IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS APPLICABLE TO CLEANING GREEN CROPS GROWING ON DRILLS OR RIDGES, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Dickson, of Chester, in the County of
Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS APPLICABLE
TO CLEANING GREEN CROPS GROWING ON DRILLS OR RIDGES, AND OTHER
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 29th December 1871, and dated the 4th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Dickson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th July 1871.
I, JAMES DICKSON, of Chester, in the County of Chester, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS
APPLICABLE TO CLEANING GREEN CROPS GROWING ON DRILLS OR RIDGES, AND OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to harrows which can be placed at angles for
cleaning drills or ridges and also be adapted for cleaning rows on the
flat. For cleaning both sides of a single drill or ridge I use two
harrows placed at an angle. For cleaning all the sides of two drills or
ridges I use four barrows placed at an angle; and for cleaning three
narrow drills at once I use three single harrows, the horse walking in
the centre drill.

page_text: My improvements in connection with harrows used for cleaning one,
two, and three drills or rows at one and the same time are as follows,
namely, I make the harrow bills of grooved fluted iron for the purpose
of combining lightness with strength, and to these bills I fix knives and
spikes of different lengths and angles, and at different distances in order
to root up and cut off all weeds growing between the drills, ridges, or
rows without choking the implement. The shafts and handles I make of
tubular iron and rivet the shafts at the front and back to cast iron
bosses into which are jointed the tops of the arched arms connected to
the bills; these joints being for the double purpose of enabling the
handles to be turned outward or inwards when the implement is working
on narrow or wide drills or ridges, and also for allowing the arched arms
to be expanded or contracted. I place the arched arms edgeways and
split them open at the bottom to enable them to be hinged to eyes.
rivetted to the bills so that the harrows can be turned to any angle or
placed on the flat as required. The arched arms are held at the proper
distance apart by means of connecting rods and the quadrants used for.
keeping the harrows at any angle or on the flat are fastened along with
the connecting rods to the arched arms by bolts with winged nuts thus
simplyfying and economising the parts. I link the draught chains to
hooks rivetted to the bottom of the front quadrants which enable the
harrows to be raised or lowered by shortening or lengthening the chains;
and the horse to be placed nearer the harrows, thereby making the
draught lighter and the harrows easily managed at the turnings. I
make the whippletree bar of angle iron turned up at each end, the
angle iron giving strength and lightness and the turned up ends pre-
venting the bar from catching the soil when turning, and to the front of
the whippletree bar are rivetted eyes into which the draught chains of
the horse are hooked. The proper holes on the whippletree bar are
marked into which the chains from the quadrants are hooked when at
ordinary work, and there are marks on the two front centre arched arms
to indicate the proper working position of the harrows. For levelling
down the tops of potato or other drills, I annex small chain harrows
which are hooked on to the hind quadrants, and when three single
harrow's are required for cleaning three very narrow drills or rows at
once I take off one of the two centre harrows and fix the three
remaining harrows by bolting the centre arched arms together. I also
link jointed hooks in slots at the back part of the bills and raise from
the joints arms and handles kept in their places by rods and looks.

page_text: attached to the connecting rods, the handles being for the purpose of
enabling the harrows to be carried over the growing crops on the
:headland.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Dickson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
DICKSON, of Chester, in the County of Chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
..Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Dickson, Her special licence that I, the
said James Dickson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Dickson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS APPLICABLE
TO CLEANING GREEN CROPS GROWING ON DRILLS OR RIDGES, AND OTHER PURPOSES,"
upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said James Dickson, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, should particularly-
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme--
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Dickson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by tho
following statement, reference being had to the Figures on the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings and to the letters of reference marked
thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to harrows which can be placed at angles for
cleaning drills or ridges, and also be adapted for cleaning rows on the

page_text: harrows placed at an angle. For cleaning all the sides of two drills or
ridges I use four harrows placed at an angle; and for cleaning the spaces
between three narrow drills at once I use. three single harrows, the
horse walking in the centre drill. And on the accompanying of Sheet
Drawings--
Fig. 1 represents the four harrows used for cleaning both sides of
two drills or ridges at one and the same time; Fig. 2 the three harrows
for cleaning the spaces between three narrow drills, and Figs. 3 and 4
are enlarged views of some of the parts. My improvements in connec
tion with these harrows used for cleaning one, two, and three drills at
one and the same time are as follows, viz. :-I make the harrow bills
marked a, in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, of groove fluted iron for the purpose of
combining lightness with strength, and to these bills I fix knives b and
spikes c, Figs. 1 and 2, of different lengths and angles, and at different
distances in order to root up and cut off all weeds growing between the
drills, ridges, or rows, without choking the implement. The shafts d
and handles e I make of tubular iron and rivet the shafts at the front
and back to cast iron bosses ƒ into which are jointed the tops of the
arched arms connected to the bills, the joints being for the double
purpose of enabling the handles to be turned outward or inwards. when
the implement is working on narrow or wide drills or ridges, and also
for allowing the arched arms to be expanded or contracted. I place the
arched arms g edgeways and split them open at the bottom, as seen at h,
Figs. 1, 2, and 3, to enable them to be hinged to eyes rivetted to the
bills so that the harrows can be turned to any angle or placed on the
flat as required. The arched arms are held at the proper distance apart
by means of connecting rods 1, and the quadrants m used for keeping the
harrows at any angle or on the flat are fastened along with the con-
necting rods to the arched arms by bolts with winged nuts, thus
simplyfying and economising the parts. I link the draught chains to
hooks o rivetted to the bottom of the front quadrants which enable the
harrows to be raised or lowered by shortening or lengthening the chains
and the horse to be placed near the harrows, thereby making the draught
lighter and the harrows easily managed at the turnings. I make the
whippletree bar 7 of angle iron turned up at cach end, the angle
iron giving strength and lightness, and the turned-up ends preventing
the bar from catching the soil when turning; and to the front of the

page_text: whippletree bar are rivetted eyes into which the draught chains of the
horse are hooked. The proper holes on the whippletree bar are marked
into which the chains from the quadrants are hooked when at ordinary
work, and there are marks on the two front centre arched arms to
indicate the proper working position of the harrow. For levelling down
the tops of potatoe or other drills I annex small chain barrows shewn
detached at s which harrows are hooked on to the hind quadrants, and
when three single harrows are required for cleaning. three very narrow
drills or rows at once, I take off one of the two centre harrows and
chain and fix the three remaining harrows by bolting the centre arched
arms together, as shown in Fig. 2.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire
it to be understood that I claim,―
First. The formation of the harrow bills of groove fluted iron for the
purpose of combining lightness with strength.
Secondly. The attachment of the hooks to which the draught chains
are linked to the bottom of the quadrants.
Thirdly. The knives of different sizes fixed to the bills.
Fourthly. The employment of tubular iron for making the shafts and
handles.
Fifthly. The cast-iron bosses to which the shafts are fixed and the
arched arms jointed.
Sixthly. The edged positions of the arched arms and the open splits
at their lower ends.
Seventhly. The mode of fixing the arched arms and connecting rods
to the quadrants at the same place and by the same fastening.
Eighthly. The bolts with winged nuts for fastening the arched arms,
connecting rods, and quadrants together.
Ninthly. The formation of the whippletree of angle iron and turning
up its ends.
Tenthly. The system of removing one central harrow and draught
chain and fastening the central arched arms together for the
making three single harrows.
purpose of
And eleventhly. The small chain harrows to be hooked to the hind
quadrants for levelling down the tops of potatoe or other drills as all

page_text: such improvements are herein described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Dickson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
JAMES DICKSON. (L.S.)