JPH05137411A - Sowing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the clogging of seed and the crushing damage of seed by combining a sowing plate with a shutter. CONSTITUTION:A feed hopper 21 is placed above a transfer table 10 for laterally transferring a container box 4 fitted with a sponge seedling bed 1. A dropping chute 50 for guiding seeds is placed under the feed hopper 21 and a brush 51 moving together with the dropping chute 50 is placed behind the dropping chute 50. A sowing plate 36 having sowing holes 35 at regular intervals is placed under the brush 51 and a shutter 38 is placed in contact with the lower face of the sowing plate 36 to drop the seed filled in the sowing hole 35.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sowing device, and more particularly to a device for sowing seeds such as non-spherical vegetables.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-237708 discloses a supply hopper for storing and supplying seeds at a position above a transfer table for laterally transferring a storage box containing a polypot (trade name). In a sowing device provided with a seeding plate having a seeding hole provided below the supply hopper and a shutter for dropping seeds fitted in the seeding hole, the seeding plate also serves as a bottom plate of the supply hopper. , The seeding plate is composed of two plates, an upper plate and a lower plate, and the shutter is movably provided between the upper plate and the lower plate.

[0003]

However, as compared with the seeding device using the feeding roll having the feeding recess formed on the outer peripheral surface, the seeding by the combination of the seeding plate and the shutter is fixed at a certain position as in the known example. Although there is an advantage that seeds can be sown accurately because the seeds are dropped, there is a problem that the seeds are clogged when the seeds are located in the middle of the through holes of the seeding plate and the shutter. Since the upper plate and the lower plate are also used as two sheets and the shutter is provided between the upper plate and the lower plate, the two plates pass through the matching through holes of the upper plate and the shutter and the shutter and the lower plate. There is a high possibility that it will get stuck. In particular, crescent-shaped non-spherical seeds such as honeybee seeds cannot be sown because they may be crushed when the shutter moves because the state of fitting into the through holes is not constant. Further, since the seeds that have entered the through holes of the shutter are carried to above the through holes of the lower plate while being fitted into the through holes of the shutter, the seeds are crushed or damaged significantly, and the germination rate decreases. From this point as well, non-spherical seeds cannot be sown because the orientation is often changed and jammed during movement. Therefore, there is also a problem that the portion where seeds are clogged becomes a missing strain and the seeding accuracy is significantly reduced.

[0004]

An object of the present invention is to prevent seed jamming and seed crush damage in spite of the combination of a sowing plate and a shutter.

[0005]

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a transfer table 10 for laterally transferring a storage box 4 having an open upper surface into which a seed bed 1 formed of a flat sponge or the like can be fitted from above, and the transfer table. A seed hopper 21 for feeding seeds, which has a feeding roll 22 provided at a lower portion of the table 10, and the feeding roll 2.
In the seeding device provided with a seeding plate 36 in which seeding holes 35 are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals provided at a lower position of 2, and a shutter 38 for dropping the seeds fitted in the seeding holes 35, the feeding roll 22 and A drop chute 50 that guides the seeds fed by the feeding rolls 22 to the upper surface of the seeding plate 36 while moving in the entire width direction between the seedling plate 36 and the seeding plate 36, and moves with the drop chute 50. A seeding device provided with a movable seed supply unit 45 composed of a brush 51 for leveling the surface of the seeding plate 36 so as to be movable with respect to the seeding plate 36, and a sponge seedbed formed of a flat sponge. 1. A transfer table 10 for laterally feeding a storage box 4 having an open upper surface into which 1 can be fitted from above, a feed hopper 21 for storing seeds, which is provided at a position above the transfer table 10 and has a payout roll 22 at a lower portion, A seeding plate 36, in which seeding holes 35 are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals provided at a lower position of the feeding roll 22, and a shutter 38 for dropping the seeds fitted to the seeding holes 35, which are superposed on the lower surface of the seeding plate 36, are dropped. In the provided seeding device, a drop chute 50 that guides the seeds delivered by the delivery roll 22 to only one end of the seeding plate 36, although the width direction is the entire region between the delivery roll 22 and the seeding plate 36. The drop chute 50 is provided with the seeding plate 3
6 reciprocating from one end to the other end to collect seeds stored in the drop chute 50 in the forward stroke, on the sowing plate 36.
The seeding device is provided with a brush 51 that moves to the rear of the drop chute 50 and smoothes the surface of the seed plate 36 behind the drop chute 50.

[0006]

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a nursery bed made of sponge or the like, and a plurality of blocks 3 are formed by making cuts 2 in length and width, and after seeding, the blocks can be divided into each block 3. Is forming. Reference numeral 4 denotes a storage box for storing the sponge seedbed 1, which is formed of styrofoam, synthetic resin, or the like, is provided with a peripheral wall 6 standing upright around a rectangular bottom wall 5, and is formed in a box shape with an open upper surface. ing. In this embodiment, since hydroponics is planned, a sponge seedbed 1 made of a sponge and a storage box 4 made of expanded polystyrene are used. However, soil-supplied seedlings are sown to sow seed rice. It can be a box.

Reference numeral 10 is a transfer table for horizontally traversing the storage box 4 storing the sponge seedbed 1 from the start end to the end, and is placed on the floor by a plurality of support legs 7. Each supporting leg 7 is provided with a height adjusting device 8 so that the transfer table 10 is horizontal. The transfer table 10 is divided into front and rear parts to form a front transfer table 11 and a rear transfer table 12, and a transfer roll 13 is provided on each of the front transfer table 11 and the rear transfer table 12. The transfer roll 13 is configured to rotate independently by a front transfer motor 14 provided on the front transfer table 11 and a rear transfer motor 15 provided on the rear transfer table 12.

A support frame 16 is provided above the starting end of the front transfer table 11. The support frame 16 is
A flat plate-shaped horizontal portion 17 positioned above the front transfer table 11 at a predetermined interval, and legs 18 and 19 provided in front of and behind the horizontal portion 17 so that the storage box 4 can pass therethrough. It is formed in the shape of. Then, the front leg 1
8 is provided with the front side transfer motor 14, and the front side leg portion 18
Also serves as the motor box of the front transfer motor 14.

A supply hopper 21 is provided on the upper surface of the horizontal portion 17 of the support frame 16 on the front side, and a supply roll 22 in the left-right direction is provided below the supply hopper 21. The feeding roll 22 has a horizontal groove-shaped feeding concave portion (not shown) formed in parallel with the generatrix direction on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the tip end of the sliding contact brush 24 is abutted on the outer peripheral surface of the feeding roll 22 on the rotating downward side. Contact them (Fig. 4). Returning to FIG. 3, the rotating shaft 2 of the feeding roll 22
A gear 26 is fixed to the gear 5, and the gear 26 and the feeding motor 2
The chain 29 is hung around the gear 28 of 7. The feeding motor 27 is provided on the upper surface of the horizontal portion 17.

As shown in FIG. 4, the seeds in the feeding concave portion of the feeding roll 22 which have passed through the sliding brush 24 are guided to the lower side of the feeding roll 22 on the side of the lowering side of the feeding roll 22. The seed guide 30 is provided, and the seed guide 3 is provided.
The lower part of 0 faces the upper part of the drop guide 31. The seed guide 30 and the drop guide guide 31 are formed to have substantially the same width as the feeding roll 22.

Therefore, a seeding plate 36 in which vertical seeding holes 35 are vertically and horizontally arranged is provided above the transfer path of the storage box 4 of the front transfer table 11 below the support frame 16 (FIG. 4, FIG. Figure 5). The seeding plate 36 is the fall guide 3
It is formed to have a left-right width that is substantially the same as or slightly wider than 1. The seeding hole 35 is formed with a size of about 7 mm in diameter so that about 20 to 30 seeds of honeybee seeds can enter, but the size is arbitrary, and the seeding depending on the shape of the seed and the seeding amount. The plate 36 may be exchangeable. Further, about 12 seedling holes 35 are formed on the right and left sides and about 30 on the front and rear sides, but this number is also arbitrary. A guide 37 having a triangular cross-section in the front-rear direction is provided on the upper surface of the sowing plate 36 between the sowing holes 35 in each of the vertically adjacent rows.

Below the seed plate 36, the storage box 4 is provided.
There is provided a shutter 38 that moves in parallel with the transfer direction. The shutter 38 is suspended below the seeding plate 36 by a bolt 39, and a spring 40 provided on the outer periphery of the bolt 39 causes the upper surface of the shutter 38 to be in close contact with the lower surface of the seeding plate 36. The shutter 38 is formed with a drop opening 41 corresponding to the seeding hole 35 and having a larger hole than the seeding hole 35.

A movable seed supply unit 45, which reciprocates in the moving direction of the storage box 4 and supplies seeds to all the sowing holes 35, is provided between the upper and lower sides of the supply hopper 21 and the sowing plate 36. .. The movable seed supply unit 45 is a frame 4 formed in a box shape by a front plate 46, left and right side plates 47, and an upper plate 48.
9, a drop chute 50 is provided on the rear side of the frame 9, a horizontal rotation leveling brush 51 is provided below the left and right side plates 47,
A brush rotation motor 52 is provided in the upper part of the inside of the device 9. That is, since non-spherical seeds such as honeybee cannot be lined up vertically, the seeds are crushed when the upper seeds and the lower seeds are separated by the shutter 38. Therefore, the shutter 38 is temporarily set to the seeding hole 3
5 The brush 51 is used only for dropping the seeds fitted evenly.

The upper plate 48 of the frame 49 is provided with a pair of left and right mounting portions 55 at the front and rear, and each mounting portion 55 has a chain 5 wound around a gear 56 provided at the front and rear sides of the horizontal portion 17.
7 is locked, and the moving seed supply unit 45 is suspended from the chain 57. The chain 57 reciprocates by rotating the front gear 56 forward and backward by a moving motor 58. The moving motor 58 and the brush rotating motor 52 are configured to rotate in synchronization with each other to prevent the rotary leveling brush 51 from sliding on the seed plate 36. The moving motor 58 and the brush rotating motor 52 are variable speed motors, and the seeding speed can be changed.

Further, the rotary shaft 5 of the rotary leveling brush 51.
Guide rollers 60 are fixed on both left and right sides of the guide roller 9, and the guide rollers 60 roll on guide rails 61 provided on the seed plate 36. Reference numeral 62 denotes a guide roller provided on the frame 49, which moves the moving seed supply unit 45 by the four guide rollers 60 and 62. The height of the guide rail 61 is adjustable with respect to the fixed portion 63 provided on the seeding plate 36, and the height of the rotary leveling brush 51 is changed by changing the height of the guide rail 61. Seeding hole 3
It is configured so that the amount of seeds fitted in 5 can be adjusted to change the seeding amount. 64 is a gear fixed to the rotating shaft 59, 65 is a gear of the brush rotation motor 52, 66 is a chain between the gear 64 and the gear 65, 67 is a solenoid for opening the shutter 38, and 68 is the shutter 38.
The solenoid 69 for closing is a link mechanism.

The seeding plate 36 is used as the storage box 4
The seeding hole 35 is formed to a position above the rear portion of the storage box 4 at a predetermined position.
A non-hole portion 70 that does not form the sowing hole 35 is formed in the rear portion of 6, and the seeds swept away by the rotary leveling brush 51 on the outward path are
In the return path, it is configured to be swept back by the rotary leveling brush 51. That is, up to the intermediate position A above the rear seedling hole 35, the rotating and leveling brush 51 rotates forward so as to sweep the seed toward the starting end side of the transfer table 10, and rotates when passing through the intermediate position A. While rotating the leveling brush 51 in the reverse direction, the moving seed supply unit 45 is moved to the rear non-hole portion 70 at a predetermined interval from the intermediate position A, and then the moving seed supply unit 45 moves on the non-hole portion 70. While sweeping back the seeds, the seeds are returned to the standby position below the supply hopper 21. The standby position of the moving seed supply unit 45 can of course be reversed.

The moving seed supply unit 45 and the sowing plate 36 may be related to each other as long as the moving seed supply unit 45 and the sowing plate 36 move relative to each other, and the rotary leveling brush 51 is used.
Reciprocates to sweep the upper surface of the seeding plate 36 twice, but it may be once.

A rotation amount detector 71 for detecting the rotation amount of the feeding roll 22 is provided near the feeding roll 22, and the horizontal portion 17 of the support frame 16 is provided with
A standby position switch 72 for detecting the standby position of the moving seed supply unit 45, an intermediate switch 73 for detecting the intermediate position A, and a return position detection switch 74 for detecting the return position of the movable seed supply unit 45 are provided. Further, the front transfer table 11 is provided with a stop position switch 75 for detecting the stop position of the storage box 4, and each motor is connected via a control panel 76 provided on the horizontal portion 17 of the support frame 16. It is configured so that it can be connected and automatically controlled. Regarding this automatic control, regardless of its configuration, a timer may be used, or the operation sequence may be changed, as long as automatic seeding is possible. In the figure,
Reference numeral 77 is a watering device.

[0019]

[Operation] Next, the operation will be described. When the storage box 4 fitted with the sponge seedbed 1 (which may or may not already absorb water) is supplied to the starting end of the front transfer table 11 of the transfer table 10, the front transfer motor 14 causes When the forward end of the storage box 4 reaches a predetermined position below the supply hopper 21 by moving forward by the rotating transfer roll 13, the stop position switch 75 is turned on to stop the operation of the front side transfer motor 14, The storage box 4 is stopped and waits at a predetermined position.

On the other hand, when the feeding motor 27 is energized and the feeding roll 22 is rotated, the seed in the supply hopper 21 passes under the sliding contact brush 24 while being fitted in the feeding recess of the feeding roll 22. Then, the seeds enter the seed guide 30, pass through the seed guide 30, flow down into the drop guide guide 31, and the seeds dropped from the drop guide guide 31 are moved to the moving seed supply unit 4.
5 is supplied to the drop chute 50, and when the moving motor 58 is energized in this state, the gear 56 rotates and the chain 57
Is moved, and the movement of the chain 57 causes the moving seed supply unit 4 to move.
5 moves, the drop chute 50 moves while gradually dropping the seeds in the drop chute 50 onto the upper surface of the sowing plate 36, and the brush rotation motor 5 provided in the moving seed supply unit 45.
The rotary leveling brush 51 rotating by 2 moves while sweeping the seeds, and the seeds fit into all the sowing holes 35 of the sowing plate 36. Therefore, the seeds are smoothly fitted into the seeding holes 35 of the seeding plate 36, and the seeds are not crushed or damaged.

When the solenoid 67 is energized in this state,
The solenoid 67 pulls the shutter 38, and the seeds fitted in all the sowing holes 35 of the sowing plate 36 pass through the drop openings 41 of the shutter 38 and stand by below the upper surface of each block 3 of the sponge nursery 1. Be sown in.

In this case, when the drop hole 41 of the shutter 38 is aligned with the sowing hole 35 of the sowing plate 36, the seed falls, so that the seed does not move in the sowing hole 35 and the drop hole 41 as in the known example. Since there is no seed, there is no clogging of the seed and no damage to the seed. Therefore, not only ordinary seeds having a spherical shape, but also coated seeds and seeds having a non-spherical shape such as honeywort and leeks can be satisfactorily sown.

Further, since the drop opening 41 of the shutter 38 is formed as a hole larger than the seeding hole 35 of the seeding plate 36, the seed can be dropped more favorably. In addition, the solenoid 67
Shock-pulls the shutter 38 and shock-returns the solenoid 68 to the original closed position, so that the seeds are surely dropped.

When the seeding is completed, the front transfer motor 14 is energized again to rotate the transfer roll 13 to advance the storage box 4. The seeded storage box 4 is transferred to the rear transfer table 12, is watered by the watering device 77, and is taken out at the end of the transfer table 10. The seeded sponge seedbed 1 germinates after a few days, so it is divided into blocks 3 and fitted into the fitting holes of a styrofoam nursery about the size of one tatami mat to grow seedlings and then harvested and shipped. ..

Therefore, the sowing plate 36 is formed longer than the length of the storage box 4, and the rotary leveling brush 51 is rotated forward to the intermediate position A so as to sweep seeds toward the starting end side of the transfer table 10. Therefore, the rotating and leveling brush 51 moves to the intermediate position A by sweeping and moving toward the rear side the seeds that have not been fitted into the sowing holes 35 among the seeds that have dropped to the front side of the sowing plate 36.

At the rear part of the sowing plate 36, a non-perforated portion 70 having no sowing holes 35 is formed, and when the intermediate position A is passed, the non-perforated portion is rotated in the reverse direction. The seeds are surely fitted into the seeding holes 35 because they are returned by the rotating and leveling brush 51 when returning to the standby position below and are leveled again by the rotating and leveling brush 51 when returning. Therefore, in this embodiment, since the excess seed is leveled and removed by the rotary leveling brush 51,
Move seeds larger than the amount to be sown Seed supply unit 45
The seeds are surely fitted into all the sowing holes 35 to prevent the occurrence of stockout.

The moving seed supply unit 45 is moved by the chain 57 rotated by the moving motor 58, and the moving motor 58 turns on / off the group of switches provided on the horizontal portion 17 of the support frame 16. Since it is automatically controlled by the control panel 76, when a certain time has elapsed after the rotation of the supply hopper 21 is stopped, the moving motor 58 and the brush rotating motor 52 are energized, and the moving seed supply unit 4
When 5 reaches the intermediate position A, the intermediate switch 73 is turned on and only the brush rotation motor 52 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the non-hole portion 7
When the moving seed supply unit 45 reaches 0, the moving motor 58
When it reaches the standby position by reversing the
Is turned on to stop the moving motor 58 and the brush rotating motor 52. Note that, for convenience of explanation, the shutter 38 is opened and closed after the storage box 4 is stopped and waits, but the storage box 4 is transferred to a predetermined position in a state where the moving seed supply unit 45 supplies the seeding holes 35. At this time, the shutter 38 may be opened and closed, so that the transfer of the storage box 4 and the seed supply by the moving seed supply unit 45 are performed independently of each other.

[0028]

[Effects] The present invention provides a transfer table 10 for laterally transferring a storage box 4 having an open upper surface into which a seedbed 1 formed of a flat sponge or the like can be fitted from above, and is provided above the transfer table 10. And a seed hopper 21 for storing seeds, which has a payout roll 22 at the bottom, a seeding plate 36 in which seeding holes 35 are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals provided at a lower position of the payout roll 22, and the seeding hole 35 is fitted. In the seeding device provided with the shutter 38 for dropping the seeds, the seeds fed by the feeding rolls 22 are the whole area in the width direction between the feeding rolls 22 and the seeding plates 36. The seeding plate 36 is provided with a moving seed supply unit 45 including a drop chute 50 that guides while moving to the upper surface of the seedling 36, and a brush 51 that moves with the drop chute 50 to level the surface of the seeding plate 36.
The seed in the supply hopper 21 flows down to the drop chute 50 of the moving seed supply unit 45, and when the movable seed supply unit 45 moves, the drop chute 50 is moved. The brush 5 in which seeds are gradually supplied onto the sowing plate 35 and move together with the drop chute 50
1 so as to even out the surface of the sowing plate 36, so that the seeds
It smoothly fits into the seeding hole 35, and the seed is not crushed or damaged. Therefore, not only ordinary seeds having a spherical shape, but also coated seeds and seeds having a non-spherical shape such as honeywort and leeks can be satisfactorily sown.

Further, according to the present invention, a transfer table 10 for laterally transferring a storage box 4 having an open upper surface into which a sponge seedbed 1 formed of a flat sponge can be fitted from above, and a position above the transfer table 10. A seed hopper 21 for storing seeds, which has a feeding roll 22 at the lower part, a seeding plate 36 in which seeding holes 35 are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals provided at a lower position of the feeding roll 22, and a sowing plate 36 The seeding holes 35 that are superposed on the lower surface
In the seeding device provided with a shutter 38 for dropping the seeds fitted in, the feeding roll 22 and the seeding plate 36.
A drop chute 50 that guides the seeds fed by the feeding roll 22 to only one end of the sowing plate 36 is provided between the and, and the fall chute 50 is located at one end of the sowing plate 36. The seeds stored in the drop chute 50 are reciprocally moved to the other end and supplied to all the sowing holes 35 of the sowing plate 36 in the forward stroke, and the seeds are provided behind the drop chute 50 together with the drop chute 50. Since the seeding device is provided with the brush 51 that moves to level the surface of the seeding plate 36, the brush 5 that reciprocates
Since the seeds on the surface of the sowing plate 36 are leveled by 1, the seeds can be fitted into the sowing holes 35 more smoothly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state where a nursery is placed in a storage box.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the entire apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a main part.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view of a main part.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional front view of a main part.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Nurseries, 2 ... Breaks, 3 ... Blocks, 4 ... Storage boxes, 5
... bottom wall, 6 ... side wall, 10 ... transfer stand, 11 ... front transfer stand,
12 ... Rear transfer table, 13 ... Transfer roll, 14 ... Front transfer motor, 15 ... Rear transfer motor, 16 ... Support frame, 17 ... Horizontal part, 18, 19 ... Leg part, 21 ... Supply hopper, 22 ... delivery roll, 23 ... delivery recess, 24 ... sliding brush, 25 ... rotating shaft, 26 ... gear, 27 ... delivery motor, 28 ... gear, 29 ... chain, 30 ... seed guide, 3
1 ... Fall guide, 35 ... Seeding hole, 36 ... Seeding plate, 3
7 ... Guide, 38 ... Shutter, 39 ... Bolt, 40 ... Spring, 41 ... Drop port, 45 ... Moving seed supply part, 46 ... Front plate, 47 ... Left and right side plates, 48 ... Top plate, 49 ... Frame, 5
0 ... Drop chute, 51 ... Rotating leveling brush, 52 ... Brush rotating motor, 55 ... Mounting part, 56 ... Gear, 57 ... Chain, 58 ... Moving motor, 59 ... Rotating shaft, 60 ... Guide roller, 61 ... Guide rails, 62 ... Guide rollers, 6
3 ... Fixed part, 64, 65 ... Gear, 66 ... Chain, 67,
68 ... Solenoid, 69 ... Link mechanism, 70 ... Non-hole portion,
71 ... Rotation amount detection part, 72, 73, 74, 75 ... Switch, 76 ... Control panel, 77 ... Irrigation device, A ... Intermediate position. Irrigation

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A transfer table 10 for laterally transferring a storage box 4 having an open upper surface into which a seedbed 1 formed of a flat plate-like sponge can be fitted from above, and a lower part provided above the transfer table 10. Seed hopper 21 for storing seeds having a feeding roll 22
A seeding plate 36 in which seeding holes 35 are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals provided at a lower position of the feeding roll 22, and the seeding hole 3
In the seeding device provided with a shutter 38 for dropping the seeds fitted in 5, the feeding roll 22 and the seeding plate 3
6 and the entire area in the width direction, but the feeding roll 2
2. A drop chute 50 that guides the seeds fed by 2 to the upper surface of the sowing plate 36, and a brush 5 that moves together with the drop chute 50 to level the surface of the sowing plate 36.
A sowing apparatus in which a movable seed supply unit 45 composed of 1 is provided so as to be movable with respect to the sowing plate 36. 2. A transfer table 10 for laterally transferring a storage box 4 having an open upper surface into which a sponge seedbed 1 formed of a flat plate-shaped sponge can be fitted from above, and a lower part provided above the transfer table 10. A seed hopper 21 for storing seeds having a feeding roll 22, a seeding plate 36 provided at the lower position of the feeding roll 22 with seeding holes 35 arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals, and a lower surface of the seeding plate 36 to be polymerized. In the seeding device provided with a shutter 38 for dropping the seeds fitted in the seeding holes 35, the entire width between the feeding roll 22 and the seeding plate 36 in the width direction is fed by the feeding roll 22. A drop chute 50 for guiding the seeds to only one end of the seed plate 36 is provided, and the drop chute 50 is the seed plate 36.
The seeds stored in the drop chute 50 are reciprocated from one end to the other end of the seed chute and supplied to all the sowing holes 35 of the sowing plate 36.
A seeding device provided with a brush 51 that moves with the drop chute 50 to level the surface of the seeding plate 36 behind 0.