Straw distributing apparatus

Apparatus for distributing chopped straw substantially uniformly including a wheeled carriage, a supporting frame disposed on said wheeled carriage, and a straw distributing assembly, said straw distributing assembly including a trough section extending from one side of said supporting frame to the other, said trough section including panels affixed to said supporting frame, the bottom edges of said panels being spaced from one another to form a slot opening therebetween, said straw distributing assembly including an auger member disposed in a generally horizontal position above said slot opening, a roll member cooperative with said auger member, said roll member being disposed in a generally horizontal position below said slot opening with a portion of said roll member extending into said slot opening, said roll member having an outer surface with protuberances, said roll member and said auger member being disposed with their axes generally parallel and their peripheries adjacent to each other, said axes of said roll member and said auger member converging from the straw receiving end to the opposite end thereof, said outer surfaces of said roll member and said auger member being spaced from each other between about one-third and two-thirds the diameter of said roll member at the straw receiving end, and drive means for rotating said auger member and said roll member in the same direction and at coordinated speeds of rotation.