SPAIN 



5471 



SPAIN 



was mounted on a vertical axis and made to 

 revolve rapidly by hand or other power. The 

 seed was thrown out through the holes and 

 scattered evenly over the ground. The first 

 of these machines were useful only for round 

 seeds, like turnip seed. Later modifications of 

 it were successful in sowing grain. The m^- 

 chine was attached to a wagon which operated 

 the seeder as it moved over the ground. 



The modern seeder or drill now in use con- 

 sists of a narrow chest or box eight or ten feet 

 long, with circular openings in the bottom from 

 three to four inches apart. This box is 

 mounted on two wheels, one at each end. Iron 

 tubes extending to the ground connect with 

 the openings in the bottom of the box. At the 

 lower end of these tubes is attached a device 

 for making a small furrow or drill. Back of 

 each tube is a small wheel or other device for 

 covering the grain. The box contains a re- 



volving brush for the purpose of distributing 

 the seed evenly. There is also an adjusting 

 device to adapt the seeder to grains of different 

 sizes. These drills are drawn by a team of 

 horses and, under ordinary conditions, one of 

 them will plant from eight to ten acres a day 

 on fairly-level ground. 



SOW THISTLE, sou this"l, a group of 

 weeds belonging to the Composite family. 

 Though native to Europe, several species have 

 been introduced into the United States, where 

 they have become a nuisance in pastures and 

 grain fields. The common sow thistle grows to 

 be two or three feet tall and has a branching 

 stem, milky juice and small, yellow blossoms. 

 In the north of Europe the peasants use the 

 tops and leaves of the plant as a potherb. 

 The sow thistle can be eradicated only by care- 

 ful cultivation and the planting of crops which 

 will check its growth. 



STORY ^fe, OF SPAIN): 



of Arms a Primitive Locomotion 



PAIN, spayn, a kingdom of South- 

 western Europe, a picturesque country of ro- 

 mantic traditions, with a civilization that is a 

 curious blending of ancient customs, medieval 

 grandeur and modern ideas. It was under the 

 flag of Spain that Columbus discovered America, 

 and Spanish navigators played an all-impor- 

 tant part in the exploration and settlement of 

 the New World. In the sixteenth century this 

 kingdom was the most powerful nation in the 

 world. Yet, of its numerous colonial posses- 

 sions, which practically encircled the globe, 

 none remain but small districts on the north 

 and west coasts of Africa and a few small 

 islands in the Gulf of Guinea. 



Size and Location. Having an area of 190,- 

 050 square miles, continental Spain is about 

 twice the size of the state of Oregon, or almost 

 nine times the size of Nova Scotia. Including 

 the Canary and Balearic islands, the area is 194,- 

 783 square miles. Spain occupies the greater 

 part of the Iberian Peninsula. Its northwest- 

 ern provinces border on the Atlantic, but the 



country is cut off from the ocean on the greater 

 part of its western boundary by Portugal and 

 on the extreme south by the English fortress 

 of Gibraltar, which is situated at the end of a 

 long isthmus known as Neutral Ground. Spain's 

 east coast forms the western boundary of the 

 Mediterranean Sea. 



The People and Their Customs. Spain is a 

 country of sunlit courtyards surrounded by 

 picturesque balconies. Nearly every dwelling, 

 from the meanest cottage to the most magnifi- 

 cent palace, has barred or latticed windows. 

 Not less picturesque than their cities are the 

 buoyant, gayly-dressed people themselves. They 

 are of medium height and of dark complexion, 

 the women being especially noted for their 

 beauty, dignity and grace. Even in the de- 

 cline of his country the Spaniard did not lose 

 his proud bearing; "he seldom looks at the 

 ground as if he contemned it," but his great 

 fault is that "he cares not how little he labors." 

 It seems most inconsistent that these light- 

 hearted people, loving the light fandango and 



