IMPROVEMENTS IN TILLING APPARATUS."
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Philip Syng Justice at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th October 1879. A communication
from abroad by Charles Edgar Sackett, of Matilda Furnace, Mifflin County,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Gentleman.
61
PHILIP SYNG JUSTICE, of 14, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN TILLING APPARATUS." A communi-
cation from abroad by Charles Edgar Sackett, of Matilda Furnaco, Mifflin County,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Gentleman.
This Invention relates to apparatus for simultaneously ploughing and pulverizing
or harrowing the earth for the reception of the seed, and also to apparatus for
planting the seed in connection therewith, constituting thereby a complete tilling
apparatus. It consists, first, of a pulverizing apparatus adapted to move by the
side of the plough in the furrow made by its previous passage, or in the furrow
made by the passage of a plough in connection therewith, which pulverizing
apparatus receives the earth turned by the ploughshare, and reduces it to a finely
divided condition, and leaves it in the furrow. In the machine a special form of
pulverizing apparatus is employed; it consists of a hollow wheel adapted to move
upon the bottom of the furrow, and having a broad tread inade, preferably, of
metallic side bars connected by transverse bars (which carry the teeth radially
arranged), forming what may be called a circular cage. The hub of this wheel is
attached to the outer side of the wheel, or that opposite the plough, which outer
side may be wholly or partially closed to prevent the earth from passing out upon
the land already tilled. That side of the wheel next to the plough is left open, and
the ploughshare is so arranged in relation thereto that the furrow turned by the
plough is made to pass into the hollow wheel; as this wheel rests upon the bottom
of the furrow as it is drawn along it is made to turn by the force of traction, and
the earth discharged into it from the ploughshare is carried rearward and upward
by means of the teeth upon the transverse bars in the periphery of the wheel, and
is pulverized; when pulverized it is dropped through between the transverse bars
into the furrow in the rear of the wheel. An auxiliary apparatus is employed in
connection with these teeth, which project inwardly in order more effectually to
pulverize the clods received from the plough. The plough may be solidly attached
to the main frame, or may be carried upon a frame on which it is laterally adjustable
towards and from the pulverizing wheel, in order to regulate the width of the

page_text: furrow. This frame is supported upon the axle of the wheel, so that the wheel and
the plough move together in fixed relation to each other when the machine is set
for any required kind of work. As the plough is supported upon the frame in the
construction which I have described it does not drag upon the bottom of the
furrow, and leaves the earth free from the ordinary pressure and smoothing action
of the ploughs which rest on the earth unsupported. In this way the pores of the
earth are left open, and in better condition for the penetration of the roots and
upward action of moisture.
This apparatus which I have described may be drawn by the motive power
directly attached to the frame which rests upon the axle of the pulverizing wheel,
said wheel serving as an infallible guide as it passes along in the furrow made by
the previous passage of the plough, and the earth from the furrow in the process of
tilling is passed into the pulverizing wheel, thoroughly reduced, and dropped into
the furrow previously made, and left in a smooth condition ready for the planting
of the seed.
In order that if desirable the whole operation may be performed at once, my
Invention consists in the second place in the provision on the furrow-side of the
apparatus of a seed dropping mechanism arranged by the side of the pulverising
wheel, and adapted to be carried upon the same frame for the purpose of dropping
and covering the seed on the land which has been pulverized by the previous
passage of the machine. This seed dropping apparatus may be of any known form
adapted to the purpose, and need not here be particularly described. It may be
borne upon the same frame with the machine, and be elevated and lowered
independently or with the machine. I contemplate also as a third part of my
Invention carrying the whole apparatus, that is to say, the plough, the pulverizing
apparatus, and the seed dropping mechanism, with the frame upon which they or
the two former are supported, upon a main frame supported and carried upon four
wheels, on which the apparatus aforesaid may be vertically adjusted by means of
suitable levers & intermediate connections, so that the working parts may be
lowered in order to put them to the work, or may be raised for transportation from
place to place. The seed dropping mechanism may be arranged upon either frame
as found most convenient. It will be observed from the description already given
that my apparatus differs from the harrowing devices heretofore known, in this
respect, that it is adapted to lift the earth, pulverize it, and permit it to drop lightly
and loosely into the furrow, instead of merely agitating it by a harrow drawn over
the surface. By these means the earth is prepared at one operation by one apparatus,
and with a smaller expenditure of force, and is also left in better condition to
receive the seed than by the old forms of ploughing and harrowing devices heretofore
known; it also receives a thorough exposure to and admixture with air, which
greatly increases its fertility.