The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1853-01-12
F.oln The Working Farmer.
DRILLING WHEAT.


ure, and being desirnus of saving some>
thing thar NAV be Of benefit Ia the Far
mers OF my native county, viii in-
trude upon your columns. and the pa
fience Of YOUR numerous readers, for a
brief space in the Working Farmer, and
shall endeavor TO show them the ad-
santages Of DRILL HusBASDRy over the
old system. In dping So, am not ac-
tuated by the VAN thought that ] am
wiser than INV neighbors, or other INTEL
ligent Farmers Of your State, but will
merely say what | have learned from the
truthful teaching Of that sage instruc.
tor. experience.
In England aud in China. where the
population is very dense. and where
every inch Of ground is cultivated to
the best advantage, drilling is very
fully aud extensively practiced. But
We need not go so far from home for
evidence of its superiority. In your
sister States of Pennsylvania and De-
laware, it has been prarticed for seye-
raj years with signal success. In the
counties of Lancaster and Chester in
this State, and in New Castle in De-
laware, IT has almost entirely superced-
ed the old plan. And why: Surely
ii mnst have some advantages over the
old system, or those keen.eyed, mo-
ney saving Farmers of Lancaster would
not adopt it. From DIR. Noble Of New
Castle county, Delaware, where farm
ing is carried to greater perfection thar
perhaps any where else in the Unitet
States, we have published facts. sus
tanned by the sworn certificates oil dis
interested persons, clearly showing tn,
superiority of drilling wheat over broad
casting. The result of his experience
: was that. in hls crops, averaging Iron
. 90 to 55 bushels per acre, the drille
7 wheat produced from . to bushels pc
y acre more than the broadcast.
!, But now to our experience. tn
!. writer of this, since impressed with tn
: idea that our old system Of seedin
z wheat was radically wrong, was deter
e mined as soon as he could do so, to ol
: tain a drill. This he did two year
: ago, and the result Of his experlenc
!. has fully confirmed him in his prev
o ously formed opinions. He reas me
'e in this wise; II We plant one grain
Is wheat, it should bring US one stalk, an
:, that stalk one head, containing thirt
d grains. Now this is low, TOR one graz
re almost invariably brings from 8 to
4, stalks, and often many more. But
show more clearly the strength OF OF
position, we will make it as low
'r possible. Ii then we get for eve,
grain we sow, one head containing
grains, we get so for |. But is SUI
the case in our old practice OF sowll
wheat? No. and l am sorry to 81
m. very far from it. have, for a numb
,g Of wears, kept regular account OF II
Of crops harvested, aud the seed sown
produce that harvest. For 10 yeal
= ior 1889 to lS4S, inclusive, the aycra
Weld for wheat sown broadcast b
= been n to l sown, which was 10 bus
els per acre, assuming bushels
,re have been sown per acre.
ct. In l843 it was as low as to !, a.
il in lS4S as high as II to |. Now II,
We have shown, so to can be rais
at the lowest rates we can put 1t, al
= our data shows yield Of only "a TO
ask were is the enormous loss Ct
= tainly the greater part Of it is in
hv manner Of putting in the seed. Mh
to put IN with the plow, some are cover
,er- SO deeply that the influence OF the $
on and air never reach them, and thel
bu- fore they rot. Some are putt SO shall
'os- that in the winter they are frozen
and lost. Whilst but small port
that happens to be in the right pl'
a. remains to repay the husbandman
his arduous labor. But when plant
with the drill the case is different !
iny planted at regular depth, COM
.,ae rS rat,vcly none is lost, and being u
the bottom of the turrow, the acton oil
ner. frost in winter tends to feed IT "
cor the crumbling earth, thereby cultlya
in !,
sort NV drilled wheat last year, that
uniniured by tue fly. from ! sown
acre, produced me Is to |. Now
is considerably above the broadca
,ne, = : This year it promises much better,
, his know a lot last year which was drill
lon- that produced % to sown, with
and manure. But the advantage OF drill
pat is not only in the increased PropoEse'
. ate Weld, but also in the saving oil y