DRILL AND BROADCAST SOWING. 



In tlie bi-montbly report for April and ilay will be found the returns of the 

 correspondents of this Department of the injury to the wheat crop last winter 

 from freezing, and the proportion of this loss between that sown by the drill 

 and that broadcast. Accompanying these returns were many letters giving facts 

 and opinions relative to these modes of sowing wheat. We now turn to these 

 returns and letters for the purpose of making an examination of the facts, and 

 deducing from them the lessons they teach. 



1. The returns. — From these, as stated in the bi-monthly report for April 

 and May, the loss may be estimated to the whole crop from freezing, and wliat 

 portions of it fall upon the drilled and the broadcast sowing. 



The wheat crop of 1863 was estimated at 191,068,239 bushels. The Depart- 

 ment has as yet no facts from which it can determine what amount of this was 

 winter wheat and what spring wheat. But looking to the territory where each 

 is grown, we believe it is not far out of the way to suppose that one-third is of 

 the latter. 



The amount of winter wheat, then, would be, for last year, 127,378,826 

 bushels. Supposing that the crop as sown last fall would have yielded an 

 amount equal to the crop of 1863, then, according to the returns, 2| tenths, or 24 

 )3er cent., of the winter wheat was destroyed by freezing — this is equal to 

 30,570,918 bushels. Of this tivo parts were of that sown by the drill, and three 

 parts of that sown broadcast. Hence of the entire loss ] 2,228,366 bushels were of 

 the drill sown, and 18,342,549 bushels of that sown broadcast — a difference of 

 6,114,183 bushels. 



The general average price of wheat in November, 1863, as returned by the 

 correspondents of the Department, Avas $1 14 per bushel. The loss, therefore, 

 from broadcast sowing over that of drill sowing was $7,260,592. 



2. The letters. — Below we give the facts and opinions stated in many 

 letters, especially from those of the Avestern States, where the injury was 

 very great. As the eastern States suffered but little from cold, the relative 

 merits of the modes of sowing iinder consideration could not be tested by them, 

 hence no extracts from their correspondence are given. 



ILLINOIS. 



Perry county. — " The damage to drilled wheat is one-tenth less this year than 

 it commonly is. The damage to that sown broadcast is two-tenths greater than 

 it has commonly been. The damage to broadcast sown by freezing out is com- 

 monly two or three times as great as it is to the drilled." 



Winnebago county. — "The portions of winter wheat remaining under the 

 fences look as well as an average. The crop as a Avhole is almost a total failure, 

 probably less than one-tenth of what was reasonably anticipated last fall. 

 There appears to be no difference between broadcast sowing and drilling; it 

 is all killed alike." 



Bond county. — "Of wheat there will be about two-thirds of a crop. Drilled 

 is far superior to the broadcast." 



Ogle county. — "Winter wheat is a failure, except where the heavy snow- 

 drifts lay most of the time. Experience shows conclusively that the drill is the 

 only mode of successfully growing winter wheat in this county." 



DcKalb county. — " Winter wheat lately doing well ; broadcast injured most, 

 and drilled least." 



Menard county. — "Last winter fully demonstrated the superiority of drilled 

 over broadcast sowing in Illinois soil for winter wheat." 



>S^. Clair county. — " In relation to the advantage of planting wheat with 



