A NEW OR IMPROVED Tunyway FOR PLANTING POTATOES.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lewis Augustus Aspinwall, of Albany, in the
State of New York, but at present of 89, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
Tunyway FOR PLANTING POTATOES.
"
Sealed the 16th April 1875, and dated the 27th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lewis Augustus
Aspinwall at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 27th October 1874.
I, LEWIS AUGUSTUS ASPINWAll, of Albany, in the State of New
York, but at present of 89, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,.
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED IMPLEMENT FOR PLANTING POTATOES," to be as follows:-
The carriage of the implement has two travelling or drive wheels, onc
of which is fixed on the axle; the bearings are on the frame or body of
the carriage, and are made with projecting lip or flange to keep out dust
or dirt. The axle passes through a box on the frame or body of the
carriage. This box is made to hold the potatoes or pieces of potato
which are to be planted. The bottom of this box is made of iron, by
preference, in two or more parts, and perforated to allow carth or dirt to

page_text: fall through, and is made to slope towards the centre of the box in both
directions; the bottom has a slot or space for the working of the arm or
arms of a wheel in between. This wheel is in the centre of the drive
wheel axle, and receives motion therefrom by clutch and clutch lever
when the implement is at work. The said wheel consists of a nave with
clutch teeth and a disc. To this disc are fixed one or more arms, by
preference the latter, and arranged symmetrically all round, and so that
their number can be altered and still be placed at equal distances apart.
The function of these arms is to pick up the potatoes and to deposit
them in the furrow made by the ploughshare. Each arm has a set-off
or shoulder on one edge, and the bottom of this set-off has a point or
spear placed in a radial direction or nearly so; the potatoes are caught
on these points at the lowest part of the box bottom, and as the arms in
revolving rise they pass between the sides of a slot which is formed in a
yielding concave piece or part of the box bottom and back, the said
picce having a decreasing pitch towards the centre of the wheel. A
spring, spiral or otherwise (or it might be a counterweight), tends to
keep the said yielding concave piece in its forward position. The object
of this yielding piece is to adapt itself to varying sizes of potatoes, which
are caught on the points of the arms on the other side of the bottom,
that is to say, towards the front of the implement; the arms, which here
come round and descend with potatoes on the points, pass through a
slot in the front of the box, the sides of which slot have an increasing
pitch or distance from the centre of the wheel, so that the potatoes come
in contact with the sides of this slot, and are gradually pushed off the
points and drop into the furrow formed by the ploughshare, which as
heretofore usually made is attached to an under frame of the implement.
There is a shoot or shield at the discharging appliance for guiding the
potatoes as they are pushed off the points. The furrow is covered or
closed in by the usual covers or side wings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Lewis Augustus Aspinwall in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th April 1875.

page_text: present of S9, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and-seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Lewis Augustus Aspinwall,
Her special licence, that I, the said Lewis Augustus Aspinwall, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Lewis Augustus Aspinwall, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED IMPLEMENT FOR
PLANTING POTATOES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Lewis Augustus Aspinwall, my exccutors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, 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 Lewis Augustus Aspinwall, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a vertical longitudinal
section through an implement constructed according to this Invention;
and Figure 2 is a plan of same.
The carriage of the implement has two travelling or drive wheels A, A,
one of which is fixed on the axle a. The bearings 6 of the axle a are
on the frame or body B of the carriage, and are made with projecting
lip or flange, as shewn at Figure 2, in order thereby to keep out dust or
dirt. The axle a passes through a box C on the frame or body B of the
carriage. This box C is made to hold the potatoes or pieces of potatoes

page_text: which are to be planted. The bottom of this box is made of iron, by
preference in two or more parts, and perforated to allow earth or dirt to
fall through, and is made to slope towards the centre of the box in both
directions. The bottom is in this case made in two parts C¹ and O", and
has a slot or space for the working of the arm or arms of a wheel D in
between. This wheel D is in the centre of the drive wheel axle a, and
receives motion therefrom by clutch e and clutch lever E when the
implement is at work. The said wheel consists of a nave e¹ with clutch
teeth and a disc D. To this disc D are fixed one or more arms d, by
preference the latter, and arranged symmetrically all round, and so that
their number can be altered and still be placed at equal distances apart..
I have in this case shewn seven arms d; the function of these arms d
is to pick up the potatoes and to deposit them in the furrows made by
the ploughshare F. Each arm & has a set-off or shoulder on one edge,
as shewn, and the bottom of this set-off has a point or spear d' placed
in a radial direction, as shewn, or nearly so. The potatoes are caught
on these points d' at the lowest part of the box bottom C³, and as the
arms d in revolving rise they pass between the sides of a slot which is
formed in the yielding concave piece or part C¹ of the box bottom and
back, the said piece C' having a decreasing pitch towards the centre of the
wheel, as shown at Figure 1. A spiral spring G, as here shewn, or any
other suitable spring (or it might be a counterweight) tends to keep the
said yielding concave picce C¹ in its forward position. The object of
this yielding piece C¹ is to adapt itself to varying sizes of potatoes, it is
suspended by a barg attached by a ring and staple g¹ on the frame H,
the end of the bar g being held by the spring G; g" is an india-rubber
washer or cushion between the bar g and the box C. The potatoes arc.
caught on the points d of the arms.ḍ on the other side of the bottom,
that is to say, towards the front of the implement. The arms d, which
here come round and descend with potatoes on the points, pass through|
a slot in the front of the box; the sides c of which slot have an
increasing pitch or distance from the centre of the wheel, as shewn at
Figure 1, so that the potatoes come in contact with the sides of this
slot, and are gradually pushed off the points and drop into the furrow
formed by the ploughshare F, which, as heretofore usually made is
attached to an under frame H of the implement. There is a shoot or
shield I at the discharging appliance for guiding the potatoes as they
are pushed off the points d'. The furrow is covered or closed in by the
usual coverers on side wings J.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-.
First. The arm or arms d with the radial spear d' [provided with
shoulder or its equivalent operating substantially in the manner described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The employment of the yielding concave piece C³, sub-
stantially in manner and for the purposes described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The employment of the discharging piece or picces c, c, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. The combination of the spear or spears d' with the yielding
concave piece C', substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Fifth. The combination of the spears d', yielding concave C³, dis-
charging piece or pieces c, c, with the perforated bottom O", O", sub-
stantially in manner and for the purposes described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
Sixth. The combination of the shoot or shield I with the under frame H,
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lewis Augustus Aspinwall, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.