IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Stalkartt at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th May
1865.
I, JOHN STALKARTT, of Dover, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in ploughs and in the draught apparatus
connected therewith, the latter being more especially adapted for bullocks, but
the same principle is also applicable where horses or other draught power is
employed for drawing ploughs constructed according to my Invention.
Many English ploughs simply act to "cut" the soil and make neat and uni-
form furrows, but attended with great pressure on and labour to the cattle; and
one of my improvements in ploughs consists in forming the angle of the share
in such manner that, where the nature of the soil will permit, I "split" or
break up the ground as it is turned over by the ploughshare. Where the
land is particularly hard, as is especially the case in India, the ploughshare
has a tendency to come or rise to the surface, and in order to avoid this
difficulty, I cause the point of my share to project 1 to 1 inch or thereabout
below the sole plate of the plough, so that it has always a tendency to enter
the ground as the plough is drawn over the land.
The draught pole projects so far that a very short chain, varying from
1 to 2 feet is only required. This arrangement gives great steadiness to the
plough, and is as good as the wheel used on many of the ploughs in common
use, preventing the share from going below the regulated depth. The plough

page_text: is worked as close as possible to the motive power employed, or only just so
far behind that should the cattle take fright, or any other accident occur to
make them run away, the coulter or the share will not cut or hurt the bullocks
or horses' heels. In order to accomplish this it is necessary to "cant" the
pole about 4 inches to the left, and also to fix a side drawing iron so as to
obtain about 4 inches more on that side for the line of draught, which
arrangement will bring the plough close up to the previous furrow. One
steering handle only is required, thus assimilating the construction of my
improved plough to that of the ordinary Indian plough. The one handle acts
as a lever in the direction of the share, the fulcrum being the body of the
plough, enabling it to be steered with great ease.
In order to utilize the full power where bullocks are employed, an improved
"yoke" is applied to the plough formed with notches in it to fit the neck or
hump of the animal, with metal or other bows to keep each animal in its place, and
so that each will have only its own share of work to do. The right-hand animal
having to walk in the trench cannot use his full power, but in order to enable
him so to do, the draught must not be from the centre of the yoke, but about
two inches leverage must be given in his favour, say, about 18 inches from
the centre for the right-hand, and 16 inches for the left-hand animal. The
pole may be elevated or depressed to suit the height of the cattle by means
of wedges placed below the pole, or between the pole and the plough, the
former to elevate, the latter to depress.