Improvements in Apparatus for Protecting Plants and Seeds from Birds and Animals.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 11th Feb.,
1899
Improvements in Apparatus for Protecting Plants and Seeds from
Birds and Animals.
I, ALFRED CHANDLER, of Penrose, Wolborough Hill, Newton Abbot, in the
County of Devon, Horticulturist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of a cheap, simple and readily port-
able apparatus, which can be placed upon the ground to cover plants, or seeds,
and will effectually prevent birds or small animals obtaining access to the
said plants or seeds, while it will not in any way interfere with the free admis-
sion thereto of air, light, or rain.
The apparatus consists substantially of a frame, made of stout wire, light metal
rods or strips, or cane or wood of a suitable description, and covered with wire
netting of a sufficiently fine mesh to prevent the passage through it of small
birds, and mice, squirrels, or other small animals."
The said apparatus may be of any convenient size and form, thus, for example,
it may be of a circular conical shape, like an inverted tub, the frame consisting
of a lower wire ring and an upper wire ring of less diameter, the conical sides
connecting the rings being formed of wire netting affixed to them in any suit-
able manner, while a circular piece of netting is affixed to the top ring.
Again, it may be of truncated pyramidal shape and square in plan. The
frame may consist of a square wire ring at bottom, having wires springing
from the corners and crossing each other on the top, the whole being covered
with netting, as before.
The lower ends of the upright wires preferably project below the bottom ring,
to form spikes which stick in the ground and secure the apparatus in position.
Similar projecting pieces may also be applied to the circular shape before
described.
By burying the lower edges of the apparatus some little distance in the ground,
small animals may be prevented from gaining access to the plants by burrowing.
The metal parts of the apparatus may be galvanized or painted, or both, to
protect them from injury by the weather, and where cane, wood, or other like
material is employed, it may be painted or varnished for the same purpose.
In addition to the wire netting, glass may be employed, if desirable, or may
be substituted for certain parts of the said netting. Thus, for example, the top
of the apparatus may be of glass, or may be arranged to have a sheet of glass
slid over, or affixed to the netting while the sides of the apparatus may have
glass substituted for, or applied to the wire netting in like manner.
The above are given as typical examples of the mode of carrying the invention
into practice, but I do not necessarily confine myself to the forms, or specific
modes of construction therein described.
It is preferred always to make the sides conical, in order that the covers may
pack into one another, and thus be readily and conveniently transported from
lese

page_text: The apparatus is particularly applicable for the protection of seeds of all kinds,
and for strawberry and other similar plants, and the square form of the apparatus
is specially useful as a seed cover, besides its use for protecting plants, as such
square shape will most conveniently cover beds, either longitudinal or square
in plan, or rows of seeds, such as peas.
Dated the 17th day of March 1808
Improvements in Apparatus for Protecting Plants and Seeds from
Birds and Animals.
I, ALFRED CHANDLER, of Penrose, Wolborough Hill, Newton Abbot, in the
County of Devon, Horticulturist, 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:-
My invention relates to the construction of a cheap, simple and readily port-
able apparatus, which can be placed upon the ground to cover plants, or seeds,
and will effectually prevent birds, or small animals obtaining access to the
said plants or seeds, while it will not in any way interfere with the free admis-
sion thereto of air, light, or rain.
The apparatus forming the subject of my invention, consists substantially of
a frame, made of stout wire, light metal rods or strips, or cane, or wood of a
suitable description, and covered with wire netting of a sufficiently fine mesh
to prevent the passage through it of small birds and mice, squirrels, or other
small animals.
The said apparatus may be of any convenient size and form, thus, for example,
it may be of a circular conical shape, like an inverted tub, the frame consisting
of a lower wire ring and an upper wire ring of less diameter, the conical sides
connecting the rings being formed of wire netting affixed to them in any suit-
able manner, while a circular piece of netting is affixed to the top ring.
Again it may be of truncated pyramidal shape and square in plan. The
frame may consist of a square wire ring at bottom, having wires springing
from the corners and crossing each other on the top, the whole being covered
with nefting as before.
The lower ends of the upright wires preferably project below the bottom ring.
to form spikes which stick in the ground and secure the apparatus in position.
Similar projecting pieces may also be applied to the circular shape before
described.
By burying the lower edges of the netting some little distance in the ground.
small animals may be prevented from gaining access to the plants, or seeds by
burrowing.
The metal parts of the apparatus may be galvanised, or painted, or both, to
protect them from injury by the weather, and where cane, wood, or other like
material is employed, it may be painted or varnished for the same purpose.
In addition to the wire netting, glass may also be employed, if desirable, or may
be substituted for certain parts of the wire netting. Thus, for example, the top
of the apparatus may be of glass, or may be arranged to have a sheet of glass
slid over, or affixed to the netting, or the sides, or a portion of the sides may have
glass substituted for, or applied to the wire netting in like manner.
In the accompanying three sheets of drawings, which form part of this specifi-

page_text: cation and in which similar letters of reference denote similar parts througn-
out:
-
Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of the circular conical form of the apparatus.
Figure 2 is a similar view of the truncated pyramidal form.
Figure 3 is a similar view in outline of the latter shewing the application of
glass to the top, and
Figure 4 is a similar view shewing the application of glass to one of the sides.
Figures 5 and 6 shew an alternative mode of attaching a glass top and side,
and
Figure 7 is a perspective view shewing a mode of arranging a set of the
apparatus.
In Fig. 1, representing the circular conical form, A is a lower wire ring
and B an upper wire ring, of less diameter than A. C is the wire netting con-
necting the said rings and forming the conical sides. It may be affixed to the
rings in any suitable manner, thus the netting may be wider than the required
distance between the rings, so that the edges may be turned down over the rings
and then secured by lacing with wire, or it may be the exact width and secured
direct by wire lacing without turning over. The netting forming the top !
may be secured in either of the above ways, or in any other suitable manner.
In the truncated pyramidal form shewn in Fig. 2, A is a square wire ring
constituting the bottom of the frame.
E, E, are two wires springing from the corners of the ring A and crossing
each other in the centre of the top, the point of junction being secured by wire
binding and soldering, or in any other suitable manner.
The wire netting
forming the sides C and top D, may consist of a strip for the sides and a separate
piece for the top, or four separate pieces for the sides and a piece for the top, or
the whole may be in one piece of the shape of a Maltese cross, the centre part
forming the top and the arms being bent down to form the sides. In any case
the netting may be attached by lacing, or bending over and lacing, as before
described.
Fig. 3 shews an apparatus similar to that in Fig. 2 with a strip of metal F of
channel section, fixed to the top to receive a sheet of glass H, which may be
slid in or out, as shewn.
In Fig. 4 a sheet of glass H is shewn applied to one of the sides of the apparatus
in a similar manner.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew metal clips J employed to hold the glass in place of the
strips F. F.
The above are given as typical examples of the mode of carrying the invention
into practice, but I do not necessarily confine myself to the forms or specific
modes of construction therein described and shewn.
It is preferred always to make the sides of the apparatus conical, in order that
they may pack one into another and thus be readily and conveniently trans-
ported from place to place.
The apparatus is particularly applicable for the protection of seeds of all
kinds, and for various descriptions of plants, but especially for strawberries to
guard the fruit from birds, squirrels, rats and mice.
The square form of the apparatus is especially useful as a seed cover, besides
its use for protecting plants, as such square shape will most conveniently cover
beds, either longitudinal, or square in plan, or rows of seeds, such as peas. Fig. 7
shews how effectively these square covers can be arranged in a line to protect
a row of seeds, or plants.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is
_
1. A plant or seed protector, of circular conical form, consisting of the com-
bination of wire rings A and B, wire netting sides C and a wire netting top D,

page_text: substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and illustrated in Fig. 1
of the accompanying drawings.
2. A plant or seed protector, of square truncated pyramidal form, consisting
of the combination of a wire ring A, wire rods E, E, wire netting sides C anu
a wire netting top 1), substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and
illustrated in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In a plant or seed protector, as above described, the combination with the
top D, or one or more of the sides C, of a removable sheet of glass H, substan-
tially as and for the purpose herein set forth and illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6
of the accompanying drawings.
Deted the 17th day of December 1808
AMBROSE MYALL,
2. Lancaster Place, Strand, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.