Crop conditioner

Claim 1

CORP TREATING APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUPPORTING FRAME ADAPTED FOR ADVANCE OVER A FIELD ON WHICH PREVIOUSLY HARVESTED PLANT TOPPINGS FORM A LAYER SUPPORTED ON THEIR OWN STUBBLE, ROLLS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AXES AND EACH HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED FLUTES EXTENDING GENERALLY LENGTHWISE THEREOF, THE FLUTES OF SAID ROLLS INTERDIGITATING WITH ONE ANOTHER AND DEFINING A BITE AT ONE SIDE OF THE POINT OF FLUTE INTERDIGITATION OF RECEIVE TOPPINGS, POWER MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROLLS IN DIRECTIONS SUCH THAT THE INTERDIGITATING FLUTES MOVE INTO SIAD BITS, YIELDABLE MEANS SUPPORTIONG CORRESPONDING ENDS OF SAID ROLLS FOR ROTATION ON PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME WHICH ARE RELATIVELY MOVABLE TRANSVERSELY OF SAID ROLL AXES TO PERMIT SAID CORRESPONDING ROLL ENDS TO MOVE AWAY FROM EACH OTHER FAR ENOUGH TO WITHDRAW THE PORTION OF THE FLUTES AT SAID CORRESPONDING ROLL ENDS FROM INTERDIGITATING RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER AND THEREBY FACILITATE THE PASSAGE OF LARGE BUNCHES OF TOPPONGS BETWEEN THE SAID PORTIONS OF SAID FLUTES, AND MEANS SUPPORTING THE OPPOSITE ENS OF SAID ROLLS FOR ROTATION ON RELATIVELY IMMOVABLE ORTIONS OF SAID FRAME TO THEREBY PRESERVE THE ESTABLISHED FLUTE INTERDIGITATION AT SAID OPPOSITE ROLL ENDS IRRESPECTIVE OF THE RELATIVE PORTIONS OF SAID CORRESPONDING ROLL ENDS, SAID POWER MENAS BEING DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID ROLLS AT SAID OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF.