TILLAGE 



29 



first, and then to prepare the barley land. Barley may 

 be sown as late as the last of May, if necessary, in the 

 case of low, wet land; but earlier sowing is better. 



Depth to Plant. — There are two ways to sow grain. 

 First, by a broadcast seeder, which scatters the seed on 

 top of the ground, where it is covered by cultivating or 

 by harrowing. In this process some seeds are left on 

 the surface uncovered, while others are covered as deep as 

 the land is cultivated. This causes the seeds to germinate 

 unevenly; and, if the land becomes too dry, much of the 



Figure 11. — Seeding with a drill. The dragging chains cover the seeda, which 

 are placed in the ground at a uniform depth. 



seed on the surface will not grow, while, if the soil is too 

 wet, much of the deeply sown seed will not grow. The 

 better method of sowing is with a drill which deposits 

 all the seed at a uniform depth and at any depth desired. 

 In early seeding one should plant quite shallow, from one 

 to two inches, as the soil is warmer near the surface and the 

 seed and small plants should have all the heat available. 

 On the other hand, seed sown too shallow will not grow 

 well if the weather remains dry for some time, as the sur- 

 face of the soil dries out too quickly and leaves the plant 



