WHEAT 163 



CHAPTER XIV 

 SEEDING MACHINERY 



There are two general methods of seeding 

 wheat, broadcasting and drilling. Broadcasting 

 is nature's method of distributing seed and was 

 the first method employed by man. The seed was 

 simply scattered by hand. Hand seeding is still 

 practiced in sowing grass and clover, but the hand 

 seeding of grain is largely a lost art in this country, 

 since machinery for this purpose makes the work 

 much easier and more rapid. In parts of Russia 

 and in other eastern countries, hand seeding is 

 still employed. 



Drilling in shallow furrows made by a shoe or 

 disk is now recognized as the best method of 

 sowing wheat and most other small grains. Drill- 

 ing requires less seed than broadcasting because 

 the seed is more evenly distributed and more 

 uniformly covered. It is possible to deposit 

 the seed in the firm, moist soil which with the 

 even depth of planting results in a more rapid, 

 stronger and more uniform germination. Because 

 of the planting in furrows, drilling also, to some 

 extent, decreases the danger of injury by drouth, 

 winter killing and soil drifting. 



BROADCAST SEEDING MACHINES 



Broadcast seeding machines are of two general 

 classes: 



1. The broadcast sowers which distribute the 

 grain by means of a rotating seed plate in the 

 bottom of a hopper which feeds the grain to the 



