IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TILLING LAND
Year: 1849

page_text: USHER, of Edinburgh, Gentleman, 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 Eighteenth day of July,
One, thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the thirteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Usher, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Usher, my exors,
admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said James Usher, my exors,
admiors, 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
MACHINERY FOR TILLING LAND;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said James Usher, should cause a particular 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,

page_text: 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
James Usher, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists; first; of mounting a series of ploughs in the same
plane around an axis, so that the ploughs shall come into action in succession. 1
Secondly, my Invention consists in applying power to give rotatory motion to
a series of ploughs or other instruments for tilling the earth, so that the
resistance of the earth, as the ploughs or other instruments enter and travel
through the earth, shall cause the machine to be propelled. And in order that
my Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I
will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a side elevation of steam machinery, arranged suitably for
carrying out my Invention; Figure 2 is a plan thereof, the steam boiler and
engine being removed; Figure 3 is a plan of a plough when two mould
boards are used in cases where it is desired to turn the land on either side;
and Figure 4 shews a side view of one of the ploughs on its axis, by which
and by Figure 1 it will be seen that the under edge of the mould board and
share is formed to a curve struck from the centre of the shaft or axis on
which the ploughs are affixed. a, a, indicate the bed frame or carriage of the
machine. The fore carriage wheels b, b, are mounted on an axle that turns in
bearings c, which bearings are attached to the swivel frame D, which moves.
on the bolts seen at d, for the purpose of causing the machine to turn round
on a small space. A portion of the swivel frame D is toothed, and is acted
upon by the pinion and winch e. The hind part of the carriage is here shewn
supported upon the hollow cylinder or roller f, and two extreme parts f¹ and
f2, which are wheels similar to b, b, the intermediate part f being by preference
moveable at pleasure, so as to render these bearing parts suitable to the
different stages of cultivation to which the machine may be applied. This
compound cylinder has its axle supported in the bearings g attached to the
lower, or to the under side of the carriage frame. The axle of this cylinder
carries also at one end the wheel h, to be afterwards noticed. A moveable.
lever frame, i, i, i, i, is supported on an axle or shaft k, as a fulcrum. The

page_text: free ends 2¹, 2¹, are formed into the toothed segments l, and are concentric to k,
these segments being acted upon by the two toothed pinion and windlass m,
which elevates or depresses the hind part i, i, of the lever frame and all
that it carries at the pleasure of the conductor. On the carriage thus con-
structed I place the locomotive boiler with its engines of any ordinary
construction, as n, n, the power of which is applied through the medium of
its connecting rods o to the crank shaft p, whose two cranks stand at right
angles to each other in the usual way. The crank shaft p is supported on
two standards qg, securely fixed to the carriage. On the shaft p there is also
fixed the spur pinion, indicated by the dotted circle p', p', in Figure 1, and
this pinion, by taking into the wheel r mounted on the shaft k, gives motion at
the same time to the pinion t, which is carried round on the same shaft k.
The pinion t, thus actuated, takes into the wheel h before referred to, on the
bearing cylinder f; and I prefer that the pinion t should be applied, so as
readily to be put into and out of gear with its wheel, though not so shewn in the
Drawing. By this arrangement of parts a slow progressive motion is obtained
for the whole machine on the one hand, through the cylinder f, and on the
other hand, a separate rotatory motion at a certain increase of speed is communi-
cated through the wheel r to the pinion w fixed upon the shaft u, u, which last
named shaft has its bearings v, v, attached to the moveable frame i, i. On
the shaft u, u, are placed a series of plates or projections fixed at regular dis-
tances; or such plates or projections, with their ploughs, herein-after described,
may be placed upon separate shafts, each with its own proper gearing, but I
prefer placing them on one shaft. These plates or projections on the axis are
shaped in such manner as to receive and have affixed to each of them several
ploughs adapted by their revolving motion to penetrate the soil, and by their
mould boards to elevate and turn over portions thereof. a¹, a', are the plates or
projections fixed upon the shaft u; they are each formed with a strong boss at
the centre, by which it may be securely fixed to the shaft. Each plate a¹
has three or other convenient number of arms or prolongations, b¹, b¹, b', which
terminate in the radial direction as shewn. A further prolongation d', d¹,
is carried obliquely upon each of these arms. Upon the plate and projections
thus constructed I affix the tilling apparatus, consisting first of the part e¹,
which acts the part of the mould board or turn furrow in the common plough,
and it is to be fixed by screw bolts or otherwise to the prolongations d³, d³.
To the fore part of this mould board e, e, I affix a bar f* of wrought iron,
which is also furnished with a lug f, by which it is attached to the plate by
means of screw bolts or otherwise. The bar f*, thus secured, forms a head or
share bearer, as in many common ploughs. To the fore part of the bar f* the

page_text: share g' is adapted and fixed by its socket: The mould board and also the
share may be varied in form. A fore cutter or coulter h' is affixed in-front of
each share by screw bolts or otherwise, and is provided with the means of
adjustment through the counter slits in itself and in the plate; but in order to
meet the different qualities of soils and the various stages of tillage I make
the further provisions shewn in Figures 3 and 4, Figure 4 being a variation
in the form of the plate a of Figures 1 and 2. Here is the shaft as before
carrying the plates or projections. a shews a detached portion of one of
these plates, in which the curved part a to a³ is brought forward and armed
with a steel blade answering the purpose of the separate coulter h' in Figure 1.
e is the mould board, and g' the share as before. Figure 3 is a form of
Here a' is a portion of the plate
plough suitable to the tillage of green crops.
or projection seen edgeways; e¹ and e¹ are right and left mould boards, and
g' a plain spear-shaped share. The number of plates or projections, and also
the number of ploughs on each, may be varied. It will be seen that not only
the ploughs which are set in the same plane around the axis follow each other
into action, but that the ploughs of the other sets (which are affixed around
the axis in parallel planes) are arranged and come into action, so that
two ploughshares will not strike the earth at the same instant. In the
arrangement of apparatus herein-before described it will be seen that the
propelling of the machine along the land is by reason of the resistance of the
land to the ploughs as they enter and travel through the earth, and the
motion communicated to the wheels or roller. This part of my Invention is
applicable where teeth or tines suitable for tilling the earth are applied about
an axis, and will be found to act better than machines in which tines or teeth
around an axis have had motion communicated to them from the wheels which
run on the land. In thus using this part of my Invention the only change
necessary will be to employ a rotatory axis u, having tines or teeth of any suit-
able shape, in place of the ploughs shewn in the Drawing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the details herein shewn and described, so long as the peculiar character of my
Invention be retained. And I would state, that I make no claim to the
engines or boiler, as the same may be varied. But what I claim is,-
First, the application of a series of curved ploughs in the same plane around
an axis, so that such ploughs shall come into action in succession; and,
Secondly, I claim the constructing machinery for tilling land, in which, on
motion being given to rotatory ploughs or other tilling instruments, the resistance
of the earth to the ploughs or tilling instuments, as they enter and travel