DIRECT SOWING. 61 



Fig. 28, an Irish spade. 

 ,, 29, a Scotch planting spade. 

 30, a light planting spade. 

 ,, 31, a four-pronged digging fork. 



b. Solving. 



Seed may be sown by hand or by machines. The latter 

 can only be used on fairly level ground, with a loose soil 

 free from stones and roots ; they frequently cover the seed 

 at the same time. In the majority of cases the sowing 

 will have to be done by hand. The essential point is to 

 distribute the seed as evenly as possible;, hence it is 

 desirable to divide large areas into smaller sections, and 

 to allot a proportionate qi*antity of seed to each. The 

 sowing of small seeds is done as in the case of ordinary 

 grain sowing. A good plan, in the case of level ground, 

 is to sow cross- wise ; that is to say, to divide the seed 

 into two parts, to sow one half in one direction, and 

 the other half cross-wise over it. This plan can, how- 

 ever, not be adopted on steep ground. Light seed 

 should not be sown during windy weather, else it will 

 be unevenly distributed. 



Where seeds of two species are to be sown, they 

 should be thoroughly mixed before sowing; if they 

 differ in size or weight, it is best to sow them separately, 

 or one cross-wise over the other. 



Heavy seed may be placed in plough furrows, or 

 singly brought into the ground. 



c. Covering the Seed. 



The method of covering the seed depends on the mode 

 of working the soil and the size of the seed. In the 



