1. Field of Invention This invention relates to a machine of the type placed on the ground which holds seedlings grown in a series of pots and transplants them onto a field. The series of pots are formed by two strips of paper bonded together using a water soluble paste thereby forming the pots therebetween at a given pitch and linked together.
2. Description of Related Art
A series of pots, for example, are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 58-11817 and 4-79612. The pots are initially, during non-use, pressed flat together, and prior to use are arranged in a series to form a honeycomb of like pots, which are accommodated in a box filled with soil and sown. This allows many seedlings to be grown concentrically. According to this seedling growing method using a series of pots, every seedling is grown in a pot independently so as to avoid the entanglement of roots between the seedlings. In addition, the water soluble paste deteriorates a given number of days after the seedlings are planted and begin growing, but allow the seedlings to be drawn out in a row from the overlapped series of pots filled with soil so that the seedlings can be transplanted continuously.
In general, the seedlings grown using a series of pots are transplanted with the pots remaining linked together, and conventionally, a transplanting machine has been developed for this exclusive use. For example, the transplanting machines described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. 5-308822 and 8-89028 comprises a body provided at its rear end, opposite to an advancing direction, with an opener for making a groove for transplanting. The body comprises a simple structure having a potted seedlings placing section for receiving the above-discussed series of pots, a potted seedlings guide section for guiding a series of pots drawn out in a row from the potted seedlings placing section and a seedlings feeding section for feeding seedlings from the potted seedlings guide section onto the field. Due merely to the moving of the body on the field, the potted seedlings are fed continuously into the groove formed by the opener to easily transplant the seedlings.
However, multiple series of pots are formed with series of pots overlapping each other with the pitch between the pots limited to the length of a connection portion (piece) of a pot, i.e. a side of a pot. Thus, when using a planting machine described in the above-mentioned publications, the pitch between seedlings is limited to the length of the piece, so that if that pitch is too small, the machine has to be resigned.
Further, for instance, in the case of Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-61886, a transplanting machine is described in which a row of seedling pots is clamped by a pair of rotary transplantation bars and is separated from the following seedling pot by cutting the connection piece therebetween to transplant the separated seedling pot into the groove. While the pitch between seedlings can be changed, the transplanting machine itself becomes complicated and large-scaled and can not be used simply.
Furthermore, for instance, in the case of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 7-123869, in order to extend the connection piece, a plurality of cuts are provided in the side of the pot or in the connection piece, or in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 1-205687, the connection piece is made longer than a side of the pot and folded along the length of the side of the pot to which it is attached using a water-soluble paste, thereby when transplanting the pitch is extended. However, in either case there have been the following problems. For instance in the former case, during transplanting, the connection piece is apt to be separated unintentionally due to the resistance against the taking out force, while in the latter case, the manufacture of a series of pots is complicated and the manufacturing cost is high.