260 



THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



SOWING THE WHEAT. 



One of the essentials of a well-sown paddock of wheat is that the seed 

 should be thoroughly covered. Whether the land has been fallowed or has 

 been under stubble, a final cultivation or harrowing has to be given, and r 

 unimportant as it may appear at first sight, a great deal really depends upon 

 the direction in which it is done. Cultivators leave shallow furrows and 

 ridges in the soil, and if the hoes of the drill get into these furrows and run 

 latterally along them, especially on land that, is not quite even, the seed will 



The Drill at Work. 



not be covered to a uniform depth. If, on the other hand, the final cultiva- 

 tion has been carried out at right angles to the direction in which the seed 

 is to be sown, the hoes of the drill will cut through the furrows and ridges, 

 and the seed will be properly covered. In actual practice it may sometimes 

 be difficult to do this, but if the last cultivation has to be in the same direc- 

 tion as the drilling it is a good idea to level the soil by trailing a harrow 

 behind the cultivator. A surface is then obtained in which the seed can be 

 well covered. 



Setting the Drill. 



An important operation connected with sowing is the proper setting of 

 the drill according to the variety and condition of the seed. A drill set to 

 sow, say, 45 lb. of Federation per acre will often sow as much as 55 lb. of 

 small " shotty " seed such as Comeback. Liming after bluestone makes a 

 great difference. Atmosphere also influences flow of seed through the drill. 

 Many farmers have made mistakes in this way, having taken it for granted 

 that the drill will sow large grains and small grains at the same rate. In 

 reality the larger grains runs through the drill distinctly slower than shotty 

 seed, with the result that a farmer who thinks he has put out enough to 

 sow a certain paddock finds he is several bags short. It is safe to reduce 

 the drill to sow about 35 lb. of " shotty " grain as compared with 45 lb. of an 

 average sample of Federation. 



