PURPOSE: To prevent the incomplete delivery of culm caused by the misalingment of a joining transfer apparatus of a reap pretreatment structure and a front end of a vertical transfer apparatus, by placing a winding-preventive lever having a specific shape at a specific position.

CONSTITUTION: A winding-preventive lever 59 has a tip end having a shape following the moving locus of the initial end of a vertical transfer apparatus 6 and is placed above a joining transfer apparatus 4. When the initial end of the vertical transfer apparatus 6 is positioned at the rear end in the longitudinal direction of machine, the culm transferred from the joining transfer apparatus is delivered from the tip end of the winding-preventive lever to the initial end of the vertical transfer apparatus. In the case of slowly moving the initial end of the vertical transfer apparatus toward the front end position, the culm transferred from the joining transfer apparatus is delivered from the middle of the winding-preventive lever to the initial end of the vertical transfer apparatus.