLS," to be as follows:―

page_text: struction and arrangement of combined drills for the better and more
even distribution of chemical or other substances with seed.
In order to effect this object we construct the combined drills with a
set or series of chisels or picks, the cutting edges of which we arrange
alternately at right angles to each other or in any other direction, and
which we operate singly (or several together) in a vertical or nearly
vertical direction or position by means of eccentrics (fixed on the ends of
the spindle of the distributing cylinders,) and of guide and friction
wheels; or we obtain the desired movements of the chisels or picks by
any other equivalent means. By this arrangement we keep the manure
or other substances in motion, effectually mixing damp and dry materials
together and breaking any hard lumps without causing the materials to
set or work into a pasty or stiffened condition. The material then
falls or is delivered on to distributing cylinders or drums, which are
turned smooth and true, and by which it is carried forward.
To these cylinders are fixed two parallel scrapers which cause them to
work quite clean and bright and with less friction (materially lightening
the draught), and to carry the manure or other substance more evenly
forward, preventing it wedging between the front side of the box and
the distributing cylinders, thus removing a very general cause of
breakage and allowing a more accurate adjustment of the gauge slides.
We arrange the lower parts of our improved combined drills so that
any loss from the distributing cylinders is caught and turned into the
guide boxes.
The springs which regulate the pressure of the scrapers upon the 1
distributing cylinders are attached to the framework of the drills above
the said cylinders and within easy access of the attendant, who can
readily increase or diminish the pressure upon them as required.
The seed is distributed as usual by revolving discs and cups into the
delivery pipes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Rainforth, senior, and William Rainforth,
junior, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
RAINFORTH, senior, and WILLIAM RAINFORTH, junior, of Brayford Head,
Lincoln, in the County of Lincoln, Wire Workers and Weavers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said William Rainforth, senior, and William
Rainforth, junior, Her special licence that we, the said William Rain-
forth, senior, and William Rainforth, junior, our executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Rainforth,
senior, and William Rainforth, junior, our 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 CONSTRUCTION
AND ARRANGEMENT OF COMBINED MANURE AND SEED DRILLS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Rainforth,
senior, and William Rainforth, junior, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, 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 we, the said William Rainforth, senior, and
William Rainforth, junior, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in
writing, and on reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, that is to say :-
This Invention (which is illustrated on the accompanying Drawings

page_text: in Figures 1 and 2) relates to certain improvements in the construction
and arrangement of various component parts of combined seed and
manure drills, the object of the Invention being to attain a better and
more even distribution of chemical or other manures or other substances
with the seed than can be attained in drills of this character, and of any
of the usual methods of construction.
In carrying our Invention into practice we apply to the said drills a
transverse bar 1 carrying a set or series of chisels or picks 2, the cutting
edges of which we arrange alternately at right angles to each other (see
Figure 2) or in any other suitable direction.
The ends of the bar 1 we pass through slots 3 made in the side
frames 4 of the drill, and outside the said frames we connect each end
of the bar to a connecting rod 5 of an excentric ring or strap 6 mounted
upon an excentric 7 made fast to the spindle 8 of the distributing
cylinder 9, and which spindle and cylinder are caused to receive motion
as hitherto. By this means we cause the series of picks 2 to rise and
fall in a vertical or nearly vertical direction or position.
Immediately outside the frames 4 we provide the bar 1 with friction
or guide wheels 10 which run against the said frames and prevent the
bar receiving any oscillating or vibratory side motion.
(We would here mention that we have found the above-described
excentric arrangement a very convenient way of obtaining the desired
movements of the picks, but we can obtain the said movements by the
application of any equivalent arrangement or means).
By the above application and arrangement we break up all hard
lumps or pieces and cause the manure or other substance to keep in
constant motion, which effects the intimate mixing of the damp and dry
parts together, and prevents them from setting or working into a pasty
or stiffened condition.
Another of our improvements consists in applying to the said drills a
distributing cylinder or drum 9 having a smooth and even surface, and
in applying to the front board 11 of the manure box 12 an inclined
surface or board 13, in order to prevent any of the manure getting
below the roller and stopping it, and to keep it clean and prevent the
usual clogging, a very general cause of breakage; the board 13 also
causes the manure to fall direct on to the delivery side of the roller and
underneath the picks 2.

page_text: The delivery of the manure is regulated by the usual gauge board 14,
which we adjust by the handle and link arrangement 15 in a manner
which will be readily perceived on reference being had to Figure 1 of
the annexed Drawings.
A further improvement consists in applying to the said drills two flat
scrapers 16 in a lino with each other and turning on pivots 17 working
in the frames 4, and in causing them by means of the spring and screw
arrangement 18 to bear closely against all parts of the turned surface
of the roller 9 so as to cause the latter to work clean and bright (and
with but a comparatively small amount of friction which materially
lightens the draught of the drill) and prevent any loss, as the said
scrapers catch and turn all the manure brought forward by the roller
into the guide boxes 19.
The seed as it falls from its box 23 is distributed by the usual
revolving discs and cups 20 into the usual delivery pipes 21 and falls
therethrough and mixes with the manure in the cones 22.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, we would remark in conclusion
that we claim as our Invention, the particular arrangement and
application (in combination) to drills of the character described of the
plain surface roller 9, the series of vertically or nearly vertically
reciprocating picks or chisels 2 (with their actuating mechanism),
the guide board 13, and the flat scrapers 16, with their regulating
means 18 (each for the purpose respectively specified), sub-
stantially as above described and as illustrated on the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Rainforth, senior, and
William Rainforth, junior, have hereunto set our hands and
seals, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.