US545480A

US545480A - Potato hand-dropping attachment

Info

Publication number: US545480A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1895-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 1912-09-03

Description

NITED 'STATES Alrv'rnivir FFIcij.

OIOERO H. FROST, OF LEE CENTR-F.,- ILLINOIS.

POTATOl HAN D-DROPPING ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 545,480, dated September 3, 1895.

Application filed April 18, 1895. Serial No. 54.6.278- (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom if; may concern: l

Be it known that I, OIOERO H. FROST, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Lee Centre, in the county of Lee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and luseful improvements in the manner of planting potatoes and all large seeds that cannot be dropped by a cornplanter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention .relates to attachments for seed -droppers whereby potatoes and other large seeds may be dropped by hand; and it has for its object to provide a device which will be simple and cheap and which may be quickly secured to or removed from the ordinary planters; and it consists in the combination and improved construction of the parts of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which the same reference-letters indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures in which they occur, Figure l is a side view of an ordinary-seed-dropper with my improvement secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the attachmentdetached and with one of the parts in a position above the seed-box. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views of the upper portion of the attachment, and Fig. 5 is a side view of the seed-conductor andmeans for attaching it to the seedbox.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A indicates the seed-box, which may be of any desired shape and size, preferably of a rectangular shape and a trie larger than the top of the seed-box of the machine to which it is attached. board N of the box is provided with an opening O, which registers with a hopper B at the top of the seed-conductor O. The hopper B is secured to the board N by strips or connectors F F. The hopper andthe conductor are each substantially semicylindrical, and the hopper is preferably made flaring for the purpose of receiving the material more readily as it is placed therein by the hand of the operator. The upper end of the conductor O is secured to the bottom of the box A by means of a bracket G, and the lower end is provided with a projection or shoulder J,

The rear wall or'face-v which fits under the rear end or heel of the shoe H. The distance between the bottom of the box A and the shoulder J is such that when the attachment is placed upon the top of the seed-box D of the machine the shoulder J will ft under the heel of the shoe and hold the parts in operative position.

To prevent the parts from becoming accidentally misplaced or removed from the dropper, I provide a clamp and ring E, which fit around the lower end of the conductor O and the standard L of the shoe H.

To assist in covering the seed after it has been deposited in the furrow made by the shoe H, a chain K is secured to the shoe, so that it will form a loop to drag behind the end of the conductor and draw the dirt over into the furrow, so thatit will be pressed down over the seed by the wheel of the machine.

To prevent the seed from accidentally pass` ing from the seed-box A into the conductor C when the box is being filled and also when the machine is being turned around at the end of the row, a slide or stop-board P is dropped down upon the inside of the faceboard N into the lslot formed by the strips or supports F. The slide is held in position by means of a button T, which projects through a slotp in the upper edge of the slide. When the slot is in the box, the seed must be lifted over the top of the box and dropped into the hopper B; but as soon as the seed has been partially removed from the box the slide can be taken out and the seed passed into the hopper by putting it through the opening O, thus rendering it easy to put the seed into the hopper at all times, as when the box is filled the hands of the operator need not pass very" far lto deliver the seed from the box over the side or rear wall of the box, and when the box is partly empty the seed may be delivered to the conductor through the opening O without being passed over the top of the board.

The wheel of the machine may be provided with indicators S S, which will guide the operator in depositing the seed at the proper time to secure the correctposit-ion of it in the furrow. v

In operation the attachment is secured to the ordinary seed-dropper by placing the seed-box A upon the seed-box D on the ma- ICO -the seed is dropped into the conductor C through the hopper B and falls into the furrow formed by the shoe H, where it is covered by the chain Kand the wheel of the machine.

As above described, it is evident that the invention can be made very cheaply and can be quickly secured to or removed from the ordinary corn-dropper, and thereby avoid the necessity of having two complete machines.

When it is desired to use the seed-dropper for corn or other small seeds, the attachment is removed and stored away and the machine used for its original purpose.

Having thus described my invention, l

claim- 1. In a potato hand dropping attachment for seed droppers, the combination, with a seed box, the rear or face board of which is provided with' an openin g, of a hopper secured to lthe board to register with the opening, a seed conductor communicating with the hopper, the lower end of which is provided with means for engaging with the heel of the shoe of the machine, and a slide for closing the t opening through the face board, substantiall y as set forth.

2. In a potato hand dropping attachment for seed droppers, the combination, with a seed box, the rear or face board of which is provided with an opening, a semi-cylindrical flaring hopper secured to the board to register with the opening, a semi-cylindrical seed conductorcommunicating with the hopper, the lower end of which is provided with a shoulder for engaging with the shoe, a brace for securing the conductor to the hopper, and means for securingthe conductor to the standard of the shoe of the machine, substantially as set forth.

3. In a potato hand dropping attachment for seed droppers, the combination, with a seed box, the rear or face board of which is provided with an opening,a flaring semi-cylindrical hopper securedto the boardby means of strips or connectors forming slides, a re-` movable plate or slide within said slide and having a slot in its upper portion, a button on the board projecting throughl the slot, a conductor secured to the hopper and extending to the heel of the machine, and means for securing the conductor to the standard of the CICERO H. FROST. Witnesses:

J. MONROE MARKLEY, M. G. MARKLEY.

\ shoe of the machine, substantially as set forth. 6 o