Seed bed preparation method and apparatus

Claim 1

In an agricultural implement including a sub-soiler for cutting a deep furrow in the earth to define a location for a crop row and a planter mounted behind and movable with said sub-soiler for planting seeds along the row defined by said sub-soiler, the improvement comprising a seed bed preparation means mounted between said sub-soiler and said planter, said seed bed preparation means comprising: rotary, bladed means operating directly over the furrow formed by said sub-soiler for filling in the furrow formed by said sub-soiler with soil turned up by said sub-soiler and for forming a depression along the crop row, said rotary, bladed means rotating in a direction of rotation upon movement of said implement, and comprising: a frame; a horizontal axle rotatably mounted on said frame transverse to the crop row; a central disc member mounted at its center to said axle; a pair of outer disc members each mounted at its center to said axle in spaced relation to said central disc member on opposite sides thereof along said axle, said outer disc members having diameters less than the diameter of said central disc member; and a plurality of soil-working blades, said blades converging toward said axle as they extend from said central disc member to one of said disc members, and each of said soil-working blades being attached to said outer disc member at a point relative to the direction of rotation of said disc members ahead of the point at which said soil-working blade is attached to said central disc member so as to be angled to move soil toward said central disc member as said soil-working blade rotates with said axle; and a means for packing the soil in a central portion of the depression prior to said planter.