Im- PROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL APPARATUS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL APPARATUS."-A communication from abroad
by Jean Baptiste Décours, Agriculturist, Athanase Charles Le Lavandier,
Architect, and Pierre Edouard Lambert, Mechanician, all of 29, Boulevart
St. Martin, Paris.
Sealed the 11th September 1863, and dated the 23rd March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd March 1869.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved agricultural machino performing the
following operations:-1st, destroying weeds and all animal life injurious to
agriculture; 2ndly, scarifying the ground to various depths, according to its
nature; 3rdly, harrowing and breaking up the ground; 4thly, ploughing with
one or more shares; 5thly, trenching or draining simultaneously with tho
ploughing; 6tbly, preparing the ground for planting colza, for instance, during
the ploughing operation.
This improved agricultural machine is composed of a cast-iron frame
supported by two running wheels at the back end, and connected to a fore

page_text: carriage, the shaft of which may be slid longitudinally in order to place one or
other wheel of said fore carriage in the furrow made by the plough share. I
elevate or depress the running wheels by means of suitable levers, and so cause
the various implements to enter more or less into the ground. This arrange
ment obviates the disadvantages of those implements which drag on the ground
in going or returning from work, as by means of these lovers all the working
parts are raised some three inches from the ground. The framing of the machine
is furnished with a number of sockets in which are placed the various agricultural
implements to be used; in this manner the machine may be used for ploughing,
harrowing, scarifying, or other purpose, either separately or collectively, the
machine being rendered suitable for performing all the different operations
necessary for preparing the ground for receiving the seed.
The implements to be carried by this improved machine are,-1st, cutting
blades placed rather more than an inch apart, which cut up and press on all
weeds and animal life they meet with; 2ndly, scarifiers, mounted on iron stems
for breaking up the ground and extirpating weeds; the scarification of light
sandy ground by these scarifiers may serve in lieu of ploughing, knives serving
as coulters are also placed in front of the scarifiers; 8rdly, iron teeth for
harrowing; 4thly, a large tine or plough, serving to break and turn over the
ground; 5thly, a stem furnished with a scarifier for trenching or draining
purposes; and; lastly, an instrument placed behind the share for regulating the
depth of the channels for colza or other planting.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 58, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William)
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AGRICULTURAL APPARATUS," a communication to me from abroad by Jean
Baptiste Décours, Agriculturist, Athanase Charles Le Lavandier, Architect,
and Pierre Edouard Lambert, Mechanician, all of 29, Boulevart St. Martin,
Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to an improved agricultural apparatus to be used,
1st, for destroying field mice and all kinds of insects hidden in the ground,. as
also noxious weeds and vegetation, such as couch, chickweed, crowsfoot, and
others injurious to agriculture; 2ndly, for scarifying the ground to a depth of
five inches or more, according to its nature;. 3rdly, for harrowing the ground
in order to clean it; 4thly, for crushing or breaking the clods.; 5thly, for
ploughing it with a large ploughshare; 6thly, for ploughing light sandy soils
with two, three, or four small shares; 7thly, for trenching or draining land
simultaneously with the ploughing, that is, to form channels of three inches or
more in depth in the bottom of each furrow for carrying off the water. These
channels, which are made when ploughing by the scarifying tine, are imme-
diately covered up by the soil turned over by the mould board of the plough;
8thly, it may, lastly, be used for preparing the ground, simultaneously with the
ploughing, for planting colza.
This improved apparatus consists of an iron frame mounted on two hind
wheels, and with a fore carriage, also provided with a pair of wheels. This
frame is supported by the hind axle, on which are mounted sliding bearings
carrying the travelling wheels; these wheels are regulated in height by means
of jointed levers in order that the implement shall penetrate more or less into
the ground.
This arrangement consists of three parts:-1st, the lever arm; 2ndly, a

page_text: ratchet wheel; 3rdly, a rod which is attached to the bearings carrying the
'axle. The lever arm and rod are geared with the ratchet by means of a pawl
mounted on the lever; by this arrangement of the lever the implements may
be adjusted at any required depth in the ground without stopping the horses.
'A steering apparatus is placed in the centre of the frame, consisting of a large
and small bar, which serves to guide the fore carriage and frame in any
desired direction, especially on billy or uneven ground, in order to prevent its
overturning. The fore carriage is attached to the framing by the cross bar of
the steering apparatus, and by tie rods connected to same, which may or may
not be curved at their extremities; the other ends of said tie rods are fixed to
the draw bar.
Sockets of the number of 23 are cast on the frame for fixing the various
cultivating implements, letters being also applied on the frame, indicating the
position of each in their respective sockets. By the aid of the several parts
above referred to, I may regulate the depth to which the several implements
enter the ground, seven inches being the usual maximum depth, which may
be still further increased another five inches by raising the wheels with the
arrangement of levers and pawls above described.
In order to render the construction of this apparatus well understood, I have
represented it in the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 of which shows a longi-
'tudinal elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 2, a plan; Figs. 3, 4, & 5 show
different views of the tools or instruments suitable for the destruction of noxious
animal and vegetable life, as also the knives or teeth used for harrowing the
ground; Fig. 6 shows the large share for ploughing; Fig. 7, the instrument
applicable for planting colza; Fig. 8 shows the cast-iron scarifying tines, while
Fig. 9 shows the implement for forming the channels or draining the land.
The samo letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures
seen in different positions. These parts may be modified in form and dimen-
sions, as also in the mode of fixing them. Some of the implements may also be
applied in lieu of others, answering the same purpose, such modifications being
suggested by experience will not at all affect the principle of this Invention.
a cast-iron framing of the apparatus, provided with a number of sockets b,
in which the cultivating implements are lodged; c, steering apparatus for
guiding the machine, also serving to connect the framing a with the fore
carriage d; f, tie rods connecting framing a to draw bar g of the fore carriage,
which rods may bo of curved form if desired; h, travelling wheels of fore
carriage; i, axle of wheels h, worked by handle q; r, small arm of steerer
mounted on arm p and supporting beam s; t, hand lever, serving conjointly
with beam s to re-establish the level of frame a when the machine is at work,

page_text: as also to regulate the position of the share according to requirements; u, blades
for the destruction of noxious animals and weeds; v, iron bars or coulters of
the scarifying tines; r, iron teeth for harrowing the ground; y, large plough
share;, instrument applicable for planting colza.
1, metal scarifiers; 2, implements for trenching the land in order to carry
off the rain fall. The destruction of animal life is effected by means of knife
blades u, which are nine in number, and placed about one and a half inches
apart; these are followed by three scarifying tines, which collect the weeds
and clean the ground. The scarification is further effected by means of five
iron bars and scarifying tines 1 mounted on the frame of the machine. The
harrowing is effected by means of teeth x, also mounted on the framing.
The ploughing and clod crushing is effected by means of a large share y
fixed to the frame; for light sandy soils I may employ 2, 3, or 4 small
scarifiers in lieu of a plough.
The trenching in ordinary is effected simultaneously with the ploughing,
the channels made being covered by the ground turned over by the mould
board, the water will thus be distributed in the trenches. The ground may
be prepared for planting colza by applying the implements behind the
scarifying tine for forming the rows, the depth at which it penetrates the
ground being regulated by a pin, which may be adjusted at different heights.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the combination in one framing of all the implements required in
agriculture, as described.
Secondly, the arrangement described by which the instrument may be raised
out of contact with the ground when the machine is not in use, or when going
or returning from work, there will thus be no liability of its tearing up the
ground.
Thirdly, I claim the means described for destroying animals and weeds
prejudicial to agriculture.
Fourthly, I claim scarifying and levelling the ground, as described, which is
effected in as complete a manner as when using a plough.
Fifthly, I claim the improved construction of harrow teeth, herein
represented.
Sixthly, I claim the improved plough share herein described and represented;
the ploughing may further be effected more expeditiously by using 2, 3, or 4
tines for light soils

page_text: Seventhly, I claim effecting the trenching or draining operations simul-
taneously with the ploughing, as described.
Eighthly, I claim the improved instrument herein described and represented
for preparing the ground for planting colza.
In witness I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
W. G. E. SWINNOCK,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.B.)