i 316 



and he thought that a Government which spent millions an- 

 nually for the maintainance of classes called the protecting 

 classes of the producing classes, should now devote a few 

 thousands to a rather more direct method of benefiting these 

 producing classes. 



He coincided in the remarks made of the utility of the 

 Drill. That of Mr. Gatling had been introduced into Mon- 

 roe county last fall, and it had there recommended itself for a 

 reason he had not yet seen stated in its favor. From about 

 the 20th of August to the 20th of October, no rain had fal- 

 len. At the end of the first of these months, a field had been 

 sown in three modes. Part drilled, a portion ploughed in, 

 and part harrowed in. None came up but that which was 

 drilled, until after the rain. It alone, of all the wheat sown 

 at that time, held its way against one of the severest droughts 

 ever known. The reason is obvious. 



The drills are much lower than the ridges, and the wheat 

 is deposited so deeply below the general surface of the field, 

 as to be beyond the influence of the drying winds and scorch- 

 ing suns, but within that of the moisture arising from the sub- 

 soil. In a county like ours, so constantly subjected to these 

 fall droughts, this advantage is of incalculable benefit. As to 

 the time of sowing wheat, the practice of the best farmers 

 in Monroe was to sow it when the last plowing was given to 

 corn, as early as the beginning of July. The best crops had 

 followed this early sowing, and he had heard of but one case 

 in which it was suspected that the wheat had been subse- 

 quently killed on account of having been jointed. But he 

 thought it was destroyed by other causes. Those who do 

 not sow in corn ground were now changing the time of sow- 

 ing from September to July and August. 



Mr. Nelson, of Allen, said that the county from which he 

 came was third in its production of wheat, but although fa- 

 vorably situated as to soil and climate, the farmers found it 

 necessary to plow deeply, and to rotate their crops. Even 

 with deep plowing, their crops would decrease, if wheat was 



