Process and Apparatus for Sprouting Seeds Previous to Sowing the same.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for Sprouting Seeds Previous to Sowing
the same.
We, ALEXANDER BARANOWSKI, Farmer of Kempen in Posen, in the Kingdom
of Prussia and ALBERT SILBERMANN, Manufacturer of 74 Blumen Strasse
Berlin Prussia, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in
what manner the same is performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
The present invention consists of a process for spronting seeds previous to sowing
the same and thus greatly accelerating the subsequent development of the plants
so as to enable the fruit or vegetable to ripen twice one season.
The process
consists in first softening the seeds in water for a certain time, then mixing the
same loosely with a thin layer of earth or rolling them in clay in the form of little
balls, and placing the said seeds in this condition over a manure bed, advantageously
of horse dung, and allowing the gases developed in the said manure bed to
pass upward through the layer of earth or clay and seeds.
In order to carry the process into practice we employ a kind of inverted
bottomless tub or vat in which the manure is confined and we place the seeds in a
tray in a thin layer and place the said tray on the tub so that gases issuing upwards
from the interior of the said tub shall be forced to pass through the layer of mixed
seeds and earth in the tray.
And in order to make this description more easily intelligible reference is had to
the accompanying drawing in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout
the several views.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tray for the seeds,
Fig. 2 a similar view of the tub or vat and
Fig. 3 a sectional view of the tub and tray together.
a is the tray for the seeds having a bottom e advantageously of some coarse fabric
such as sack cloth, and b is the tub in which the manure is confined. The process
is carried out in the following manner :-
The seeds are soaked in water for about 12 hours. A thin layer of earth is then
spread over the bottom of the tray a, and on this a layer of seeds, then again a layer of
earth-just thick enough to thinly cover the seeds and then seeds again and so on until
the whole layer has attained a thickness of about 6 inches. This tray a is made to fit
exactly onto the upper rim of the frame b containing the manure and the manure bed
is prepared in the following manner :- -The frame 6 which should taper towards the
top is imbedded in the earth right up to the top rim and the earth stamped tightly
down all round it, the interior of the tray is empty the earth forming the bottom
being levelled to correspond with the plane of the lower rim of the said frame.
The latter is now filled with fresh horse dung mixed with straw and pressed tightly
down into the same. Other manure may also be employed such as couch grass,
litter or hay, such kinds of manure must however be previously spread out on the
ground and sprinkled with water, before they are pressed into the frame b. The
dung will now soon get heated and developes gases which ascend and issue at
the upper opening of the frame. The tray with the seeds should now be placed
on the upper rim of the frame and packed with earth all round which should also be
pressed tightly down all round it. The whole should now be left for three or
four days, when the seeds will be found to have sprouted. The frame a c is then
removed and the seeds separated from the earth by means of a sieve. The
sifting process will not damage the sprouted seeds as the sprouts do not extend
out of the husk away from the latter but lie round them close onto the said husk.

page_text: The seeds can be even more quickly sprouted if the tray a is not placed on the
under frame b until the dung has been allowed to develop therein for about
12 to 18 hours. The top of the said frame b should however during this
period be covered with an empty 'frame containing sack clothes or in other
suitable manner.
With some kinds of seeds, for instance those of vegetables such as cabbage and
some other kinds, it is advantageous to combine the same with clay before subjecting
them to the action of the manure gases. This is effected by making a long roll of
unctuous clay, mixed with guana in the proportion of about 20 to 1 part, or of cow
dung mixed with Chili saltpetre in the proportion of 50 to 1 and then cutting the
said roll into little lengths of about three quarters of an inch; the seeds are then
spread out on a sheet of paper and the clay or manure lumps are brought into
contact with them, so that about three seeds shall be caused to stick to each piece;
the latter are then rolled up into balls but in such manner however that all the
seeds in the same are visible at one point or another. These little balls containing
the seeds are then placed in the tray and treated in the same manner as herein
before described. As soon as the husks have bursted which can be easily ascertained
by inspecting one of the clay or manure lumps, the sprouting process has advanced
far enough and the seeds can be sown without taking them out of the clay, so that
the danger of damaging the same is avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A process for sprouting seeds previous to sowing the same consisting in first
softening the said seeds in water then exposing them in layers in combination with
a generating medium such as earth or clay to the action of manure gases in the
manner and for the purpose substantially as described.
2. A process for sprouting seeds previous to sowing the same consisting in
softening the said seeds in water, then spreading them in thin layers alternating
with thin layers of earth on a tray and exposing them to the action of manure
gases, issuing from a frame tightly packed to enclose the manure and prevent the
issue of the said gases otherwise than through the layers of seeds substantially as
described.
3. In combination with a process for sprouting seeds previous to sowing the same
an apparatus consisting of a manure frame b having its sides tapering inwards
towards the top and a seed tray a having bottom c of coarse fabric and fitting the
top of the manure frame substantially as described.
4. A modification of the process for sprouting seeds previous to sowing the same
consisting in softening the said seeds, then combining the same with a soft
plastic mass, such as unctuous clay or manure as specified and exposing the same
to the action of manure gases in the manner and for the purpose substantially as
described.
Dated this 12th day of May 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.