摘要 |
A self-cleaning, non-clogging seed-planting valve which functions in an alternating cycle of applied vacuum and atmospheric pressure. The valve is formed from an elongated housing, having a hollow core, and to the lower end of which a nozzle is attached. The nozzle has an upper internal diameter less than that of the hollow core, and a reduced lower internal diameter which provides a flat valve-seating surface. A center shaft, coaxially-disposed and vertically movable within the hollow core, has a reduced cross section at its lower end which terminates as a cleaning wire capable of extending into and through the nozzle. A flat gasket valve slidably engages the cleaning wire and contacts the valve-seating surface as the center shaft moves downwardly through the hollow core. The seed planter constitutes a box-like vacuum chamber to the lower surface of which a plurality of the seed-planting valves are connected in spaced-apart relationship. Thus constructed, the seed planter is ideally suited for rapidly planting seeds in nursery flats.
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