IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FORKED HOES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, JAMES DAVIDSON of Carnesure, Comber, County Down Ireland -Gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF FORKED HOES to be as follows:-
:-
My invention has reference to forked hoes, that is to say, to hoes which consist
of prongs or tines and of a socket or eye for receiving a handle approximately at
right angles to the hoe,
The improvement consists in making the prongs or tines of malleable or spring
steel or partly of steel and partly of malleable iron and in casting upon or around
or between the middle prongs an iron boss in which is the socket or eye for the
handle.
This boss and the prongs mutually strengthen and support each other. The
Bocket or eye for the handle may either be between the two middle prongs or above
the bar which connects the prongs together.
My improved forked hoos are cheaply made, the steel. prongs are light and thin
and easily penetrate the ground, while the cast iron boss gives the necessary weight
for driving or assisting in driving the fork into the ground,
J. C. MEWBURN,
109, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: עעעעUULI
I JAMES DAVIDSON of Carnesure, Comber, County Down, Ireland, Gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF FORKED HOES," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention has reference to forked hoes, that is to say to hoes which consist
of prongs or tines and of a socket or eye for receiving a handle approximately at
right angles to the hoc.
The improvement consists in making the prongs or tines of malleable or spring
steel or partly of steel and partly of malleable iron and in casting upon or around
or between the middle prongs an iron boss in which is the socket or eye for the
handle.
This boss and the prongs mutually strengthen and support each other. The
socket or eye for the handle may either be between the two middle prongs or above
the bar which connects the prongs together.
I preferably make the tines or prongs of ☐ shaped pieces so that the two outer
prongs consist of one piece pointed at the ends and-tho two middle prongs likewiso
of one piece pointed at the ends. There may, of course, be more or less than four
prongs. In casting the boss for the handle upon the prongs it is only necessary
to place the prongs in proper position and run the metal in upon-them. The metal
in cooling contracts on the prongs so firmly that it is unnecessary to have them
welded together before-hand; the boss itself forms the union of the prongs.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings is a front view, Figure 2 a side view and
Figure 3 a section of a four pronged forked hoo mado according to my invention,
a, a-a¹, a¹ are the prongs or tines and b is the bar by which they are connected
together; these prongs or tines and the bar b are made of malleable or spring stecl
or partly of steel and partly of malleable iron. The two outer prongs a, a and the
bar bare preferably inade in one piece and the two middle prongs a¹, a' also in
one piece together with a connection b'. c is the iron boss cast upon and between
the two middle prongs and upon the prong connecting pieces 6 and b¹, and firmly
uniting them together; the two parts b and b' may however be previously welded
together or the prongs a, a, may be previously welded to the part b. In the
boss c is the socket or eye d for the handle. Figure 4 represents a hoe in which
the boss c extends sufficiently above the bar b to allow the socket or eye & to be
above this bar. The size and form of the boss c may be varied as desired.
My improved forked hoes are cheaply made, the steel prongs are light and thin
and easily penetrate the ground while the cast iron boss gives the necessary weight
for driving or assisting in driving the fork into the ground. As my hoes are
specially useful for tea gardens I call them " Cha Kanta" which words are the
Hindustani for Tea Fork.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
Manufacturing forked hoes with prongs or tines of malleable or spring steel or
partly of steel and partly of malleable iron and with an iron boss to receive the
handle cast upon or around or between the middle prongs substantially as
herein before described.
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.