Thompson's Seed Roller

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Our engraving is a top view of a roller that is intended for rolling seeds into the earth, after they have been planted in or thrown upon it by any suitable means. A A represent two frames that are jointed together at their centers. To the underside of each frame are attached axles, a, one at each side of the joint, and on these are placed wheels having their rims of a suitable shape to act as rollers, b. Between each of the wheels is a slat, c, and the rolling wheels of the fore frame, A, are opposite the slats of the back frame and vice versa, as will be seen by referring to the dotted lines in the illustration; this insures all the ground being rolled which is within the compass of the machine. The two frames, A, are connected together by a jointed reach, B, and a pole, C, is fixed to the fore one for the horses to be attached to. The drag merely throws a light covering of earth over the seed which is often displaced by the winds, leaving them exposed, and the harrow covers portions of the seed too deep, and others not at all, while this roller, conforming as it does, to all the inequalities of the ground (by being jointed) covets all the seed equally and with the same pressure. Advantageous as jointed roller frames are acknowledged to be, they are seldom used, because in moist ground they are liable to become clogged from the damp soil adhering to them, and thus preventing their perfect action ; but this roller is free from this disadvantage, for the slats, c, take off all the soil at the point where it is most easily detached, namely, iu a horizontal line just above their axis of rotation, and thus keep the rollers clear, and all the soil thus dropped from the fore rollers is pressed into the ground by the succeeding frame. All the small clods are crushed and pressed into the ground, and in every way it answers the purpose for which it is designed. It was patented Dec. 9, 1856, by the inventor, Anson Thompson, of Glen Falls, N. Y., who will be happy to give any further information.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 13 Issue 36This article was published with the title “Thompson's Seed Roller” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 13 No. 36 (), p. 288
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican05151858-288c

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