Apparatus for spreading chemical fertilizers and like materials

Claim 1

A HAND-PROPELLED SPREADER FOR CHEMICAL FERTILIZER AND LIKE MATERIALS COMPRISING A HANDLE-EQUIPPED FRAME; A GROUND WHEEL ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID FRAME FOR SUPPORTING THE LATTER FOR TRAVERSING MOVEMENT OVER TERRAIN; A MATERIAL-RECEIVING HOPPER CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND HAVING DOWNWARDLY TAPERING WALLS DEFINING AN ELONGATED, TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING, DOWNWARDLY OPENING DISCHARGE THROAT; A CYLINDRICAL FEED ROLLER ROTATABLY CARRIED IN SAID HOPPER IN COEXTENSIVE CLOSING RELATION TO SAID DISCHARGE THROAT AND HAVING A RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTION DISPOSED NORMALLY IN TRANSVERSELY COEXTENSIVE WIPING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WALLS OF SAID HOPPER DEFINING SAID DISCHARGE THROAT, SAID FEED ROLLER BEING OPERABLE UPON AXIAL ROTATION IN EITHER DIRECTION TO ADVANCE MATERIAL IN A RELATIVELY THIN, CURTAIN-LIKE STREAM FROM SAID HOPPER OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE THROAT; MULTIPLE SPEED, MOTION-TRANSMITTING MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID GROUND WHEEL AND SAID FEED ROLLER AND SELECTIVELY OPERABLE UPON ROTATION OF SAID GROUND WHEEL IN EITHER DIRECTION TO ROTATE SAID ROLLER AT VARIABLE RATES OF SPEED RELATIVE TO THE SPEED OF ROTATION OF SAID GROUND WHEEL; MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID MOTION-TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR SELECTING THE SPEED OF ROTATION OF SAID FEED ROLLER WITH RESPECT TO SAID GROUND WHEEL; AND MANUALLY OPERABLE CLUTCH MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID MOTION-TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR DRIVINGLY DISCONNECTING SAID FEED ROLLER FROM SAID GROUND WHEEL.