Sheet laying method and apparatus

Claim 1

A SHEET LAYING APPARATUS FOR A PLANT ROW COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A FRAME, (B) A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED SLED RUNNERS FIXED TO SAID FRAME ADAPTED TO SLIDE ALONG AND BE GUIDED BY THE SLOPING SIDES OF THE PLANT ROW, (C) HITCH MEANS ON SAID FRAME ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A TOWING TRACTOR, (D) DIGGER SPIKES FIXED TO THE FRONT END OF SAID FRAME ARRANGED TO ROUGH OUT A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED PARALLEL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING LOCKING SLOTS IN THE TOP SURFACE OF THE PLANT ROW, (E) A COMPACTING ROLLER JOURNALED FOR ROTATION ON A HORIZONTAL TRANSVERSE AXIS ON SAID FRAME HAVING A CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND LATERALLY SPACED PAIR OF SLOT FORMING DISCK ADAPTED TO ROLL ALONG SAID PLANT ROW SURFACE TO COMPACT AND FORM SAID PLANT ROW SURFACE AND THE LOCKING SLOTS THEREIN, (F) MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR HOLDING A ROLL OF SHEET MATERIAL IN UNROLLING CONTACT WITH SAID PLANT ROW SURFACE, (G) MEANS ON SAID FRAME LOCATED UNDER AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY OF SAID ROLL OF SHEET MATERIAL SLIDING ALONG IN SAID LOCKING SLOTS BEHIND SAID COMPACTING ROLLER TO FINALLY CLEAN OUT AND SIZE SAID LOCKING SLOT AS SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL IS ROLLED OUT AND SPREAD LONGITUDINALLY ON SAID PLANT ROW SURFACE AND OVER SAID FINALLY PREPARED LOCKING SLOTS, (H) LOCKING WHEELS JOURNALED ON SAID FRAME BEHIND SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS ROLLING ALONG THE EDGES OF SAID SHEET TO PRESS SAID EDGES INTO SAID LOCKING SLOTS, (I) MEANS ON SAID FRAME BEHIND SAID LOCKING WHEELS TO SCOOP UP AND LIFT SOIL FROM ADJACENT THE SIDES OF SAID PLANT ROW AND DEPOSIT THE SAME ON SAID DEPRESSED EDGES OF SAID SHEETI IN SAID LOCKING SLOTS TO SECURE SAID SHEET TO THE PLANT ROW, (J) AND COMPACTING ROLLERS JOURNALED ON SAID FRAME TO THE REAR OF SAID SOIL SCOOPING AND LIFTING MEANS FOR COMPACTING AND FORMING THE SOIL SURFACE ABOVE SAID LOCKING TRENCHES AND OVER THE EDGES OF SAID SHEET AND SIZING AND COMPACTING THE SLOPING SIDES OF THE PLANT ROW.