Abstract: A hopper for mechanical seed planters comprises an upper and a lower reservoir shaped for retaining seed therein, and a valve mounted between the reservoirs to selectively permit the seed to flow under gravitational forces from the upper to the lower reservoir. The lower reservoir is rotatably mounted in the hopper, and is rotated in synchronization with the planting speed of the planter. The bottom of the lower reservoir has at least one metering aperture therethrough, and a circularly shaped groove which is concentric with the lower reservoir's axis of rotation, and extends through the metering aperture. An arm is pivotally connected with the upper reservoir, and includes a tip portion which tracks in the circular groove. A stationary base plate is disposed directly below the reservoir bottom, and includes a discharge aperture which is circumferentially aligned with the metering aperture.

Abstract: An improved seed planter; improvements in planting devices adapted to plant individual seeds one by one, at spaced intervals in a prepared furrow; improved mechanism for individually receiving seeds one by one each in a moving receptacle, retaining each seed in its receptacle as it is moved to planting position and then ejecting the seeds from the receptacles one by one in timed and spaced sequence; improved seed feeding apparatus for continuously receiving seeds for planting from a source (i.e. a hopper), arranging them individually in sequence and feeding them in sequence to individual receptacles of a planting device; an improved seed planter module incorporating a furrow cutter, seed storing, feeding and planting apparatus, furrow closing apparatus and furrow tamping apparatus.