US111101A - Improvement in planters and cultivators - Google Patents

Description

@will @finit A. QUAnLEs WITHERS, or HOLLY SPRINGS, Mls'sissrrr.

Letters Patent No. 111,101, dated January 17,1871.

lMPRoveMENTIN PLANTERs AND cU-L'rlvA'roRs.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making parl: of vthe same.

. To all 'whom It/may concern Be it known that 1`, A. QUARLns WITHERS, of Holly Springs', in the county of Marshall and State of Mississippi, have invent-ed an Im provcd'Oombined Planter and Gultivatoxg; and I do hereby declare that thc following is afull and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing making part of this specification- Figure l being a top view of the combined plantell Vand, cnltivato'r.

l1`ignre2,a side elevation of -the same.

Figure 3a longitudinal vertical section thereof.

Figure 4, a transverse vertical section of the same through the seed-box or hopper.

` Figure 5,11. view of the under side of the seed-box i or hopper.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all ofV v'the figures.

Aframe, of suitable dimensions, is composed of the side-beams A A, connected by cross-'pieces a a a.

The side-beams are jointed at b b, a little distance from their front ends, as shoujn; the joints being convcuiently formed by metallic straps, o c, attached by single screws, or bolts, d d,to thev respective parts of the divided beams,which abut together closely but with slightly-rounded ends, so that only a limited jointmovement is allowed, yet suiiicicnt for the purpose,

namely, to enable the frame'of the machine to adapt it-l made adjustable up and down, to vary the dept-h of ,the furrow, by means of a key, h, driven into the socket of the t'ootlr behind the Y same, and provided with projection,z', which fits iutoany one of a set of notches,

jj, in the -rear edge of the tooth, all substantially as represented.

Near the frontend of -the main joint-section of the frame, andina central position beneath it, is mounted, in proper bearings, a wheel, C, of peculiar shape, being sharpened and rounded at' its edge or periphery, as shown most clearly in fig. 1', so that it Arnayrun inthe seed-furrow previously opened by the toothzgg-and crush the lnmpsof earth that may fall therein, thereby smoothing the furrow for the better reception of' the seed to be deposited in it. lhis wheel also assists For the latter purpose, there is upon one end of the shaft of the wheel a crank, k, which receives 4one end of a connecting-rod, Z, the other end thereof beingv pivoted to an arm, m5, attached to the end of a rockthe middle of ,the seed-box or hopper D.

`The' length ofthe arm m is greater than that of the adj ustable if dcsired,as to produce as great an extent of vibratory motion of the rock-shaft as required for the seed-dropping device now to he described.

The bottom of the hopper D is formed in the arc of a circle concentric with thc rock-shaft n, all the sides of thc hopper sloping downward thereto', as shown, so as to direct all the seeds to the concave loottom, in which is a long narrow opening or slot, o, extending crosswise of the are and lengthwise of the machine. The width of this opening is varied, and adjusted byineans of a sliding plate, p, underneath the bottom of the hopper, and moved by a set-screw, q, as shown iu fig. 5. hopper, by a curved plate, E, which is attached to the rock-shaft u by means of two radial arms, r r, projecting from said rock-shaft. The plate is conformed in shape to the are of the circle in which it is moved, by the vibrator-y motion of the rock-shaft; and it is intended to reciprocate lin close proximity to,.thongh not quite in contact with, the concave bottom of the hopper, so that no seeds can escape beneathit. Its width is snicient to cover the whole width of rthe seedopening o'; and it is long enough to cover the whole length of said opening a-t all times, however great its vibratory movement maybe. Near its ends are rcspectivel'y two seed-apertures, s s, extending through its thickness, which is suiicient to contain as many grains of corn orl other seeds as it is required to drop each time into the furrow, the size or diameter of the apertures also being properly proportioned.

At the termination of each` reciprocating movement of theV secding-platc'E, one of the seed-apertures s s thereinis brought over the end of the opening o in the bottom of the hopper, and the seeds drop therefrom through the opening into the furrow.

'.lltus two hills are planted at each revolution of the driving-wheel O, which is made of such a diameteras to locate the hills at the desired distance apart;

Y The seeediug-plate Efmay be" made removable, and replaceable by others having seed-aperturess-s of different capacities; or the apertures may be adjustable in size.

For distributing fertilizers with the machine, semicircular or equivalent notches, t t, fig. 1, of a size suited to the required amount of the fertilizer to be used, are 'formed in one edge of the seeding-plate, to be employ ed in"connectiou lwith similar notches, fu, u, iig. 5, formed in the edge of the adjustable plate 1r, underl the hopper; `so that when the plate E vmoves forward and shaft, u, which" extends across the machine through crank It, so that it will not revolve, and is such, made This o venin" 0 is covered on the inside of the l e i backw. rd, the two sets of opposite-notchest tu u will let the fertilizer drop through when they coincide in position. 'The adjustment of the plate p varies the size of the coinciding apertures.

This means may also be employed for plan-ting seeds in drills, or at short intervals. There may-be also similar notches in the edge of the hopper-bottom, at one side of the seed-opening o, in addition to thosein 'the edge of the adj usting-plate 1), for a similarpurposc.

In order to plant corn and .other seeds, and to distribute a fertilizer at the same time, the hopper Dis divided by partiti0us,'v r, placed in the positions shown by dotted lilies in iig. 3, notched, h0wever,in their lower edges, so that the ends of the seeding-plate E can vibrate into the side-compartments formed thereby, as indicated.. Theseeds a1e=`placed in the sidecompartments, and the fertilizer 'in the middle compartment. The seeds are dropped through theseed- 4apertures s s, and the fertilizer vis distributed through the side-notches t t of the seeding-pitite. yThus the two operations go on at 'the same time, without one intel-tering with the other.

For planting cotton-seeds,if the seeds have been previously rolled and prepared, the notches t t and u u yin the seeding-plate E, and adjusting-plate 11, are used.

' tending downward from the rockshaft n in diiferent directions, and along` vthe length of the hopper, substantially as showmgenerally two ou each side of the seeding-plate E, for the purpose of stirring the seeds in the hopper so that they shall notbecome clogged therein, and so that they may supply the seed-dropper or distributer uniformly. When the seeding-plate E is removed, the arms rr o', by which it is attached to the rock-shaft, remain, t'o act as stirrers in the same way.

Thus I produce a universal planter, suited for all kinds of seeds, and for distributing fertilizers at the same time.

Behind the seed-hopper are two teeth, a: x, for covering the Iseed, and for cultivating; and behind them is a hinged drag-plate or block, y, for leveling and smoothing the ground.

There are handles,z:, attached to the fra-lne to guide the machine by. With these, and the joint iu the forward part of the frame, the attendant, by bearing down on the handles, can lift the drivingfwheel C from the furrow, and stop the motion ofthe seeding apparatus, at any time when desired; or can retard the motion thereof so as not to distribute so much seed.

To use the machine fora cnltivator, the opening drill-tooth g, and the drag-block y, maybe removed;

also the driving-wheel O. The seed-hopper may be removed, or not. A complete eultivator is thus formed, without the addition of any parts.

vWhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Lett-ers Patent, is

1. The curved vibratory seed-plate E, constructed, arranged, 'and operatingin the hopper D, substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

2. The partitions o c dividing the hopper D into compartments, in combination with the vibratoryplate E, for the purpose of distributing fertilizers simultaneously with planting seeds, substantially as herein specified. y

Specification signed by me this 28th day of J nly, 1870.

A. QUARLES WITHERS.

Titncsscs D. J. BROWN, J. S. BROWN.

Images