Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-11-10
Drilling VS.. Broalcasting.

-o -
There arc yet farmers who are ready
to maintain that broadcasting is better
than drilling, and who practice as they
preach. And it must be confessed that
they can point to their wheat-felds and
produce strong arguments-fo they
raise good wheat. They show their
faith by their works, and their works
are decidedly good; from which it
would appear that their faith is good.
And do not deny that broadcasting is
% good way to SOW wheat. 1t answered
the purpose for something like six
thousand years. But better knowledge
and invent We genius devised another
way and that it is good is shown by the
favor with which it has been received.
Broadcast NJ may be good, but drilling
is better Those farmers may be able
TO produce large crops by broad asting,
but they would produce larger crops by
drilling. My own experience has
proven conclusively that drilling is the
better method. l have several tines
tried broadcasting and invariably Sc
cured the better yield by drilling. But
while personal experience is the b"st
evidence I can produce, my opponen 8
will ask for more than this, for
they will place their own experience in
opposition to mine. Now, th nk that
one advantage of drilling over broad
casting is a more even d str button OF
seed. 1t is impossible for the sewer to
distribute the seed evenly, for he can
not grasp the same number o grains
each time, give his rm same sw ep,
Il ,.,l ,,,fa "A :. M n Al
The seeder may rs capable of better
work in this respect than the hand OF
man. But the grain from ther will
be blown hither and thither by quits OF
wind. The grain would 70 distri uted
unevenly if the air was perfectly clln,
but this unevenness is al tie greater by
reason of currents of air. T en-, gain,
the grain thrown by the sower or ed T
will strike against the sid IS OF clods and
small elevations to bound AVA ? d
lodge in depr ssions. The result I'm
seeding on high spots, and tn ok seed
inc on low spots But note the superior
ex ,ellence of the Dir II in these particu-
lars. The force feed drops the gra n
with all the regularity and uniformity
that could be desired: the seed ID
dropped down rubber tube, and con-
sequently is not in ''uenced by curren :
of air, and the Ices drop the seed in
their final rest NC plaa es, tie to re-
main.
mother advantage of drilling over
broadcasting is more UNIFORM covering
of seed. Whether sown b, mechanism,
or the human hand. the broad asst seed
must vet be covered. This IS done by
means of brush or harrow. The WORK
is very imperfectly done. Some seed is
not covered at al, and of course never
terminates; it furnishes fast to the
birds. Other seed is cOyered six inches
deep. If possessed Of strong vitality il
finally reaches the surface, stunted and
exhausted but if not the strongest, il
never reaches the surface. Between
these two extremes the seed is covered
all depths, and of course starts at all
times. The growth is uneven and un-
satisfactory. The drill is not perfect;
vet, where the seed-bed has been pre-
pared properly, the variation between
the greatest and least depth at which il
covers the seed is very small. 1t can
not be denied that, in this particular, il
does better work than can be done by
brOadcasting.
Another advantage of drilling is that
by it the depth at which the grain j:
covered can easily be regulated; but the
man that sows broadcast has no control
over the depth at which the grain il
covered. That is wholly matter Of
chance. Still other advantages of drill
ing over broadcasting might be men
toned, as the throwing up of ridges tC
hold the snow and to mellow-down upor
the wheat, but / believe have already
said enough to justly call on my op
ponents for counter-arguments. Cor
Prairie Farmer.