AN IMPROVED CORN DRILL, OR MACHINE FOR SOWING ALL KINDS OF SEED OR GRAIN
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
IRVING, of Regent Street, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Seventh day of June, in the fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her
heirs and successors, give and grant unto ine, the said William Irving, my
exors, adiiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Irving, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said William Irving, my exors, adññiors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED
CORN DRILL, OR MACHINE FOR SOWING ALL KINDS OF SEED OR GRAIN;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that I, the said William
Irving, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited. Letters Patent, as, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation, in which the nearest wheel B and the end of
the seed box is removed; Figure 2 is a plan, in which the manure box U is not
shewn; Figure 3 is an end elevation; and Figure 4 is a plan of one of the
seed discs, to an enlarged scale; the same letters referring to similar parts in
each Figure. A, A, is the frame to which the various parts of the machine
are attached; B. B, are the wheels upon which the machine is carried. Upon
the axle of the said wheels is fixed a toothed wheel C, which takes into or
gears with a smaller toothed wheel or pinion D; upon the axle of the latter
is fixed another toothed wheel or pinion E. Upon the same axle is also fixed
two bevill'd toothed wheels F, F, which take into or gears with two other
bevill'd toothed wheels G, G, upon each axle of which is fixed a toothed wheel
or pinion H, H, and a circular plate or disc J, J, of metal or other suitable
material (which I call a seed disc). The latter toothed wheels or pinions H, H,
take into or gears with the intermediate toothed wheels or pinions K, K, which
latter take into or gears with two other toothed wheels or pinions L, L, upon
each' axle of which is fixed another circular plate or disc M, M, similar to the
before-mentioned plates or seed discs, which seed discs are perforated with
holes Z, Z, (of any required number and size, as shewn in Figure 4.
N is a
box or trough to contain the seed; the bottom of this box or trough has holes
perforated in it, and spouts or tubes I, I, made of leather, tin, or other ma-
terial, are attached to each hole, the number and width apart being regulated
by the number of furrows and the width between each furrow. 0, 0, are
plates of metal or other material fixed upon the interior of the bottom of the
seed box. These plates have recesses in them to receive the circular plates
or seed discs J, J, and M, M, which are accurately fitted to the recesses in the
plates 0, 0, allowing the seed dises to turn freely therein, the upper surface
of the seed discs and plates to be flush. Above each of the holes in the seed
box are fixed small stiff brushes X (sufficiently large to cover the holes in the
seed discs), the surface of which brushes press close upon the upper surface of
the seed discs, for the purpose of clearing the holes, and only allowing the
requisite number or quantity of seed to pass through each time. To facilitate

page_text: the
passage and to insure the proper quantity of seed, the holes in the said
discs are made wider on the under surface of the same. P, P, are the coulters,
similar in form and material to those in general use, and arranged to suit any
inequality of surface they may have to pass over or act upon. a, a, are two
arms, of wood, iron, or other material; these are attached to the frame A, A,
so as to admit of their being moved when required into the position shewn
by the dotted line d, d, in Figure 1. Attached to the arms a, a, is a rod or
axle b, which passes through the eyes or sockets at the ends of the coulter
blades, and which eyes or sockets allow the coulters to turn freely upon the
axle or rod b, b, so as to act separately or together, as required. Q is a roller
or drum attached to the frame A, A, and moving freely upon its axis. One
end of the chains c, c, are attached to this roller or drum, the other ends being
attached by a hook to each of the coulters P, P. The ends of the chains e, e,
are also attached to the roller or drum Q, which chains are also attached to
the upper ends of the levers 7, 1, the other ends of the levers 1, 1, being attached
by a joint to a board m, which, together with the levers 1, 1, and chains e, e,
are used as a press upon the coulters, as will be described hereafter. Attached
to the roller or drum Q are two other chains f, g, the latter being indicated
by a dotted line in Figure 1,) which pass one over, the other under, to another
roller or drum R, around which they are passed and attached. The roller or
drum R moves freely upon its axis, and has at each end a ratchet wheel h, i,
fixed upon it, being provided with a pall j, k, to each, to act in opposite
directions to each other. The roller or drum R is perforated with any con-
venient number of holes to receive a handle or lever n, to be used to turn
the said roller when required, as will be explained hereafter. S, S, are
two clutches which slide upon the axle of the wheels B, B; T, T, are
the clutch levers, by which, and the clutches S, S, the machine is thrown
in or out of gear, as occasion may require; U is the receptacle or box for
the manure, and the apparatus for distributing the same. This being of the
ordinary or any improved construction, the details are not shewn, but will
be more fully described (that is, one apparatus applicable to the purpose,)
presently. O is a toothed wheel or pinion (indicated by the dotted line in
Figure 1), which takes into or gears with and receives motion from the
toothed wheel C, upon the axle of the wheels B, B. Upon the axle of
the wheel or pinion o (which axle is not shewn in the Drawing, are fixed the
spoons for supplying the hoppers or funnels p, p, and spouts q, q. Upon the
end of the same axle is fixed the toothed pinion r, which takes into and gives
motion to the toothed wheel s; upon the axle of the latter are fixed arms or
Spurs (not shewn in the Drawing). These revolving through the manure in

page_text: the box U keeps it agitated, and thereby facilitates the regularity of the
supply required for the spoons. V, V, are parts of the shafts; t, t, are slides,
which pass between the bottom of the box and the under sides of the seed
discs, having a hole in them to allow the seed to pass through, but when
drawn partly out they stop any of the holes that are not required to be used;
u, u, are rests for the clutch levers; v, v, are fulcrum pins for the clutch
levers; w, w, are weights that are placed upon the coulters to prevent them
from rising. The action of the machine will be as follows:-By placing the
clutch levers in the position indicated by the dotted lines on the plan
(Figure 2), the clutches S, S, will be thrown into gear with the wheels B, B;
motion being given to these, it will thereby be communicated to the toothed
wheel C, and by the latter at the same time to the toothed wheel or pinion D,
the bevelled toothed wheels F, F, and G, G, and the toothed wheels or pinions
H, H, K, K, and L, L, thereby causing the circular plates or discs J, J, and
M, M, (affixed to the axles of the toothed wheels or pinions H, H, and L, L,)
to revolve under the seed in the box N, N. As these discs J, J, and M, M,
revolve, the seed falls into the holes that are exposed to it, which seed passes
round until it arrives under the brushes X and over the holes in the bottom of
the seed box; the brushes X clear away the superfluous seed, only allowing the
requisite quantity to drop through the holes and spouts I, I, into the furrows
singly or severally, according to the size of the holes in the seed discs, the
distance between the dropping being regulated by the number of holes in
the seed discs, and the proportion the diameters of the several wheels and
pinions bear to each other. At the same time that motion is communicated
by the toothed wheel C to the toothed wheel or pinion D, the bevelled wheels
F, F, &c., it is communicated by the same means to the toothed wheel or
pinion o, the spoons, and the pinion r upon its axle, to the toothed wheel S,
and the arms or spurs upon the axle of the latter, thereby causing the manure
to drop through the hoppers or funnels p, p, and the spouts q, q, into the furrows
or drills, a little in advance of and simultaneously with the seed or grain from
the spouts I, I. A certain supply of a given quantity of manure will be thus
insured to every portion of grain or seed as it is sown, and as both are dis-
charged so near the ground they will be affected but little (if any) by the
wind before they are deposited in the ground. The coulters may be of any
approved form, and are so arranged in this machine as to be capable of
making the furrows of any depth the soil will admit or the seed may require.
This arrangement also allows them to act separately or together, as circum-
stances or the inequality of the surface may render necessary. When the
furrows or drills are required to be deeper than the coulters and weights w in

page_text: their ordinary position will make them, the pall k is released from the ratchet
wheel and thrown back, the handle n is inserted in one of the holes in the roller
or drum R nearest the back frame A of the machine, and the roller or drum
R is turned round towards the front of the machine; the chain G, indicated
by the dotted line in Figure 1, is wound upon the roller or drum R, thereby
causing the roller or drum Q to revolve and take up the chains e, e, attached
to the upper ends of the levers l, l, which being thus drawn down makes the
lower ends of the same press down the board m (to which they are attached)
upon the coulters, forcing them into the ground to any depth that may be
found expedient. When they require to be raised, the pall j is released, the
roller or drum R is turned back, taking up the chain f, f, and causing the
roller or drum Q to revolve and take up the chains c, c, thereby raising
the coulters to their original position, or to the position indicated by the dotted
lines in Figure 1, so as to be entirely out of the way of any obstruction that
may offer itself upon the ground. When the seed requires to be dropped
nearer together than the machine in its present arrangement is capable of
effecting, all that requires to be done is to loosen the screws, by which the
plummer blocks that carry the axle of the wheels B, B, are fixed to the
frame A, A, and move them back, or move the frame A, A, forward, slots being
provided in the said plummer blocks through which the above screws pass; the
toothed wheels or pinions D and E having been moved along their axle until
the pinion E takes into or gears with the toothed wheel C, they are then fixed
upon their axles by their keys or cotters, the plummer blocks are screwed
firmly to the frame A, A, and the machine is again ready for use. The
principle of this machine admits of many other modifications, by which it may
be applied to sowing the various kinds of seeds required. The seed may be
made to drop opposite or alternately in the furrows. The machine may also
be constructed of a greater or less width, so as to drill and sow a greater or
less number of furrows than the machine shewn in the Drawing; also for one
or more horses, so that the horse or horses may walk immediately in front of
the machine upon the lands or in the trenches on each or either side of the
same. The same principle may also be applied to a hand machine for the same
purpose or purposes.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be used, I wish it to be understood that in the machine
herein described and shewn I do not claim the manure apparatus shewn and
described, nor do I claim the form of the coulters; but I claim their peculiar
arrangement, as herein described, and as shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
I also claim the application and use of perforated plates or discs for dropping

page_text: or sowing all kinds of seed or grain, and their combination with wheels and
pinions or other mechanical contrivances, for the purpose of carrying out the
principle and its application, as herein described, and as shewn in the accom
panying Drawing.
or sowing all kinds of seed or grain, and their combination with wheels and
pinions or other mechanical contrivances, for the purpose of carrying out the
principle and its application, as herein described, and as shown in the accom
panying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Irving, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.
principle and its application, as
panying Drawing.
described, and
In witness whereof, I, the said William Irving, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.