IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DIBBLING OR PLANTING GRAIN AND SEED, AND AN IMPROVED SEED FEEDER AND METER FOR PLANTING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Freer at the Office of the.
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th December
1866.
I, JOHN FREER, of Rothley, in the County of Leicester, Agricultural
Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DIBBLING OR PLANTING GRAIN AND SEED,
AND AN IMPROVED SEED FEEDER AND METER FOR PLANTING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
The grain and seed planting machines are adapted to steam, horse, or
manual power. The machine consists of one or more wheels attached to suitable
framework; when only one wheel is used it carries and delivers its own seed,
but when a number of wheels are used the seed box is placed on the general
framework, to which the wheels are attached to the general framework by
means of joints which allows them to rise and fall, and as the same form of
wheel is used, whatever may be their number, I shall proceed to describe one
wheel, and afterwards the seed feeder and metre and general framework.
In the centre of the dibbling wheel is placed a bush or bearing, about the
middle of the bearing transversely is placed a plate or disk of wrought-iron
which extends to about two-thirds of the diameter of wheel, the outer part,
which is intended to enter the soil, may be of cast iron, and is joined to the
plate before mentioned, the plate and cast iron being nearly straight. On
the straight side of wheel is centered a number of lever valves which are for
the purpose of closing and opening the holes used for letting out the seed on

page_text: the periphery of dibbling wheels; there are the same number of leaver valves
required as there are outlets for the seed; a short distance from the periphery
of wheel are placed the pins or centres on which the leaver valves oscillate.
The leaver valves are of iron, and the outer end or valve part is placed at a
right angle with the leaver, so as to reach across the wheel; at the inner end
of leaver valve a pin or centre is placed for the purpose of holding a small
wheel used for giving motion to the leaver valve; these wheels at the ends of
the leaver valves run in an eccentric groove. The eccentric groove is placed
so as to cause each wheel in succession at the end of the lever valve to
recede from the centre of dibbling wheel axle when the wheel is deepest in
the earth; the valve end of lever at the same time has a contrary motion
removing from off the outlet, allowing the seed to fall into the earth; as
soon as the deposit is made each wheel at the end of lever valve is brought
in by means of the eccentric groove towards the dibbling wheel axle, the
valve returning over the seed outlet. The eccentric groove is held in place by
lying. fastened to the frame or bars which passes across on each side of
dibbling wheel.
Having described one side of dibbling wheel containing eccentric groove
valve lever, I now proceed to describe the other side of wheel and mode of
receiving the seed from the metre. The seed side of wheel is plain from the
centre to about two-thirds of the diameter; in the interior of the wheel at the
periphery it is divided by divisions which extend from outlet to outlet,
inwardly they are brought to an edge. The divisions are for the purpose of
directing the seed to the outlet as it falls down the spout leading from the
metre to the inside of the wheel. In the interior of the wheel a little in rear
of axle is placed a piston or star wheel which is for the purpose of driving
through the outlets as the valves are removed for letting out the seed; the
rotation of the star wheel is accomplished by contact with the divisions before
mentioned.
I now proceed to describe the seed feeder and metre. The metre consists
of cups with round storks, which instead of being made fast to the rounds, as
in the crdinary way, are free to rotate about half a revolution; I place two
on one stork, at each end of the stork, so as to feed right and left. For sup-
porting the cup storks I use two round plates or disks, these disks may be
placed about one inch apart. At the periphery the disks have hollows suffi-
ciently large for receiving the storks and allowing them to part rotate. When
the cup storks are laid in cups, or a hoop is placed on the periphery of the
disks for the purpose of holding in the storks and for keeping the seed out
from between the disks or cylinder, about the middle of each cup stork inside

page_text: the cylinder is placed a short lever or pendant; as the cups by the rotation of
the cylinder descend into the lower part of the seed box the pendants by
their own gravity lie at the bottom of the cylinder, the cups being in a right
position for taking in the seed; but as the cups rise from the seed trough the
pendants by their own gravity fall from the periphery of cylinder towards the
centre, and by that means keep the seed cups, already filled with seed, on a
lever until they arrive at the place of deposit, when the pendants come in
contact with an eccentric which turns them out towards the periphery of
cylinder, at the same time turning the cups nearly upside down and emptying
the seed down the spout.
The general framework consists of road wheels, cranked axle, front bar to
which the dibbling wheels are jointed, back roller for raising dibbling wheels
from ground, seed box, and shaft.