FR2822016A1 - Lily-of-the-valley root planting procedure and machine has roots placed by hand at required spacing on level surface leading to double conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

The procedure consists of taking the roots (1) by hand from a box (13) and placing them side by side at a required spacing on a flat surface (15), from where they are transported by a double conveyor (16) to a prepared furrow (5), at the same time being turned from horizontal to vertical positions. The machine used for the procedure comprises a wheeled chassis (9) with stations (10) for operatives and double belt conveyors, the end of each lower belt having a horizontal section forming a flat loading surface (15).

Description

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 The present invention relates to a mechanical planting process for thrush plants also called thrush claws, and it also relates to the machine allowing the implementation of this process.

 Traditionally, the lily of the valley claws are planted manually, in a longitudinal or transverse furrow arranged in a strip of soil or board, of market gardening.

 The lily of the valley claws that have been selected for planting are arranged in a box and the operator picks them up by handles before separating them to place them in the furrow.

 This work is meticulous because of the precision it requires to obtain good results and it is relatively painful due mainly to the working position and sometimes also the climatic conditions.

The present invention provides a method and a machine which make it possible to considerably modify the planting conditions and in particular the working conditions of the operator (s).
The method according to the invention makes it possible to break down the various works which make it possible to achieve planting; it consists of: - manually removing the claws from a box where they are stored in bulk for planting; - untangling and / or preparing these claws and placing each of them side by side, substantially flat, on a preparation table, positioning them according to a determined orientation and distance; - To route the claws thus prepared in a groove open for this purpose, by passing them from their flat position to a substantially vertical position, in said groove.

 According to a preferential possibility, the method consists: - of placing the claws flat one after the other, on a carpet in the form of an endless band which advances continuously, parallel to the groove; -to convey said claws by means a conveying device which extends between the end of said mat of the preparation station and the groove, -to apply pressure on said claws, between two planes which, at the start, are parallel to the plane of said mat and, in final, are substantially parallel or close to the median vertical plane of the

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sillon,-à déposer les griffes à muguet dans le sillon, à l'extrémité aval du dispositif de convoyage.

furrow, -to place the lily of the valley claws in the furrow, at the downstream end of the conveying device.

 According to another possibility of the invention, the method consists in straightening the lily of the valley claws, at the lower end of the conveying device, in order to drop them in the furrow in a substantially vertical position.

 The invention also relates to the machine for implementing the method detailed previously. This machine is for example made up of a chassis provided with wheels to allow its movement on the ground or in the footboards, which chassis comprises: -at least a preparation station which is, on the one hand, arranged to accommodate at least one operator, and at least one box containing the claws with thrush, and which, on the other hand, is provided, for each operator, with a table in the form of an endless strip on which said operator prepares and arranges the lily of the valley claws, and at least one conveyor device which conveys said claws from the outlet of the preparation station, in their flat position, to the groove where they are deposited in a substantially vertical position.

correspondant sensiblement à la dimension des griffes à muguet Le dispositif de convoyage qui s'étend entre le poste de préparation et le sillon, peut être constitué-d'un tapis en forme de bande sans fin dont le brin actif au moins, est vrillé entre sa partie amont et sa partie aval, et-d'un organe presseur en forme de courroie sans fin qui s'étend entre le poste de préparation et le sillon pour d'une part, maintenir et guider les griffes sur le brin actif vrillé de ladite bande sans fin et, d'autre part, assurer leur déplacement avec cette dernière au moyen du brin actif de ladite courroie sans fin
Selon une autre possibilité de l'invention, la bande sans fin formant le tapis du poste de préparation et la bande sans fin du dispositif de convoyage, sont constituées d'une seule et même bande sans fin, guidée de façon appropriée d'une extrémité à l'autre, avec, à l'extrémité aval, dans le sillon, un prolongement en forme de plaque qui permet de guider les griffes jusqu'au point du largage dans le sillon. This machine can comprise one or more tables in the form of endless bands, arranged in the longitudinal direction above the culture board and furrows drawn longitudinally, the width of each band.

substantially corresponding to the size of the lily of the valley claws The conveyor device which extends between the preparation station and the furrow, may consist of a carpet in the form of an endless band, the active strand of which is at least twisted between its upstream part and its downstream part, and-of a pressing member in the form of an endless belt which extends between the preparation station and the groove on the one hand, to maintain and guide the claws on the active twisted strand of said endless belt and, on the other hand, ensure their displacement with the latter by means of the active strand of said endless belt
According to another possibility of the invention, the endless strip forming the conveyor belt of the preparation station and the endless strip of the conveyor device, consist of a single endless strip, suitably guided by one end at the other, with, at the downstream end, in the furrow, a plate-shaped extension which makes it possible to guide the claws to the point of release in the furrow.

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 According to another embodiment, the planting machine can also be provided with a conveying device consisting of an inclined ramp in the form of a smooth sheet made of stainless steel for example, which ramp is twisted along its length with one end horizontal upstream at the level of the preparation station carpet and a downstream end quast vertical qu! drags in the groove, and-an endless belt, which belt is stretched between two pulleys: an upstream pulley at the entrance of the ramp and a downstream pulley at the lower end of the latter, the active strand of the belt, ramp side, being kept pressed towards the latter, over the entire length, on the one hand, to maintain and guide the claws on said ramp and, on the other hand, to ensure their displacement by sliding on this ramp.

 According to another advantageous possibility of the invention, the smooth ramp is associated with a frame in the form of a tubular beam, which beam is provided at its upper end, with a cross-member enabling it to be fixed to the chassis of the machine, which cross-member is mounted in an adjustable manner to adjust the longitudinal alignment of said ramp, which beam comprises, from place to place, regularly distributed, brackets which serve, on the one hand, for positioning the sheet metal forming said ramp and, on the other hand , to the roller support which guides the belt and maintains a certain pressure on the active strand of this belt.

 According to another advantageous arrangement, the ramp and its tubular beam as well as the pressure roller consoles are associated with the previous embodiment in which the endless belt extends from the preparation station to the conveyor device, which ramp serves as a surface guide for twisting the active strand of the endless belt of the conveying device.

 According to another advantageous arrangement of the invention, the belt of the conveying device has a section which comprises a part or core of square section and a complementary part in the shape of a heel, which gives said belt a general section in the form of L or square, which heel-shaped part serves as a contact and support surface on the claws and the core cooperates with the groove of the upstream pulley which is preferably the driving pulley.

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 The downstream pulley of the conveying device has a V-shaped groove which makes it possible to guide the belt on two adjacent faces of the core, which pulley is itself inclined relative to the plane of the bearing surface of the claws to the 'end of the conveying device, to allow to maintain the heel and in particular its pressure surface, in a plane which remains substantially parallel to that of said bearing surface of the claws, before their release.

permet d'écarter les racines des griffes à muguet susceptibles de se coincer entre ladite poulie et la courroie, laquelle tôle a une arête qui se loge dans l'angle de la courroie, en amont et devant ladite poulie du côté de la rampe et des griffes. The machine according to the invention also preferably comprises, at the level of the downstream pulley, fixed on an arm associated with the support of the latter, a deflector consisting of a sheet metal, the upstream part of which is in the form of a point.

makes it possible to spread the roots of the lily-of-the-claws likely to be wedged between said pulley and the belt, which sheet has an edge which is housed in the angle of the belt, upstream and in front of said pulley on the side of the ramp and claws.

 The downstream pulley is carried by an arm which is articulated on a bearing integral with the frame of the ramp with a possibility of adjustment along an axis parallel to said ramp, which pulley is biased towards the bearing surface of the claws by means of a elastic member of the spring type so as to maintain said claws until they are released into the groove.

The planting machine according to the invention may also include several preparation stations and several conveying devices, which stations consist for example of two endless bands arranged in the center of the machine and which extend over the entire length of the chassis of the latter, -of two shorter endless bands arranged on either side of the two large central bands and -of two even shorter bands arranged on the sides of the preceding bands, each band serving as a preparation table for an operator , which operator has a seat located laterally in front of the accessible strip portion, which operator also has nearby, a support for claw boxes
Still according to the invention, the preparation stations are carried by a chassis which is articulated on the primary chassis of the machine, around a vertical axis disposed substantially in the center of said stations, so as to maintain a degree of freedom for the set consisting of stations and

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 conveying, with respect to said chassis of the machine, so that the downstream end of said conveying devices remains in the groove whatever the movements of the machine when it rolls in the pass-feet.

variante de réalisation de la figure 2 ; - la figure 4 représente une section de la partie supérieure amont du dispositif de convoyage et de mise en terre représenté figure 3 ; - la figure 5 représente une section de la partie inférieure aval de ce même dispositif de convoyage et de mise en terre représenté figure 3 ; - la figure 6 représente, vue du côté extérieur, la partie inférieure aval du dispositif de mise en terre ; - la figure 7 montre le détail de l'extrémité inférieure selon une coupe 7-7 de la figure 6 ;

- la figure 8 montre le déflecteur placé devant la poulie inférieure aval du dispositif de convoyage ; - la figure 9 montre d'une façon détaillée et avec des parties éclatées, le tronçon supérieur du dispositif de convoyage ; - la figure 10 montre le tronçon inférieur du dispositif de convoyage avec une partie éclatée concernant le support de la poulie inférieure aval et du déflecteur ; - la figure 11 est une élévation schématique d'une machine selon l'invention ; - la figure 12 représente un détail du dispositif de convoyage selon une coupe 12-12 de la figure 11 ; - la figure 13 est une vue schématique en plan de la machine représentée figure

11. The invention will be further detailed with the aid of the following description and the appended drawings, given by way of indication, and in which: - Figure 1 shows, schematically, a plant of lily of the valley also called lily of the valley claws; - Figure 2 shows, schematically, the elements of a machine and in particular the preparation station and the conveying device allowing the grounding of the claws; - Figure 3 shows, schematically, the essential elements of a

alternative embodiment of Figure 2; - Figure 4 shows a section of the upper upstream part of the conveying and planting device shown in Figure 3; - Figure 5 shows a section of the lower downstream part of this same conveying and earthing device shown in Figure 3; - Figure 6 shows, seen from the outside, the downstream lower part of the earthing device; - Figure 7 shows the detail of the lower end in a section 7-7 of Figure 6;

- Figure 8 shows the deflector placed in front of the lower downstream pulley of the conveying device; - Figure 9 shows in detail and with exploded parts, the upper section of the conveying device; - Figure 10 shows the lower section of the conveying device with an exploded part concerning the support of the lower downstream pulley and the deflector; - Figure 11 is a schematic elevation of a machine according to the invention; - Figure 12 shows a detail of the conveying device according to a section 12-12 of Figure 11; - Figure 13 is a schematic plan view of the machine shown in Figure

11.

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The lily of the valley plants 1, represented in FIG. 1, also called lily of the valley claws, consist of a bud 2 and numerous and bushy rhizomes constituting the claws 3
These lily of the valley claws are prepared for planting and stored in a crate or container. The operator in charge of planting, must separate them, prepare them to orient them and space them correctly
Figure 2 shows, schematically, an elevation of a mechanical planting machine of these lily of the valley claws; this planting is carried out in a furrow 5 previously traced in a culture board 6. The wheels 7 of the planting machine, circulate for example in foot loops 8 arranged on either side of the culture board 6.

 The planting machine comprises a frame 9 at the level of which there are the elements which accompany a preparation station 10. These peripheral elements of a preparation station consist of a seat 11 for the operator and a support 12 for at least one box 13 in which the lily of the valley claws 1 are arranged.

 The preparation station 10 includes a preparation table formed by a mat 15 which is horizontal and longitudinal, in the same direction as the grooves 5. On this mat 15, the operator has and prepares the lily of the valley claws 1 that is that is to say, it places them substantially flat with an appropriate orientation and spacing as required.

 This preparation station 10 is followed by a conveyor device 16 which conveys the lily of the valley claws to the groove 5.

 This conveying device 16 has the particularity of conveying the lily of the valley claws 1 from their horizontal position at the outlet from the preparation station 10 to a substantially vertical position at the level of the groove 5.

 The lily of the valley claws are carried by the mat 15 ', and they are held and pressed on this mat by means of an endless belt 17. This endless belt 17 extends between an upstream pulley 18 disposed at the end of the preparation station 10 and a downstream pulley 19 disposed at the level of the groove 5.

 In this embodiment of Figure 2, the belts 15 of the preparation station and 15 'of the conveying device are part of one and the same

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 endless belt 20 which is guided on suitable rollers to allow the transport of the lily of the claws 1 from one end to the other of the machine.

 The preparation mat 15 extends between the initial roller 21 and a roller 22 which is coupled with a roller 22 'to form a sort of funnel with the pulley 18.

portion active du tapis 15', c'est-à-dire la portion qui porte les griffes, est vrillée entre le couple de rouleaux 22-22'et le rouleau 23. Ce rouleau 23 est un rouleau de très faible diamètre encore appelé sabre. Ce rouleau 23 ou sabre est disposé dans un plan qui est presque vertical. La course finale des griffes à muguet à l'extrémité aval du dispositif de convoyage 16 s'effectue sur une plaque 25 qui est disposée dans le sillon 5 et qui permet de larguer les griffes 1 dans une position sensiblement verticale dans ledit sillon. The conveyor belt 15 ′ supplying the conveying device 16 extends between the pair of rollers 22-22 ′ and a roller 23 located at the level of the pulley 19. The

active portion of the carpet 15 ′, that is to say the portion which carries the claws, is twisted between the pair of rollers 22-22 ′ and the roller 23. This roller 23 is a very small diameter roller also called saber . This roller 23 or saber is arranged in a plane which is almost vertical. The final stroke of the thrush claws at the downstream end of the conveying device 16 takes place on a plate 25 which is arranged in the groove 5 and which allows the claws 1 to be released in a substantially vertical position in said groove.

 The drive of the endless belt 20 is carried out for example by means of the drum 21 whose speed is synchronized with the drive of the belt 17, which drive takes place at the level of the upstream pulley 18.

muguet par le biais d'autres dispositifs de convoyage 16 et de postes de préparation disposés parallèlement, comme détaillé plus loin, figure 13. Figure 3 shows schematically, in perspective, an alternative embodiment of the machine. We find the preparation station 10 and the conveying device 16 which extends between said preparation station and a groove 5 arranged in the culture board 6. We note in this figure 3, the presence of other grooves 5 which can simultaneously receive the claws to

thrush by means of other conveying devices 16 and preparation stations arranged in parallel, as detailed below, FIG. 13.

 In this alternative embodiment of FIG. 3, the preparation station 10 comprises a belt 15 which consists of an endless band which extends between a drum 21 and a drum 22. The conveyor device 16 comprises the belt without end 17 stretched between the upstream pulley 18 and the downstream pulley 19 as well as a ramp 26 or slide which extends between the end of the preparation station 10 and the groove 5.

 This ramp 26 consists of a single very smooth sheet, made for example of stainless steel material whose width corresponds to the size of the claws. The slope of this ramp and the grip of the belt 17 on the

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claws cause the latter to move by sliding on said ramp between its upstream end to the furrow 5, passing from a substantially horizontal position at the entrance to the ramp to a substantially vertical position in the furrow 5, the downstream end of said ramp
Figure 4 shows the support of the claws 1 at the entrance to the ramp 26, which claws are positioned flat, horizontally, on said ramp 26, and they are driven by the belt 17 which circulates on the pulley 18.

 This belt 17 comprises a part or core 27 which cooperates with the groove 28 of the pulley 18 and a heel 29 which is in contact with the claws 1. The width of the heel is for example of the order of twice the width of the soul 27.

 The upper end of the ramp 26 is integral with the preparation station as detailed below in FIG. 9.

l'inclinaison de la poulie 19, de telle façon que le talon 17 soit toujours sensiblement parallèle à la rampe 26. Cette particularité sera explicitée plus loin en liaison avec la figure 7. Figure 5 shows the lower end of the ramp 26 which flows in the groove 5. This lower end is substantially vertical. The claw 1 is pinched between the ramp 26 and the belt 17. This belt 17 circulates on the downstream pulley 19. The heel 29 of the belt is always substantially parallel to the ramp 26. The groove 30 of the downstream pulley 19 is in made in the form of a Vé which receives two faces of the core 27. This Vé is oriented, taking into account

the inclination of the pulley 19, so that the heel 17 is always substantially parallel to the ramp 26. This feature will be explained later in connection with FIG. 7.

The angle x between the pulley 19 and the normal is of the order of approximately 300.

FIG. 6 shows, seen from the side, from the side of the downstream pulley 19, the lower end of the conveying device 16 The lower end of the ramp 26, as shown in FIG. 6, ends with a straight edge 36
FIG. 8 shows the lower end of the conveying device 16, seen from the side of the claws and we note, diagrammatically in thin dashed lines, the ramp 26 and its lower end cut into a Vee with an edge 36 ′ which is in a perpendicular plane groove 5, and an edge 37 which forms a heel in the bottom of said groove 5.

 The claws 1 slide on the ramp 26 and they have an inclination relative to the ground which depends on the inclination of this ramp.

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 At the lower end of the ramp, the claws are straightened and then released at the end of the ramp and by the belt 17. The belt 17 releases the claws 1 in a substantially vertical position when they leave the ramp 26.

 Figure 8, we note that the lily of the valley claws are accompanied in the groove by the ramp 26 and by the belt 27 to the release edge 36 'at which the lily of the valley claws are placed by the belt in a position substantially vertical.

 The position of the pulley 19 relative to the lower end of the ramp 26 is adjustable on an axis parallel to said ramp, to allow adjustment of the place where the claws are released.

 We also note, in these Figures 6 and 8, the presence of a deflector 38 consisting of a sheet of triangular shape, which extends partly upstream of the pulley 19, on the side of the claws 1 and partly in front of this pulley. This deflector plate also extends in the closed angle of the belt 17 as shown in Figure 7 and it has the function of clearing the rhizomes or claws which are likely to be pinched between the belt 17 and the pulley 19 at the end conveyor device 16.

 This deflector 38 is carried by a support detailed below, a support which is integral with the support for the pulley 19.

 Figure 7 shows in more detail the end of the ramp 26 on which there are the claws 1. These claws are pressed by the heel 29 of the belt 17 and this belt 17 is itself pressed on the claws to the means of the downstream pulley 19. The downstream pulley 19 has a V-shaped groove 30 which cooperates with only two faces of the core 27 of the belt 17 ′ the internal face 271 and the perpendicular face 272 situated in the angle of the belt.

 It is noted that the groove 30 of the pulley 19, in the shape of a V, is oriented in such a way that the heel 29 is kept substantially parallel to the ramp 26. The surface 271 of the core 27 is in fact substantially parallel to the surface of the heel 29 and the ramp 26, at the downstream end of the conveying device.

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Still in FIG. 7, there is the deflector 38 which is housed in the angle of the belt 17, against the pulley 19, on the side of the claws and of the ramp 26.

Figure 9 shows in more detail a portion and in particular the upstream portion of the conveying device 16 We find the ramp 26 in the form of smooth sheet. The top of the upper part of the ramp 26 is integral with a cross-member 39 which makes it possible to fix said ramp on a support 40 which is articulated on the chassis 9 of the machine around an axis 42 which is horizontal and perpendicular to the direction advancement of the machine. This axis 42 is in fact the axis of the roller 22 located at the downstream end of the belt 15.

 This support 40 is also arranged to allow the orientation and longitudinal alignment of the ramp 26 to be adjusted and adjusted, and its positioning relative to the groove 5 in order to obtain good planting precision in the corresponding groove 5.

 The support 40 may include threaded rods 41 for example which make it possible to adjust and adjust the position of the cross-member 39 relative to the support 40.

 The upper upstream pulley 18 is mounted on a support 43 whose position is adjustable along an axis parallel to the ramp 26 to allow the tension of the belt 17 to be adjusted.

représenté figure 12, est en fait constitué d'un tube 45 qui s'étend sous la rampe 26, sur pratiquement toute sa longueur, depuis la traverse 40 jusqu'à l'extrémité inférieure, hors planche. This support 43 is guided on a console 44 integral with the frame of the ramp 26, which frame appears in more detail in FIG. 12. This frame, as

shown in Figure 12, is in fact made up of a tube 45 which extends under the ramp 26, over practically its entire length, from the crosspiece 40 to the lower end, off the board.

 The console 43 is fixed on this tube 45 as are the various U-shaped brackets 46, which each support at least one roller 47. Each roller 47 makes it possible to guide the belt 17 and to apply sufficient pressure to the latter obtain good adhesion between the belt and the claws 1, which claws can then slide on the ramp 26.

 Each pulley 47 is carried by a flexible arm 49 which extends between the console 46 and the axis 50 of said roller.

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 The lower portion of the conveyor device 16 as shown in Figure 10, includes a shoe 51 which slides in the bottom of the groove 5 as shown in Figure 11 also.

This shoe 51 is carried by an arm 52 secured to the tube 45, and it is articulated on this arm about a horizontal transverse axis 53
The downstream pulley 19 is mounted with bearings 54 on an axis 55 which is integral with an arm 56, at the lower end of the conveying device 16. This arm 56 is provided with an articulation socket 57. This socket is threaded on a bearing 58 centered on an axis parallel to the ramp 26. This bearing 58 is integral with a console 60 which is itself fixed on the tube-shaped frame 45, behind the ramp 26
The deflector 38 carried by an arm 61 secured to the bush 57 is also noted. This deflector 38 is positioned in front of the pulley 19, on the side of the ramp 26.

 Between the arm 61 and the console 60, we note the presence of a spring 62 which makes it possible to apply and maintain pressure between the downstream pulley 19 and the ramp 26, and in particular between the belt 17 and this ramp. This pressure is preferably adjustable by adjusting the tension of the spring 62.

palier 58. Ce réglage s'effectue selon un axe parallèle à l'axe de la rampe 26 et il permet de régler la position de la poulie 19 par rapport à l'extrémité de ladite rampe pour ajuster le lieu de largage des griffes. The arm 56 which supports the downstream pulley 19, is adjustable relative to the

bearing 58. This adjustment is made along an axis parallel to the axis of the ramp 26 and it makes it possible to adjust the position of the pulley 19 relative to the end of said ramp to adjust the place of release of the claws.

We note Figures 9 and 10, that the ramp 26 is twisted between its departure at the cross 40 and its end at the downstream pulley 19. Similarly, the different rollers 47 which provide guidance and exert pressure on the belt 17 and in particular on the active strand of this belt, have their axis which is substantially parallel to the ramp 26.

 The ramp 26 and all of its equipment can be associated with the mat 15 ′ in FIG. 2 to guide the active strand of this mat, that is to say the twist. The frame of the ramp 26, that is to say the tube 45 serves in this case as a support for the guide rollers of the belt 15 ′ and of the endless belt 20 and in particular of the saber 23.

 Figure 11 shows an elevation of an embodiment of a machine according to the invention which comprises several preparation stations. These

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preparation stations and the operators also appear in figure 13. This machine includes, for example, six preparation stations for simultaneously planting in six rows. It has two belts 151 arranged in the center, which have a maximum length. The corresponding operators are arranged at the front end of the machine. On either side of these two large carpets 151, there are carpets 152 of shorter length and, on either side of these carpets 152 of median length, there are other carpets 153 of even shorter length
Each operator is installed on a seat 11 and has a box 13 placed nearby and from which he draws to collect the lily of the valley claws 1. These lily of the valley claws 1 are prepared and placed on each of the carpets before being picked up by the corresponding conveying devices 16, to be buried in the grooves 5
These grooves 5 can be prepared in advance using an appropriate machine.

par rapport au châssis primaire. Cette liberté de mouvement permet au dispositif de convoyage de suivre les sillons 5 quels que soient les mouvements du châssis primaire 90 qui est porté par les roues 7 qui roulent dans les passepiedsIn this case, the claw planting machine may comprise, as shown in FIG. 13, a first frame 90 which serves to support the frame 9 with which the preparation stations 10 are associated and the planting devices integral with each of said stations.
The chassis 9 is articulated, by means of an axis 91, on the primary chassis 90. This axis 91 is vertical, arranged in the center of the preparation station, as shown in FIG. 11 It provides freedom of movement for the assembly constituted by the preparation stations 10 and the conveying devices 16

compared to the primary chassis. This freedom of movement allows the conveying device to follow the grooves 5 whatever the movements of the primary chassis 90 which is carried by the wheels 7 which roll in the pass-throughs

Claims (16)

- CLAIMS -  1.-Method of mechanical planting of lily of the valley claws in a furrow arranged on a culture board, characterized in that it consists: - in manually picking the claws in a box (13) where they are stored in bulk for their planting; - unraveling and / or preparing these claws and placing each of them side by side substantially flat, on a preparation table (15), positioning them in a determined orientation and distance; - To route the claws thus prepared in a groove (5) open for this purpose, by passing them from their flat position to a substantially vertical position in said groove.  parallel or close to the vertical median plane of the groove (5), - depositing the claws in said groove, at the downstream end of said conveying device (16).

 2. A mechanical planting method according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists: in placing the claws flat one after the other on a carpet (15) in the form of an endless band, which advances continuously and parallel to the groove (5), - to convey said claws by means of a conveyor device (16) which extends between the end of said belt (15) and said groove, - to apply pressure on said claws, between two planes which, at the start, are parallel to the plane of said mat (15) and, in the end, are substantially  3. A mechanical planting method according to claim 2, characterized in that it consists in straightening the claws at the lower end of the conveying device (16), in order to drop them in the furrow (5), in a substantially vertical position.  4.-mechanical planting plant of lily of the valley claws, for implementing the method according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it consists of a frame (9) provided with wheels to allow its movement on the floor or in the runners, which chassis comprises: -at least one preparation station (10) which is on the one hand, arranged to accommodate at least one operator and at least one box (13) containing the claws, and which , on the other hand, is provided for each operator, with a table (15) in the form of an endless band on which said operator prepares and arranges said prongs and, at least, a conveying device (16) which conveys said prongs since the exit <Desc / Clms Page number 14>  from said preparation station (10), in their flat position, to the groove (5) where they are deposited in a substantially vertical position.  5.-mechanical planting machine according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises one or more preparation tables, in the form of endless bands, arranged in the longitudinal direction above the culture board and furrows ( 5) traced longitudinally, the width of each strip corresponding substantially to the size of the lily of the valley claws.  6.-mechanical planting machine according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the conveying device (16) which extends between the preparation station (10) and the groove (5), can be consisting of - a belt (15 ') in the form of an endless band, the active strand of which is at least twisted between its upstream part and its downstream part, and -a pressure member in the form of an endless belt (17) which extends between said preparation station and said groove to, on the one hand, maintain and guide the claws on the twisted active strand of said endless band (15 ') and, on the other hand, ensure their movement by means of the active strand of said belt (17).  7. A mechanical planting machine according to claim 6, characterized in that the endless band (15) forming the mat of the preparation station (10) and the endless band (15 ') of the conveying device (16), consist of a single endless belt (20) which is suitably guided from one end to the other of the machine with, at its downstream end, in the groove (5), an extension in the form of plate (25) which makes it possible to guide the claws to the point of release in said groove.  8. A mechanical planting machine according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the conveying device (16) consists of an inclined ramp (26) in the form of a smooth sheet made of stainless material by example, which ramp is twisted along its length with a horizontal upstream end at the level of the preparation station carpet (10) and an almost vertical downstream end which drags in the groove (5) and, -an endless belt (17 ) stretched between two pulleys: an upstream pulley (18) at the entrance to the ramp and a downstream pulley (19) at the lower end of the latter, the active strand of the belt, on the ramp side, being kept pressed on <Desc / Clms Page number 15>  the latter, over the entire length to, on the one hand, maintain and guide the claws on said ramp and, on the other hand, ensure their displacement by sliding on this ramp.  9.-mechanical planting machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the ramp (26) is associated with a frame in the form of a tubular beam (45), which beam is provided at its upper end with a crosspiece (39) allowing its attachment to the frame (9), which cross member (39) is adjustable to adjust the longitudinal alignment of said ramp, which beam (45) has from place to place, regularly distributed, consoles (46) which serve on the one hand for the positioning of the sheet forming said ramp and, on the other hand, for the support of rollers (47) which guide the active strand of the belt (17) and maintain a certain pressure on this active strand.  10.-mechanical planting machine according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises an inclined ramp (26) in the form of smooth sheet which is twisted, along its length to twist the active strand of the carpet (15 ') between its upstream part and its downstream part, which ramp (26) is associated with a tube-shaped frame (45), which tube serves as a support for the guide rollers of said belt (15 ') and for the saber (23) located at the downstream end.  11. A mechanical planting machine according to claim 10,

 characterized in that the belt (17) of the conveyor device (16) has a section which comprises a part or core (27) of square section and a complementary heel-shaped part (29) which gives said belt a general section L-shaped or square, which heel-shaped part serves as a contact and support surface on the claws, and the core (27) cooperates with the groove (28) of the upstream pulley (18), which pulley (18) constituting the driving pulley.  characterized in that the downstream pulley (19) of the conveying device has a V-shaped groove (30) which makes it possible to guide the belt (17) on two adjacent faces of its core (27), which pulley is itself inclined relative to the plane of the bearing surface of the claws, at the end of the conveying device, to allow the heel (29) and in particular its pressure surface on said claws to be maintained, in a plane which remains substantially parallel to that of said bearing surface of the claws.

 12. A mechanical planting machine according to claim 11, <Desc / Clms Page number 16>  13.-mechanical planting machine according to claim 12, characterized in that it comprises, at the level of the downstream pulley (19), fixed on an arm (61) associated with the support of the latter, a deflector (38) consisting of a simple sheet metal whose upstream part in the shape of a point makes it possible to separate the claws capable of being wedged between said pulley (19) and the belt (17), which sheet metal has an edge which is housed in the angle of the belt (17), upstream and in front of said pulley (19), on the side of the ramp and of the claws.  14.-mechanical planting machine according to claim 13, characterized in that the downstream pulley (19) is integral with an arm (56) articulated on a bearing (58) along an axis parallel to the ramp (26), which bearing, integral with the frame in the form of a tubular beam (45), is arranged to allow adjustment of the position of the pulley (19) relative to the lower end of the jaw drop zone, which pulley is also stressed in permanently by means of a spring (62), towards the claws, to maintain pressure on the latter and in particular allow them to be straightened before they are released into the groove.  consisting for example of two endless bands (151) arranged in the center of the machine, and which extend over the entire length of the chassis of the latter, - two shorter endless bands (152), arranged on the side and on the other of the two large strips (151) and, - two even shorter strips (153) arranged on the sides of the preceding strips (152), each strip serving as a preparation table for an operator, which operator has a seat (11) located laterally in front of the accessible strip portion, which operator also has a support for the claw boxes (13).

 15.-mechanical planting machine according to any one of claims 4 to 14, characterized in that it comprises several preparation stations and several conveying devices (16), which stations (10) are  degree of freedom for the assembly consisting of stations (10) and conveying devices (16), with respect to said chassis (90) of the machine, so that

 16.-mechanical planting machine according to claim 15, characterized in that the preparation stations are carried by a chassis (9) which is articulated on the primary chassis (90) of the machine, around an axis (91) vertical disposed substantially in the center of said posts, so as to maintain a <Desc / Clms Page number 17>  the downstream end of said conveying devices remains in the groove (5) whatever the movements of the machine when it rolls in the pass-throughs (8).