Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Sowing or Planting Grain.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left. 23rd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Sowing or Planting
Grain.
1, WILLIAM EDWARDS, of 2, Wellington Buildings, South Castle Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to sowing machines, and has more especially for its object
certain improvements in that class of apparatus adapted for sowing or planting
grain or other seed in hills, drills or furrows or broadcast.
In carrying out my invention as applied to planting grain in hills, drills or
furrows, I provide at the back of the carriage a seed box divided by partitions into
a number of separate compartments, each having the shape of an inverted pyramid
or cone or having sloping bottoms, and each provided with an orifice to admit of
the passage of the seed. Immediately underneath these compartments is a plate
which controls the passage of the seed from the seed boxes to the seed funnels or
conductors through the orifices aforesaid. At one or both ends of this plate is an
arm or lever adapted to engage the armis or teeth of a wheel or wheels secured to
the carriage wheels or to the rear axle of the machine, and made to rotate with the
carriage wheels. The plate is suitably supported and is provided with springs or
weights by which it is normally pressed against the orifices in the bottom of the
seed box. The plate is also provided with a device (such as a nut, engaging an
adjusting screw) by which it can be moved forwards or backwards, whereby its
levers or arms can be removed from, or brought into engagement with, the teeth of
the wheels aforesaid, or the amount or length of engagement adjusted at the will of
the attendant.
The mode of action is as follows:-
When the machine is in motion, the toothed wheels aforesaid rotate synchronously
with the carriage wheels, and their teeth or arms successively engage and trip up
the levers on the plate, thereby setting up an intermittent or continuous chattering
or vibration of the plate, whereby grain is enabled to pass away at each vibration
from the seed box through the seed funnels, and coulters into the ground. By
this arrangement a regular delivery of the seed is preserved, whether the machine
passes up or down hill, or over even or uneven ground, and by adjusting the
aforesaid screw the vibratory movement of the plate can be so regulated as to
deliver seed irrespective of size. The coulters may be connected to a beam in the
usual manner, so as to keep them in even line, and are capable of being held out
of working when desired by any suitable device, and they may be weighted in
order to sink them to the required depth for the seed to be deposited.
The coulters have arranged at their sides behind their delivery orifices and close
to their lower extremities, two fish plates or shares which may be constructed
somewhat similar to an ordinary ploughshare, and so made that the seed as it is
deposited, is covered up by soil, which obviates the necessity of the subsequent opera-
tion of harrowing.
To prevent the delivery of seed when the machine is at a standstill (if it should
so happen that the machine so stops as to allow the chattering plate to remain
open) a movable plate or valves are arranged under the control of the driver by
means of which the grain can be cut off from the seed box when desired.
To enable the machine to be backed, the toothed wheels are so arranged that
they can be thrown out of gear by means of a hand lever or other convenient
device, or the levers on the chattering plate can be moved out of engagement with
the toothed wheels by means of the aforesaid adjusting screw,

page_text: Instead of using the aforesaid chattering plate, a fluted cylinder may be employed
rotated continuously or intermittently while the machine is moving and adapted to
deliver a suitable quantity of seed as each flute successively passes the orifices in
the seed box.
I propose to arrange a seat upon the carriage for the driver and instead of having
handles as hitherto at the front of the carriage to steer by, I propose to provide
upon the carriage and under the control of the attendant a capstan with chain gear
coupled to each side of the under front carriage, whereby the machine can be steered
by turning the handle of the capstan.
My invention as applied to machines for sowing broadcast is substantially similar
to the foregoing, except that the coulters are of course not required, and the seed
is delivered direct from the seed box (which is made with or without partitions)
onto the ground, or by means of a suitable spout with an elongated orifice, or in
other suitable manner.
The way of applying the invention to hand drills is evident without further
description.
Dated this 21st day of March 1891
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Sowing or Planting
Grain.
I, WILLIAM EDWARDS, of 2 Wellington Buildings, South Castle Street,
Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to sowing machines, and has more especially for its object
certain improvements in that class of apparatus adapted for sowing or planting grain
or other seed in hills, drills or furrows, or broadcast.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is an end elevation showing my improvenients applied to a corn and
seed drill for planting grain in hills, drills or furrows;
Figure 2 a front elevation;
Figure 3 a cross section through the seed box showing also the chatter plate and
lever;
Figure 4 a plan front view (inverted) of the chattering plate; and
Figure 5, a plan of the fish plates or shares.
'
In these, A is the frame or carriage of the machine at the back of which is the
seed box B, divided by partitions into a number of separate compartments b, each
having sloping bottoms and each having an orifice b' to admit the passage of the
seed. Immediately underneath these compartments are a series of valve plates C,
which control the passage of the seed from the seed boxes B to the down tubes or
conductors D through the orifice aforesaid. This series of valve plates are rigidly
joined together, & at the ends are pivoted arms or levers E, adapted to engage the
arms or teeth of the wheel, F, which is secured to the carriage wheels G, or to the
rear axle H of the machine and made to rotate in unison with the carriage wheels.
I are springs supported on brackets i on the end down tubes D, and adapted to
press the valve plates C against the orifices in the bottom of the seed box B.
The plate C is pivoted to a nut or screwed bearing J engaging an adjusting screw K
or other equivalent device by means of which the plate C can be moved forwards
or backwards, and removed from or brought into engagement with the teeth of the
wheels For the amount or degree of engagement adjusted at the will of the
attendant; the valve plate C may be placed sloping instead of horizontal as shown.

page_text: I Be mode of action is as follows:
When the machine is in motion, the toothed wheels F rotate with the carriage
wheels G and their arms successively engage and trip up the pivoted levers on the
plate C thereby setting up an intermittent and continuous chattering or vibration
whereby grain is enabled to pass away at each vibration from the seed box B
through the seed down tubes D and coulters L into the ground. By this arrange-
ment, a regular delivery of the seed is preserved whether the machine passes up or
down hill or over even or uneven ground, and, by adjusting the aforesaid screw K,
the vibratory movement of the plate C can be so regulated as to deliver seed
irrespective of size.
The coulters L may be connected to a beam L' in the usual manner so as to keep.
them in even lines, and are capable of being held out of working when desired by
any suitable device, and they may be weighted in order to sink to the required
depth for the seed to be deposited. are chains for holding coulters at the required
height.
The coulters L have arranged at their sides, behind their delivery orifices and
close to their lower extremities, two fish blades or shares P which may be constructed
somewhat similar to an ordinary ploughshare and so made that the seed, as it is
deposited, is covered up by the soil which obviates the necessity of the subsequent
operation of harrowing. The height of these shares can be adjusted by means of
the set screw pl.
To prevent the delivery of seed when the machine is at a standstill, (if it should
happen that the machine so stops as to allow the chattering plate to remain open)
a movable plate or valves are arranged under the control of the driver by means of
which the grain can be cut off from the seed box when desired.
To enable the machine to be backed; the toothed wheels F are so arranged that
they can be thrown out of gear by moving them (by means of a hand lever operated
from the driver's seat M) along the axle H until they are clear of the levers E, or
the levers E on the chattering plates C can be moved out of engagement with the
toothed wheels F by means of the aforesaid adjusting screw K.
I propose to arrange a seat M upon the carriage A for the driver, and, instead
of having handles as hitherto at the front of the carriage to steer by, I propose to
provide, upon the carriage and under the control of the attendant, a capstan N
with chains O coupled to each side of the under front carriage P¹, whereby the
machine can be steered by turning the handle n of the capstan.
I can extend the width of the drill by attaching a boy, (i.e. an extra length of
seed box down tubes coulters etcetera) as in the ordinary manner.
My invention as applied to machines for sowing broadcast is substantially similar
to the foregoing, except that the coulters L are of course not required, and the seed
is delivered direct from the seed box B (which is made with or without partitions)
on to the ground, or by means of a suitable spout with an elongated orifice, or in
other suitable manner.
The way of applying the invention to sowing machines propelled by hand instead
of by horses is evident without special description.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The improvement in apparatus for sowing or planting grain, which consists in
supplying them, at or near the under side of the seed box, with a series of valve
plates or shutters normally pressed against the seed orifices by springs or their
equivalent, but caused to vibrate when the machine is in motion, by radial arms
(rotating in unison with the wheels of the machine) successively striking the said
plate whereby grain is discharged from the feed box at each vibratory movement
of the valve plate, substantially as described.
2. In an apparatus for sowing or planting grain, the combination with the seed
box of the valve plates or shutters C, the arms or teeth F adapted to rotate in

page_text: unison with the carriage wheels, the nut J pivoted to the said plate and the
adjusting screw K or its equivalent, or operating the said nut whereby the valve
plate can be removed from or brought more or less into engagement with the arms F
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In apparatus for sowing or planting grain the combination with the coulters,
of two fish plates or shares Parranged at the rear and near the lower extremities
of the said coulters, and so formed as to cover the seed over by the soil after being
deposited in the ground, substantially as described.
4. The general combined arrangements and construction of parts forming the
improved apparatus for sowing or planting grain substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1891.
Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
W. EDWARDS.
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.