n RAINS. 101 



of wheat, selected as doscril.ed on page 168,' and well drilled in, 

 is sufficient for soil iii the wry best condition. But we think it 

 safer to add one peck to tiiis quantity; and, when sowed, one 

 and a half to two bushels will be required. 



DrillixvJ in WnK.\T has many advantages over sowino- 

 broadcast. Less seed is required, as it is all put in and covered 

 at a uniform depth. Less time and labor are reqaircd, as the 

 whole is completed at one op mtiou, while, when sowed*broad- 

 cast, it must be harrowed twice, drilled wheat comes up much 

 more uniformly, the stalks are more nearly uniform in height, 

 and the heads are consequently more uniform. Another advan- 

 tage of the drill is, that an acre or two may be plowed, har- 

 rowed, and the seed drilled in, all in one day, wliile the soil is 

 in the best condition for it. The Star Drill and Cultivator, de- 

 scribed in Cho]>(tr IV., is well worthy the attention of grain 

 growers. We hope the drill will ere long supplant hand sow- 

 ing, as the reaper and njpwer are supplanting the cradle and 

 the scytiie ; but meantime we must give directions for .sowing and 

 covering wheat. In hand-sowing, always cast the grain all one 

 way, and that away from the margin of thi*. field; calculate tlic 

 width of one throw, and make it as even as possible; let the 

 seed slip oft* the fingers, never through them. There are seve- 

 ral hand sowing machines, which will do the work a little better 

 than it can be done by hand. It is very diificult to burrow in 

 grain evenly. The :eet of the teams will tread much of it in 

 too deep, and much will be left on the surface uncovcreu. We 

 believe the Rotary Harrow, manufactured by the American 

 Agricultural Works, is the best for this purpose, although not 

 equal to some other harrows for ordinary farm operations. 

 Mulching winter wheat, when it gets but a feeble start in the 

 fall, will sometimes save it from being winter-killed. If the 



