THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



409 



The trenching three-pronged forks are attached to a 

 central axis (a), which revolves on bearings or collars 

 (b), these being supported by, and capable of sliding up 

 and down, in the slots of a curved frame (c). The 

 sides of this frame have racks into which endless screws 

 (d) take, the screws revolving on studs in the collars or 

 bearings (b). The extremities of the screws (d) are 

 fitted with small bevel wheels, which take into a similar 

 wheel fixed on the ends of the shaft or axis (a), this 

 being provided at each extremity with a small hand 

 wheel (e). By turning either of the hand wheels (e), 

 the endless screws (d) are made to revolve, which take 

 into the racks in the inside of the curved frame (c). 

 By this means both ends of the shaft or central axis 

 on which the diggers are fixed may be raised or low- 

 ered simultaneously, and its parallelism insured. The 

 curve of the frame (c) is struck from the fly-wheel 

 or crank shaft (f) of the horizontal steam engine (g). 

 The digging frame is composed of a pair of wheels (h) 

 fixed on the extremities of a hollow axle, revolving 

 freely on the central axis (a) ; the arms of these wheels 

 are slotted or grooved, the shafts of the spades or forks 

 sliding up and down in these. The peripheries of the 

 wheels (h) are provided with ratchet teeth, into which 

 levers or palls (i) gear ; these levers are actuated by ec- 

 centrics or cranks (j) fixed on the main shaft (f). The 

 throw of the eccentrics (j) is so arranged that each up- 

 stroke of the levers or palls (i) shall lift the spades or 

 forks from the ground, and bring forward the next set 

 of spades or forks, ready to be pushed along the groove 

 or slot of the arms of the wheels (h). The spades are 

 pushed into the earth in a manner corresponding with 

 the action of the foot in " hand-digging," by what the 

 inventor calls " treaders ;" these work in guides, the 

 extremities of which bear on and work loosely upon the 

 crank shaft (f) and the collars (b). The "treaders" 

 have the necessary reciprocating movement in the slides 

 given to them, by means of cranks fixed on the main 

 shaft (f). As the wheels (h) revolve, they lift the forks 

 and their portion of earth upwards ; and another move- 

 ment of the machine turns the shaft of the fork round, 

 so as to completely turn over the slice of earth. This 

 turning-over movement of the forks is effected as fol- 

 lows—to the shank of the fork turning sockets are 

 fixed, and the upper extremities of which are fitted 

 with small toothed wheels (k) ; these are actuated by 

 sliding bars provided with racks (l) jutting into the 

 teeth of the cog wheels (l'). The sliding bars are moved 

 by guides or grooves (m) fixed to segments (n), which 

 form guides or rests for the traverse of the spade-bar 

 after it has been pushed into the ground by the "trader." 

 These guides (x) are attached to and carried forward 

 by the wheels (h). This groove or slot (m) being 

 stationary with respect to the revolution of the digging 

 frame (h), will impart a lateral- motion to the sliding 

 bars with their racks (l), when their ends pass above 

 that portion of the grooves (m) ; but they will be held 

 stationary when passing along or over that part of the 

 groove (m) which is straight or parallel to the plane 

 of revolution. This groove or slot (m) is also carried 

 beyond the segments (n), by fixing it to the collar (b), 



so as to work the sliding bars through the entire revoln . 

 tion of the digging frames ; or inclined bars (o) may be 

 made to project from the inside of the wheels (h) of 

 the digging frame, and then as they revolve, made 

 to come in contact with lugs projecting from the 

 sliding bars or racks (l). The inclination of the bars 

 (o) is such as to actuate the sliding bars (l) a suffi- 

 ciently long time that the rack may turn the cog wheels 

 (l'), and of course the fork shafts to which they are 

 keyed, completely over or half round ; and then to turn 

 them a quarter of a revolution back again. They are 

 held in this position until they pass edgewise between 

 clearers (p). These are fixed on the shaft of the levers 

 or palls (i), and have thus a reciprocating motion given 

 to them. On the forks passing through between the 

 clearers, they are passed with the slots or guides in the 

 arms of the wheels (n) ; when by another inclined sur- 

 face in the guides or grooves (m), or by the inclined 

 bars (o), they are turned into the proper position to 

 enter the ground, and are passed down the slots 

 and made to enter the ground by the action of the 

 " treaders." 



The direction in which the forks are made to turn 

 over may be changed as desired, in order that they may 

 either turn over towards each other in pairs, or in any 

 other direction, and thereby deposit the sods or spits 

 so as to form furrows or ridges, or leave the ground 

 flush or bare. This is effected by having an upper or 

 under bar (m) with rack gearing into the cog-wheels 

 (l') at opposite ends of their diameters; so that the 

 direction in which the diggers turn depends upon whe- 

 ther the upper or under bar is in gear with the toothed- 

 wheel (l'). 



The diggers are kept up to their work by giving an in- 

 termittent traverse motion to the whole machine ; this 

 is obtained from eccentrics or cranks in the main shaft 

 (f) working rods, in the extremities of which are pulls 

 working into ratchet-edged pulleys fixed on the main 

 driving-wheels. 



When the machine is to be transported from one place 

 to another, motion is given to it by a belt passing over a 

 small pulley in the main driving-shaft (f) of the engine, 

 with a larger pulley on the axle of the driving-wheels— an 

 arrangement of pulleys and belts being used to drive the 

 main or front wheels, which are used to steer or guide 

 the machine in its progress. 



Mr. Ford, in the same patent, describes other 

 arrangements of mechanism, by which the operations of 

 harrowing, clod-crushing, forming of furrows, and hoe- 

 ing may be performed by the power of the steam-engine 

 which works the diggers already described. The various 

 implements necessary to perform the above operations 

 are capable of being easily adjusted to the curved frame 

 (c). In removing an implement from this frame, it 

 should be lowered by the small wheels (e) and screws (d) 

 until it touches the ground; and then the working 

 gear of the main shaft detached, and the sides of the 

 curved slot removed by unbolting— the process being 

 reversed when an implement is to be put into the curved 

 frame (c). We here give a brief notice of the pecu- 

 liarities of the different implements ; and first of the 



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