CULTURE OF WHEAT 



9» 



The broadcast grain seeder 



eleven and fourteen feet. The wheat drill is made in three 



general forms : (i) hoe drills, (2) disk drills, and (3) drills 



with runners or shoes. The drill with runners also usually 



has a wheel behind each 



runner which is designed 



to press the earth firmly 



about the seed. Wheels 



are also sometimes used 



on disk drills. Where 



these wheels are used they 



are known as press drills. 



The first form of drill is made with shovels, called hoes, which 



open the ground and permit the seed to be introduced in a 



stream into the soil behind each hoe. The hoe drills will operate 



under a larger number of 

 conditions, but are heavy 

 of draft and are liable to 

 clog when the soil contains 

 much rubbish. The disk 

 drills draw easier, and are 

 not so liable to be clogged 

 with rubbish, but are not 

 so well adapted to stony 

 or hilly land and will not 

 work so well in wet soil. 

 The drills with runners 

 have not been extensively 

 employed. The hoes are 

 made so as to run either 

 seven or eight inches 



apart. When the hoes are seven inches apart, nine, ten and 



eleven hoes, and when eight inches apart, six and eight hoes, 



are standard sizes. 



There is no evidence to show that one width of seeding 



is better than another. Eight-inch drills are less liable to clog 





Grain drill. Three methods employed in opening 

 the soil for the introduction of the seed are 

 shown below. 



