68 THE BOOK OF WHEAT 



improvement over utilizing gravity alone for the purpose of 

 distributing the seed. The grain falls into a tube, which, in- 

 stead of scattering it as in the seeder, carries it in a steady 

 stream to the bottom of the shoe. The soil is pressed laterally 

 by the shoe, and the seed finds a moist bed in which to germi- 

 nate. It differs from the ordinary drill in that it presses a V 

 groove instead of scratching a trench. The press or shoe drill 

 has largely superseded the hoe drill, especially in the far west. 

 Disc drills are also used, but they are not adapted to stony, 

 hilly or wet land. Drills and broadcast seeders are made in 

 standard widths of 8, 11 and 14 feet. The tendency in recent 

 years is to drill in the wheat, except perhaps in California. 

 In the Red river valley four-horse press drills covering 12 feet 

 are used. About 30 acres a day are sown by one man, and no 



A TYPICAL FORCE FEED BROADCAST SEEDER 



subsequent cultivation is necessary. By the old method of 

 seeding by hand, one man could sow about 16 acres per day, and 

 the wheat had to be cultivated into the ground after it was 

 sown. 



The Order in Which Seeders Have Evolved is somewhat as 

 follows: (1) Sowing by hand; (2) the broadcast seeder, tak- 

 ing the place of the hand, the flow of the seed depending on 

 gravity; (3) the broadcast seeder with force feed; (4) the ordi- 

 nary drill with a force feed putting the grain in evenly in 

 rows and deeper; (5) the press drill, which is now the best ma- 

 chine we have for seeding. In the absence of wind, the hand 

 grass seeder can be used advantageously for broadcasting small 

 areas. 



