IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1851

page_text: HENRY PAPE, of Paris, in the Republic of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of
October, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one) in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Henry Pape, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John'
Henry Pape, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Henry Pape, my exors, adñors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said John Henry Pape, shall cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner"
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, to be inrolled in Her 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, I, the said
John Henry Pape, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.-A, hollow cylinder acting as a wheel, and at the
same time what will be mentioned further on. This cylinder or wheel bears
in its centre an axletree B, to which are adapted the different parts of the
framework necessary to the construction of the plough; C, an iron with two
branches passing on the axletree B at the bottom, and at the top in the
frame D, and fixed by the nut E; to this axletree is also adapted a thin iron
plate Fattached to the coulter G by means of the screws h, and kept firmly
together by the iron bar i; on this iron bar is fixed another iron rod J, which
passes at the top in an iron plate Klixed to the frame D; this iron rod bears
two nuts L, and is intended to regulate the depth to which the plough is to
enter the ground. Another way of regulating the same can be done by the
screws M, which pass in a small iron frame O, and regulate particularly the
height of the shafts N according to that of the horse; P, iron bolt passing
through the frame D and the shafts N, and fixed by the nuts Q formed as
hooks; another bolt R, fixed by two nuts S, crosses the frame D and the
middle part of the shafts N, and so forms center to the plough. On the other
end, and under the bandles T, are fixed two branches of iron, U, by which the
plough is conducted, and which have their center V, and each a hook W;
these hooks, by means of the spring X, are forced against the iron plates Y,
in which are bored a certain quantity of holes Z; the branches U are so
arranged as to be reached by the hand to unhook them; when it is desired
to cause the plough to come out of the ground, all that is necessary is to
press against the branch by lifting it up by the handles, as in all other
ploughs, and to let loose afterwards the branches, so that the hooks can fall
into the first hole they meet, and so the plough is kept in the same position
till they are unhooked, and by these means the depth of the plough can be
regulated every moment. The two chains a, a, hooked to the coulter G and
to the shafts N, and regulated by means of the screw b, b, are not absolutely
necessary, but are employed as a precaution in case of stones or other resisting
matters should come in the way; the openings d, d, made in the cylinder, are
intended to throw back fresh earth on the seeds. The following is the manner
in which the sowing of the seeds is effected:-The box represented in Figure 4
is to be set upon the frame D in such a way as that the holes f. f, shall be
exactly over those g, g, and that there may be passed through them the
tubes H, which are screwed in above so as to be able to be regulated as may

page_text: be required for the purpose of sowing more or less deeply; j, j, is a string
taken in the hooks k, k, fixed in the cylinder; this string causes the brush 7, 1,
of the seed box m, m, to move by the spindle q, q, as is represented in
Figure 3) this brush is intended to make the seeds pass through the holes f. f,
and consequently through the tubes H to the ground; the quantity of seed so
passing is regulated by the iron plate n, n, this plate passes in and out on a
groove, and covers the bottom of the seed box. When the plate is drawn out,
such as it is represented, no seed can pass through the tubes; but, by pushing
it in, the holes of this plate meet the others exactly, and consequently give
passage to the seed according to a corresponding opening seen outside, and
which it is necessary to observe as well as the sort of seed employed. o, o, is
an iron branch fixed on the iron plate p, p, and forming a scraper to fling
back a portion of the earth to the openings of the cylinder which bring it up
and throw it out on the seed by those marked d, d, in Figure 3; already these
openings take up a portion of earth at the bottom and throw it above after a
half turn round. The harrow s, s, is intended to level the ground, the
roller t, t, serves not only to press down the ground, but also to regulate the
depth of the harrow.
Figure 5. The cylinder A, which until now has been used only as a wheel
and to bring up fresh earth to cover the seed, is here employed instead to heat
the ground by steam. A, cylinder; B, hollow part formed as a boiler to
receive the water; C, hollow axletree forming the centre of the cylinder
by means of the apparatus D; on this axletree is fixed inside the grate E to
receive the fuel, this hollow axletree receives also in its interior the tube F,
through which the steam and smoke passes out at G, and are immediately
covered by the earth.
Figure 6, second application to produce a certain power by steam calculated
to add to that of the horse.-Its construction is similar in many points to the
former, although the effect produced by it is very different. A, the cylinder;
B, the boiler, fixed upon the hollow axletree C, as well as the grate; E, E¹,
the tube through which the steam passes from the boiler into the hollow axle-
tree; F, other tube through which the smoke passes out; this hollow axletree
receives in its interior the valve L, in which are bored four holes to distribute
the steam upon the piston rod by means of the angle wheels M moved by the
points N fixed on the wheel or cylinder A; the piston in coming out of the
cylinder meets the ground as points of resistance, and by that means pushes
on the plough by its center, this piston is brought up again by a spring (as in
the Figure 8), and the rest is the same as in all steam engines of that kind;
this motion is certainly not of the most regular kind, but of the most simple,

page_text: and, consequently, the best adapted to this purpose, and it can if necessary
be used with two cylinders (as represented at Figure 7); but as ploughmen
are not at all accustomed to the management of steam, it will probably never
come into general use. This consideration has induced me to think of another
method where the moving power should be produced by gunpowder, gun
cotton, or any other substance able to produce the same effect. The following
is the manner in which I employ it :-0, small cylinder in the form of a gun
barrel, in which passes an iron rod P forming the piston, and used for the
same purpose as in the former figure; Q, small roller or valve passing through
the cylinder, and carrying through the hole R the necessary portion of gun-
powder by half rotation, which is occasioned by the motion of the piston.
When the gunpowder has exploded and has pushed the piston out, the side S
is attracted and so turns the valve, which is moved back by the winding spring T
or any other elastic substance; the gunpowder is made to explode at the very
moment it is thrown into the cylinder by means of a lamp placed directly under
the cylinder and the touchhole which is covered by the roller Q, and only opens
at the moment that the gunpowder is thrown, which is produced by a small
groove made at the valve. This system seems to have less difliculty and
danger than the steam; the powder box U, from which the valve fills itself, is
only lightly covered with a thin piece of ski or other similar substance, and
can by no means make any dangerous explosion.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jolin Henry Pape, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
ן.
sight hand and file twe