Apparatus for planting individual seeds in predetermined locations

Claim 1

In a planter for placing seed individually onto or into the soil and having a casing with a carrier such as a drum or belt with particularly spaced compartments and movably disposed inside of the casing, further having means for separating seeds from a bulk and placing individual seeds into the individual compartments, the casing having an opening along which the compartments pass in sequence and through which a seed may drop out of the respective compartment when passing the opening, the improvement comprising: a feed-worm with helical ridge and groove having an upper and lower portion and having a pitch in relation to said compartment spacing such that the feedworm as it rotates can receive from said opening only a single seed at a time between any two adjacent ridges the upper protion being located adjacent said opening to receive seeds falling through, the lower portion extending to the soil underneath the machine; a tubular casing containing the feedworm and affixed to the casing of the machine and having an opening adjacent said opening in the casing of the machine; and means for synchronously driving said compartment carrier and said worm, so that the seeds as disposed from the compartments onto the feed worm are moved down by the feed-worm in spaced apart relation as established by the passage of the compartments past said openings and maintained by the worm as moving the seeds down the tubular casing for direct depositing onto or into the soil.