358 



THE TRIALS OF CORN AND SEED DRILLS, 



1912. 



The last trials of Corn and Seed Drills organised by the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of England took place near Bedford in 1874 

 — thirty-eight years ago. It was therefore with considerable 

 interest and some curiosity that agriculturists and implement 

 makers looked forward to the trials of 1912, in the hope that 

 as marked a development might be demonsti-ated between the 

 prize drills of 1874 and 1912 as was the case between the first 

 recorded drill invented by Jethro Tull on his farm near 

 Wallingford, about the year 1700, and the prize implements 

 of 1874. Anything like such a development was not, laowever, 

 forthcoming. Indeed, the trials of the machines disclosed 

 that very little alteration or improvement of real importance 

 had been made, and that the prize drill of 1874 verj^ closely 

 resembles the prize drill of 1912. 



It is a matter for regret that so few entries were received, 

 and that many of the largest makers in this country did not 

 compete, in consequence of which the competition suffered 

 considerably in interest. 



The trials of 1912 were carried out on the Stainton Manor 

 Farm (about eight miles from Doncaster), the property of the 

 Earl of Scarborough, by kind permission of the tenant, Mr. 

 C, D. Nicholson. The trials were originally fixed to take 

 place on March 26 and following days, but owing to the unfit 

 condition of the land through bad weather at that time they 

 had to be postponed until April 18 and 19. 



The land selected for the first opei'ations was a fairly light 

 loam overlying limestone rock — typical " turnip and barley 

 land." It was very clean and very level. Turnips had been 

 fed off by sheep, the land ploughed in February, rolled in 

 March, and since harrowed three times. There was a good 

 tilth, and it was in first rate order for drilling the intended 

 barley crop. The weather was dry and fine throughout the 

 trials. 



There were two classes, and four prizes were offered by 

 the Society, viz. : — 



1st Prize 2nd Prize 

 £ £ 



Class I. Drills for Corn and Pulse 10 ."> 



Class II. Drills for Grass and Clover, coulter and broadcast. 10 ." 



The special attention of the Judges was called to the 

 following points : — 



(1) Ease and accuracy of adjustment. 



(2) Even distribution of seed. 



