1470133 Separating seeds M B HAGNER and K L WENDT 6 May 1975 [17 May 1974] 18999/75 Heading B2H In a method of separating seeds which have started to germinate from non-germinating seeds, all the seeds 3 are carried on the surface of a liquid 2 and the seeds which have parts projecting down into the liquid are separated from the remaining seeds. The parts projecting down into the liquid may be acted upon by streams of liquid produced by means of a diaphragm pump 4 and a chamber 10 provided with a plurality of tubes 11 dipping into the liquid 2. The chamber 10 and pump 4 are filled with liquid so that operation of the pump produces alternating streams of liquid at the openings of the tubes 11. On the pump intake stroke these streams act on the downwardly projecting parts of those seeds which have germinated and pull these seeds beneath the surface. On the output stroke of the pump 4 these seeds will be forced away from the openings of the tubes 11 and, if they have a higher density than the liquid and were originally supported by the surface tension alone, will sink to the bottom where they are collected in a container 12. If the seeds have a density lower than that of the liquid, the tubes 11 are directed so that the seeds which have germinated are returned to a different part of the surface to that on which they originally floated. In another embodiment, a rotating brush is located just below the surface of the liquid, the germinating seeds catching on the brush bristles and being pulled below the surface. In a further embodiment, horizontal flows immediately beneath the surface of the liquid are used to separate and transport the germinating seeds laterally on the surface. Another method of separation may use a photo-electric cell to detect parts projecting from the seeds.
