IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS."-A communication from Louis Jacques
Château Public Notary, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 31st May 1859, and dated the 15th December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th December 1858.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to farming implements, having for their object to
scoop out the subsoil after the passage of the plough without mixing the earth
of the subsoil with an upper layer of sand or gravel. A hopper placed in
front of the implement permits a certain quantity of lime to be dropped into
the furrow of the plough to be mixed with the subsoil.
This implement is represented in the annexed Drawing, in which Fig. 1 is,

page_text: a longitudinal vertical section following the line A, B, C, D, E, F, Fig. 2;
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 shows in detail the disengaging gear of
one of the wheels and the shaft.
a, framework of wood mounted on two wheels, and carrying all the parts of
the implement; b, digger, composed of a solid piece of cast iron, in which are
fixed three coulters c; this digger is drawn during the operation by a shank d
fixed to the axle of the implement, & can be raised or lowered to make it enter
different depths into the earth by means of a windlass, which winds up or
undinds a cord f fixed to the digger. g, toothed wheel, communicating its
movement to another smaller wheel h; i, hopper containing lime, which it
deposits on a shoot ;; this is continually agitated by a beater or cam k, to
cause the discharge of the lime; 1, leather strap, transmitting the motion from
the wheel to the cam k.
A system of working is represented on an enlarged scale, Fig. 3, which will
be easily understood by inspecting the Drawing which enables the stopping
at pleasure of the movement of the driving gear, when the apparatus is not
required to be in action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Clark, my 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 "IMPROVED AGRICUL
TURAL IMPLEMENTS," a communication from Louis Jacques Chateau, Public

page_text: Notary, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to farming implements, having for their object to
open up, and stir, and break up the subsoil, after the passage of a plough
through the ground, without mixing the earth of the subsoil with the upper
layer of arable ground.
Breaking up the ground has the great advantage of removing the mineral
elements from arable land, and also of keeping the soil constantly humid, in
fact, answering the purposes of drainage and irrigation. A hopper placed in
front of the implement, permits of a certain quantity of lime being dropped
into the furrow of the plough to be mixed with the subsoil.
This improved apparatus is represented in the Drawing annexed, in which
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section on line A, B, C, D, E, F, Fig. 2;
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 shows details of gear herein-after
described: In these three Figures similar letters of reference indicate like
parts where they recur.
it
a, framework of wood mounted on two wheels, and carrying all the parts of
the apparatus; b, operating instrument composed of a solid piece of cast iron,
in which are fixed three sharp narrow tines or coulters c; this instrument is
governed during the operation by a rod d fixed to the axle of the implement ;
may be raised and lowered to make it enter different depths into the ground
by means of a windlass and ratchet gear e, which winds up or unwinds a cord f
fixed to the instrument, which cord also passes over a pulley ; the windlass
may be moved at will by means of a crank handle m, and toothed wheels n, n.
g, toothed wheel mounted on the axis of the implement, communicating motion
to a smaller wheel h supported on an axis o, mounted on the side frames of
the machine. i, hopper containing the lime, which it deposits on a shoot j;
this latter is continually agitated by means of a cam k, for the purpose of

page_text: causing the discharge of the lime; l, strap passing round pulley p', mounted
on the axis o, and transmitting motion, by means of pulley q, to shaft r, on
which the cam k is mounted.
Fig. 3 represents on an enlarged scale an arrangement of brake which
enables the driving gear to be stopped at pleasure, when the apparatus is not
required to be in action, or to stop the supply of the lime, which will be readily
understood on examining the Drawing. On the axis o a ratchet wheel s is
mounted, the part p¹ being loose on the said axis when the hopper is required
to be used; the parts s and p' are connected together by means of a spring
catch and screw t fixed to the part p', which takes into the ratchet wheel s.
It will thus be understood that by disengaging the ratchet wheel the part p¹
will again be loose on its axis. Any other arrangement of break may, however,
be employed.
In order to work the apparatus the attendant first regulates the depth of
the coulters in the subsoil by means of cord f; he then steps on the socket b
where he remains during the operation, thus acting on it by his weight to
force the coulters or scoop into the soil. From this position he guides the
horses which are placed in the shafts t¹, t, at the forepart of the machine, the
reins passing over supports 1, 1, at the hinder part of frame a.
This improved implement may be considerably modified, as represented in
the Drawing, which I will now proceed to describe.
Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal vertical section of one part of the frame of
the subsoiler, in which the instrument is modified; Fig. 5 is a plan of part of
the same.
Lastly, Fig. 6 represents a longitudinal vertical section of an implement of
smaller dimensions than the preceeding. It is unnecessary here to recapitulate
the description of the parts which are similar to those herein-before described
in Figs. 1, 2, & 3.
The rod d of the implement, represented at Figs. 4 and 5, is forked and
jointed to an arm v bolted to the axis; this arm v is connected to shaft o by
means of a tie. The two rods d, d, may be adapted for receiving either the
coulters or tines, or, lastly, for seed cups. In Fig. 5, the socket 6 is replaced
by a bar simply, in which are placed the coulters; the two extremities are
mounted on rollers a, a, which renders the apparatus easier of movement;
these wheels pass into the track of the fore wheels of the machine. In
Fig. 6 the rod d may be either forked or not, and is connected to the front
bar by means of brackets.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of performing

page_text: the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the improved farming implement above described for the purpose of
breaking up the ground, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the several modifications of the implement herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
0 Witness,
W. G. E. SwINNOCK,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)