Direct Seeding in Black Hills. 29 



The third method is sowing in furrows. The cost is from $5.50 

 to $5.60 in fairly favorable ground. On one unfavorable block 

 in the Bald Hills it went up to $8.35, $4.50 of which was for plow- 

 ing as against $2.90 on the other two. This method should give 

 good results in a good season, since it removes all danger of com- 

 petition for several years. 



The fourth — omitting the corn planter work of 1905, in which 

 the hills were spaced only two feet by two — is the method of 

 "simple seed-spots," in which the seeds are sown in a hole pre- 

 pared with one or two strokes of the mattock. The cost of this 

 method is generally from $3.65 to $4.00 per acre, though at Savoy 

 the cost ran to about $9.00. "Raked seed-spots," in which the spots 

 are prepared with a potato hook or other stout rake, cost about 

 the same. The figure of $2.28 per acre which was obtained in 

 the fall of 1910 was due to the spots being wider spaced than were 

 those prepared with mattocks. 



Broadcasting, with four pounds of seed to the acre, costs from 

 $2.05 to S2.65 per acre. Harrowing, either before or after 

 sowing, cost 50 cents per acre for reasonably good ground. 



Sowing with the corn planter costs from $1.49 to $3.80 in the 

 three blocks thus sown in 1910. The first block at Redfern cost 

 $3.80, making allowance for the higher cost of the seed used, and 

 the second block $3.49. These figures include charges of ap- 

 proximately $1.50 for supervision and camp expenses. The work 

 on the first block was at the rate of if acres per man per day. 

 In the fall, 26 acres were sown at an average cost of $1.49, in- 

 cluding a charge for supervision of 14 cents. The camp expenses, 

 which were nearly 80 cents per acre at Redfern, were eliminated 

 at Roubaix, the total charge for supervision was less, and was 

 shared by the other classes of work. The work was done at the 

 rate of 2 9/10 acres per man per day, although an entirely new 

 crew had to be broken in. 



It is clearly evident that, given an efficient crew and no camp 

 expenses, the corn planter is much the cheapest method of sowing, 

 even with seed as cheap as 35 cents per pound. With higher 

 priced seed, the difference increases at the rate of four for the 

 broadcasting to one for the corn planter. Where a camp must 

 be maintained, the difference is much less, and may even be in 

 favor of the broadcasting. The camp expenses at Redfern 



