PURPOSE: To automate accumulation of rod-formed articles such as ham to improve efficiency of such accumulating operations by arranging a plurality of rotary drums which can attract such rod- formed articles to its outer periphery in such a manner that articles can be transferred from one to another rotary drum whereby articles in the number which will make a complete row in a bucket are released from attraction to each drum just below the drum to allow the articles to be dropped therefrom.

CONSTITUTION: Rod-formed articles A carried by a conveyor 1 are attracted in grooves 2' in a rotary drum 2 and transferred to another rotary drum 3a and then to a further rotary drum 2a. When the articles A on the drum 2a reach above a bucket 6 placed on a chain 5 just below the drum 2a, such articles A in the number which will make one complete row in the bucket are released from attraction to the drum 2a and are thus allowed to drop into the bucket 6. Subsequently, the remaining articles A are transferred to a further drum 2b by way of a still further drum 3b. The bucket 6 is moved to a position just below the drum 2b in a timed relationship with arrival of the articles A at this dropping position at which the articles A for a second row are allowed to drop into the bucket 6. Accumulations of rod-formed articles are thus automated to improve efficiency by repetition of the sequence in this manner.