118 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



THE NEW METHOD OF PLANTING GRAIN. 



In a recent number of this journal, in reviewing the 

 mechanism exhibited at the Royal Society's Show at 

 Salisbury, we described the new dibbling machine in- 

 vented by *' Sigma," the nom de plume of a gentleman 

 well known for his inventions in tliis department of 

 agricultural mechanism ; and proposed at some future 

 period to notice at some length the " system" which the 

 machine was designed to aid. This we now proceed 

 to do. 



" Sigma" terms his system a new one. It is not so, 

 however : it is simply the old method of " dibbling" or 

 "setting." But inasmuch as the mechanism which he 

 employs gives infinitely greater facilities for performing 

 the operation than any yet introduced, and indeed en- 

 ables ic to be performed on the large scale as expedi- 

 tiously as it was formerly done on the small, and with 

 much greater precision and economy, he deems himself 

 entitled to give the system the name and dignity of 

 " new." In order to detail the economical and pro- 

 ductive advantages of the system, Sigma publishes and 

 distributes to all really interested in the matter, with 

 characteristic liberality, a pamphlet, the matter of 

 which we shall take as the basis of our remarks. 



The ordinary method of dibbling is thus described in 

 the EncyclopcEclia Britannica : "The lands on which 

 this method is particularly prosperous are — either after a 

 clover stubble, or on which trefoil or grass-seed was 

 sown the spring before last. These grounds, after tlie 

 usual manuring, are once turned over by the plough in 

 one extended flag or turf ; at ten inches wide, along which 

 a man who is called a dibbler, with two setting-irons 

 somewhat bigger than ramrods, but considerably bigger 

 at the lower end, and pointed at the extremity, steps 

 backwards along the turf, and makes the hole about four 

 inches asunder every way, and ore inch deep. Into 

 these holes the droppers (women, boys, and girls) drop 

 two grains, which is quite sufficient. By this mode 

 three pecks of seed is sufficient for an acre ; and being 

 immediately buried, it is equally removed from vermin 

 and the power of frost. The rogularity of its rising 

 gives the besc opportunity of keeping clear from weeds, 

 by weeding or hand-hoeing." Although this process 

 is by no means so precise and economical as the system 

 introduced by Sigma, he nevertheless says that his ex- 

 perience of this, the old method of dibbling, with all its 

 defects, shows that " all things being equal, whether the 

 soil be rich or poor, light or heavy, drained or un- 

 drained, I have found ' set' wheat succeed better than 

 when drilled or broadcast, merely because each plant 

 has an even space allotted to it. * * I do not mean to 

 Bay,'' Sigma continues, "that 'planted or set wheal' 

 does not succeed better on some lands than others ; but 

 what I affirm is, that, everything being equal, of two 

 pieces of laud of equal size, one ' set' with wheat, the 

 other ' drilled' or ' broadcast,' the ' set' laud will pro- 

 duce a heavier and more heallhy crop, and with straw 



always standing stiff and erect through all weathers." 

 To bear this statement out, Sigma institutes a short in- 

 quiry into the rationale of ploughing, or rather sowing 

 wheat, by means of the " drill" and by " broadcast." 

 The seed by the method of " drilling" is dropped in a con- 

 tinuous row, leaving no intervallic spaces for the plant 

 to branch or tiller, the result of which is that this 

 branching or tillering can only take place in the spaces 

 between the rows, not between the plants in each row. 

 This tillering, however, does sometimes take place in the 

 rows themselves, but only at intervals where the plant has 

 been destroyed, or where the machine has ceased its 

 action and no seed has been deposited. In these lapsed 

 spaces the plants " tiller," and assume the circular 

 form, which is the natural one; and here, in these 

 spaces, are always found the healtliiest and finest plants. 

 Again, in " broadcast" the plants are scattered unevenly 

 over the surface, with no regard either to regularity or 

 uniformity of space, or, what is worse, with no uni- 

 formity of depth ; so that if one-half of the seed did not 

 fail, that is, did not germinate, " the crop would be so 

 crowded that it would never come to perfection ; but 

 luckily half is so deep that it becomes rotten." In 

 ordinary practice we often see the advantages aris- 

 ing from thin seeding, or thin seeding the result of 

 accident. On this point " Sigma" has the following 

 suggestive remarks : " How many instances could I re- 

 late of farmers being about to plough up a ' miserable- 

 looking piece of wheat,' so ' thin' that I have heard 

 them say they despaired even of getting back their seed ! 

 On the approach of spring, the plants of what had been 

 called ' a wretched piece of wheat' have stocked out, as 

 it is termed ; they have had room to grow in the circu- 

 lar form, or as nature intended wheat should grow. 

 This wretched piece, to the surprise of every one, has 

 become the best piece on the farm. But this is so com- 

 mon a case, that I have no doubt most persons can call 

 an instance of this kind to their recollection. What a 

 lesson ought this to teach us, and how few ever take ad- 

 vantage of these facts !" In this case of accidental thin 

 seeding the seed would be very unevenly distributed, 

 many square yards doubtless being altogether devoid of 

 a single plant. Some notion, then, of the results may 

 be gatliered by supposing the field to have had the plants 

 evenly dispersed over its surface, say " at the rate of 

 two stools (each stool containing five or six plants) to 

 the square foot." In " Sigma's" system, tho principle 

 is to deposit the seed at a uniform depth, allotting to 

 every plant, or stool of three or four plants, an equal 

 fchare of room, " so that it shall from its infancy be well 

 fed, produce stout and healthy stems, and remain stiff 

 and erect in all weathers." It is immaterial whether 

 " one plant or five form a stool, provided the five grow 

 up out of a small hole as a single stem, and form appa- 

 rently one plant." All (hat is essential is that the 

 wheat planU shall have room to assume the circular or 



