, 1905-02-16
The GRAIN DRILL
The Importance of Drilling Grain into
Land whore Irrigation Is
Necessary

PAO'iAShs VI VIC uuIulu east winch
is emininently adapted to the ir-
rigation farmer, ii is the grain
drill, and it is perhaps the least
used OF all the ordinary imple-
ments of the farm, for over the
the greater part of of the irrigat.
ed west, graini is either broadcast
ed by machinery or by hand, and
narrowed into the soil.
Irrigated soil has the faculty of
baking on the surface, in many
districts, and it is a peculiar feet
that such soils are the ones in
which the grain is broadcasted
and where the first irrigation 80
bakes the surface that the tender
little plants have a struggle for
life. This can largely be avoided
by different methods of proce-
dure. In Utah, where the small
farmer is the rule and where the
average in certain counties is
about 25 acres, the grain drill is
in use, and there is never heard
the statement that the drill is
too slow" In California, where
the grain farms are large. seed is
either broadcasted or sowed Just
behind the pillow by a contrivance
which resembles in its operation
the grain drill.
The method of grain land man
agement, which seems most sue
cessful in soils which bake. ia
something like the following: The
land is irrigated and plowed; if it
seems too dry for the seeding of
grain, a second irrigation is then
given it and when the amount of
moisture is just right, grain is
sowed with the drill. The seeds
are deposited in a moist soil and
the drill leaves the surface in a
cultivated condition SO that the
top crust cannot form to choke
down the seedlings. termination
results promptly, and the little
plants find themselves in the
proper depth of soil with the roots
in moist, compacted material in
capillary contact with the sub
soil, while a mellow surface does
not hamper the development of
stem or leaves, and before the
soils store of moisture is depleted
the plants are SO far developed
that the next irrigation does no
harm, and the shade produced
prevents the baking of the surface
of the ground.
On the other hand, the custo-
mary method is something like
the following: The land is plow-
ed sometimes, narrowed (some-
times), and grain is sowed by a
b~roadcaster; a harrow or a dras
then goes over the surface. leav-
ing part of the seed for the birds,
another part in shallow soil, and
none of it in the most favorable
condition for the sturdy growth
so necessary in a young plant.
The majority of the terminating
seed find it necessary to send the
rootlets down an inch or two
through half dried soil to find
moisture, while the leaves push
ing upward have a like amount
of dry material to penetrate be-
fore air and sunshine can BIZ
reached. Plants struggling along
under such conditions have a
weakness bred in them from the
start, and in the growth which
follows are not so we'll enabled to
resist the difficulties which beset
them.
Farming under irrigation is
fast loosing the extensive charact-
ter 80 characteristic of American
agriculture, and taking on the in
tsnsive character which means
getting all out of the soil there is
in it. The grain drill is one i'm
portant instrument in this pro-
gress. Irrigation is developing
.-l