The Hopper of the Turnep-drill is very different from those already described. It consists of a Box placed into the Middle of a Carriage; which Box is described in all its Parts, lying open with their Insides upwards in [Fig. 10.] A is the fore Side of the Box, Five Inches and an half deep, and Six Inches and an half long. B, the hinder Side of the Box, opposite to the former, and of equal Dimensions.
Each End of the Box is made with Three Pieces of Board, of which C the uppermost is Three Inches and a quarter deep, and Five Inches long; which Length is the Breadth of the Inside of the Box. The End of the Piece C, when in its Place, stands against the prick’d Line a b in the fore Side A; the other End standing against the prick’d Lines in B, which is opposite to, and corresponds with, the prick’d Line a b; the fore Side, and hinder Side, being screw’d to the Ends of this Piece by Four Screws.
The Piece D is Two Inches and a quarter broad, and of the same Length with the Piece C, and screw’d up to the Bottom of it with Two Screws, and then its End will bear against the prick’d Line b c, and that which is opposite to it in the Side B.
E is the lower Piece of this End, and an Inch and a quarter broad: Its End is to stand against the prick’d Line c d, and its other End at the opposite prick’d Line in B. The Piece D must be screw’d upon the upper Edge of the Piece E, as the Bottom F must be screw’d up to its under Edge, which will stand upon the prick’d Line e f. The Three Pieces G, H, I, being opposite to C, D, E, and of the same Dimensions with them, placed in the same manner, make the other End of this Box. At g in the Bottom F, appears the Hole which is over the Mortise of the Brass Seed-box, the Shape and Size of which Hole may be seen by the prick’d Lines upon the Flanches B, C, of [Fig. 9. in Plate 2.] The foremost End of which Hole reaches almost as far forwards as the End of the Axis of the Tongue of the Brass Seed-box, and its hinder End almost as far as the hinder End of its Cover[269]. The Bottom F, being of the same Length, with C, D, E, and their Opposites, bears against the prick’d Line d h of the fore Side A, and against the opposite prick’d Line of B. The Length of this Bottom F is the Breadth of the Inside of the Box, and its Breadth reaches to the outer Edges of the Pieces E and I, being Three Inches and an half.
[269]Commonly it reaches within half a quarter of an Inch; but if it should only reach within a quarter of an Inch of them, it would not have that ill Consequence at that Distance, as the same Position would have in the large Seed-boxes; for, in them, the Seed would, in such Case, be apt to bear against the Bottom of the Hopper, and obstruct the Motion of the Brass Tongue, which small Seeds cannot do in the Turnep-seed Box.
All the Jointings of these Pieces must be at right Angles, and so close, that no Seed may run out at them. All the Pieces are of Board, full half-inch thick, except the Bottom, which is thinner.
[Fig. 11.] shews the Bottom of the Box with its under Side uppermost, where the light Part A is the Bottom-board, covering the Two End-boards, E and I, in [Fig. 10.] The dark Parts B and C are the under Sides of D and H, in [Fig. 10.] At a is the fore End of the Brass Seed-box screw’d up to this Bottom-board. At b is the hinder End of the Brass Seed-box screw’d up in like manner, the outer Edge of the Flanch of the Seed-box being even with the Edge of the Bottom-board. The End of the Brass Spindle, with its Fork, appears at C.
[Fig. 12.] shews this Box standing upon its Bottom, with its hinder Side laid open. At a is the Hole in the Bottom, under which the Brass Seed-box is fasten’d, with small Iron Screws, square near the Heads, passing thro’ the Bottom, and thro’ the Holes at each End of the Brass Box, with their Nuts underneath. The Pins must touch all the Sides of the Holes in the Brass, to prevent the Seed-box from moving any Way.