Patent ID: 7107917

Claim:
An agricultural implement which is so structured as to be suitable far inserting granular materials into the ground, the implement comprising: a knife having an angled blade to create a slit-opening in the ground; a drawing mechanism for drawing the angled blade through the ground in a forward direction, wherein the angled blade is effective, when drawn through the ground, to create an angled slit-opening in the ground; a conduit for conducting the materials to the angled blade, wherein the conduit is secured to the angled blade and is so positioned thereon that, during operation. a discharge mouth of the conduit is located in the ground at a depth below the ground surface, and is so located in relation to the angled blade so as to deposit the materials directly behind the angled blade and in the slit-opening created by the angled blade as the knife is drawn through the ground, and wherein the angled blade is formed with an over-surface and an under-surface which intersect at a line that defines a knife-edge of the angled blade; and a knife-mounting mechanism that mounts the angled blade in such an orientation and disposition in relation to the ground so that, during operation of the implement, wherein when viewed from the forward direction the knife-edge makes a non-perpendicular angle relative to the horizontal, termed the side-slope-angle, and wherein the angled blade is mounted so that, at a vertical cross-section of the angled blade in a plane generally perpendicular to the knife-edge, taken below the ground surface, substantially no point in or on the angled blade at the vertical cross-section is vertically lower in the ground than the knife-edge at that vertical cross-section, and ′wherein the over-surface of the angled blade is so angled that, when the blade is drawn through the ground. the over-surface lit the ground upwards.