An Implement for Catching and Destroying Insects on and for Dressing Mustard and other Crops.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Implement for Catching and Destroying Insects on and for
Dressing Mustard and other Crops.
I COLE AMBROSE of Stuntney Hall Ely, Cambridgeshire Farmer do hereby
declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide an implement by means of which insects
which infest mustard and other crops can be readily caught and destroyed and the
crops can be "dressed or supplied with material which will prevent or materially
prevent the collection of insects on the said crops.
"
An apparatus constructed according to my invention consists of a combination of
pans or holders for material such for instance as gas tar paraffin or the like which
will retain or destroy insects and sweepers or dressers by which the insects are
wiped or shaken from the crops into the pans.
The said pans or holders and the sweepers or dressers are carried in a frame
from which they may be suspended so as to automatically vibrate as the implement
is being traversed over or through the crops and may be attached by a chain or
chains or otherwise to the frame so as to be capable of being adjusted in height to
suit crops of different heights.
The sweepers may be supplied with any suitable dressing material such for
example as paraffin tar or the like which as the implement is passed through the
crops will be transferred from the dressers onto the crops.
The frame together with the pans and sweepers or dressers may be made
sufficiently light to be carried through the crops by hand or it may be provided
with a wheel or wheels and be drawn or pushed through the crops by manual or
other power.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1802
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Implement for Catching and Destroying Insects on and for
Dressing Mustard and other Crops.
I, COLE AMBROSE, of Stuntney Hall, Ely, Cambridgeshire, Farmer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide an implement by means of which insects
which infest mustard and other crops can be readily caught and destroyed and the
crops can be "dressed or supplied with material which will prevent or materially
prevent the collection of insects on the said crops.
"
An apparatus constructed according to my invention consists of a combination of
pans or holders for material, such for instance as gas tar, paraffin or the like which
will retain or destroy insects, and sweepers or dressers by which the insects are
wiped or shaken from the crops into the pans.
The pans or holders and the sweepers or dressers are carried on a frame from which
they may be suspended so as to automatically vibrate as the implement is being
traversed over or through the crops and may be attached by a chain or chains or
otherwise to the frame so as to be capable of being adjusted in height to suit crops
of different heights.

page_text: The sweepers may be supplied with any suitable dressing material such for
example as paraffin, tar or the like, which as the implement is passed through the
crops will be transferred from the dressers onto the crops.
The frame together with the pans and sweepers or dressers may be made
sufficiently light to be carried through the crops by hand or it may be provided
with a wheel or wheels and be drawn or pushed through the crops by manual or
other power.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
annexed drawings the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in
both figures.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation an apparatus constructed according to my
invention capable of operating on four rows of a crop at one time and Figure 2 is a
plan of the same. It is shewn as being mounted on two wheels arranged to run
between rows of the crop but if desired the wheels may be dispensed with and the
apparatus be carried through the crops in the hands or on the shoulders of two men
one in front and one at the rear, or it may be provided with a single wheel in front
and be pushed through the crop by a man at the rear, or it may be traversed
through the crop by horse power or by other convenient means.
The apparatus consists of a light frame A carrying (in the arrangement shewn)
two pans B to contain gas tar, paraffin, treacle or other suitable material which will
retain or destroy insects, the said frame also carrying sweepers or dressers C which
are connected to the frame so as to be free to vibrate or oscillate when the
apparatus is in motion. A convenient way of connecting the pans B to the frame A
is to provide each pan with two upwardly projecting rods fitted to slide in tubes a
connected to the frame by clips c so as to admit of the distance between the pans
and the frame being adjusted as required to suit crops of different heights. The
tubes a may be slotted as shewn at a through which slots studs d are screwed into
the rods & the said studs serving to connect the rods to the tubes a and yet admit
of the pans rising and falling to accommodate themselves to inequalities of the
ground and to prevent the pans from being injured when meeting with obstructions.
The sweepers or dressers C may be made of any desired size or shape. In the
drawing I have shewn each sweeper as being made in two parts connected together
at the front and rear ends by flexible connections such as cords or chains e the
upper part of the said sweeper or dresser being suspended by cords or chains e
from rods which pass through sockets g fixed on the frame A the said rods being
secured in the sockets at any desired height by screws 9². These sweepers or
dressers may be made of any suitable material for example they may each consist
of a strip of wood covered or enclosed in a casing of canvas or they may each
consist of a frame of wood metal or other material enclosed in canvas or other
suitable material or having canvas or the like stretched thereon. Each apparatus
may be provided with any desired number of sweepers and they may be arranged
at any desired angle to the line of direction in which the apparatus is passed through
the crops I prefer to arrange the said sweepers or dressers in pairs as shown in
Figure 2 the forward or leading ends of the sweeper of each pair being at sufficient
distance apart to embrace between them two rows of a crop of mustard or the like
the said sweepers inclining backwards towards each other at such angles that their
rear ends are in contact or nearly in contact.
The apparatus is traversed through the crops in the direction indicated by
arrows in Figure 2 in which figure the rows of crops are indicated by dot and pick
lines 1, 2, 3, 4. At the forward end of the frame A a band or strap may be provided
as shewn at h against which the operator in front may bear to assist in propelling
the apparatus forward, a similar band or strap 2 may also be provided at the rear
against which an operator at the back of the apparatus may bear to assist in the
propulsion. As the apparatus is moved forward into the crop two rows of the
crop are embraced by each pair of sweepers C which sweepers by being loosely
suspended from the frame A yield or open out so as not to damage the crop but

page_text: at the same time rub and vibrate against the crop sufficiently to dislodge therefrom
any maggots, beetles or other insects which may be thereon the said insects thus
dislodged falling thence into the retaining material contained in the pans B
beneath.
By passing the apparatus through the crops occasionally the said crops may be
kept free from insects and consequently the destruction of the crops be prevented
and their growth materially improved. To dress the crops with material to
prevent the accumulation thereon of insects the sweepers or dressers C may be
supplied with any suitable dressing material which is destructive to insect life or
which will tend to prevent the accumulation of insects such for example as gas tar,
paraffin or the like so that when the apparatus is passing through the crops the
dressing material will be transferred from the dressers onto the crops-the crops
being thus economically and efficiently dressed.
Although I have described and illustrated an apparatus containing two pans and
two pairs of sweepers or dressers one pan and one pair of sweepers or dressers may
be provided or if desired more than two pans and pairs of sweepers or dressers may
be combined in one apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An implement or apparatus for catching and destroying insects on mustard
and other crops the said apparatus consisting of the combination with any suitable
frame, of a pan or holder or pans or holders for material which will retain or
destroy insects, and sweepers or equivalent ineans for wiping or shaking insects
from the crops into the pan or pans substantially as herein before described.
2. An implement or apparatus for dressing mustard and other crops consisting
of a frame having suspended therefrom flaps wipers or dressers capable of being
charged or of holding dressing material and transferring the said material onto the
crops as the apparatus passed through the said crops substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting an implement or
apparatus for catching and destroying insects on and for dressing mustard and
other crops substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawing.
Dated this 20th day of September 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.