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little practice to cast seed evenly by hand so as to avoid sowing it 



thick and thin in patches. 

 f |F:|. If sowing is done by hand, 



a box that will hold about 

 half a bushel should be 

 suspended round the neck 

 \ about level \vith the waist 

 BH by means of a saddle girth r 

 HBHg or other broad band. Bags 

 | are placed at convenient 

 ^HE intervals along the field 

 to be sown and the box 

 is filled from these as 

 required. Both hands are 

 used in casting, the left hand throwing the seed to the right across 

 the body, and the right hand to the left. The accompanying 

 illustration shows a handy little seed sower, the " Cahoon," 

 costing about ^"i 53., and made so that any size seed can be sown. 

 It is especially designed 

 for the use of farmers 

 who only cultivate a com- 

 paratively small area and 

 do not need one of the 

 larger seed sowers, also 

 illustrated herewith. The 

 breadth of cast of the 

 " Cahoon " is chiefly 

 governed by the w r eight 

 of the seed sown. The 

 heavier the seed the 

 greater the distance to 

 which it is thrown. At 

 an ordinary walking pace from four to eight acres may be sown in 

 an hour. 



The larger seed sowers, which are worked by an endless chain 

 from the wheel of a dray, cost about 8 153., and will sow from 

 10 acres to 12 acres per hour. 



There is another method of sowing, and that is by means of 

 the drill. If the tillage conditions are right, this lias many advantages 

 over broadcasting, the chief of which are that less seed per acre is 

 required, every seed is buried at the same depth, the seed ger- 

 minates better and is less subject to climatic extremes, and is better 

 protected from the attacks of birds, rodents, and insects. Before 

 the drill can be used satisfactorily, it is essential that the ground 

 should be free from roots and stones, and that a thorough tilth 

 has been secured. Seed boxes are sometimes made to attach to the 

 disc and cut-away harrows, and these implements are then called 

 seed drills ; but they are not altogether satisfactory, although they 



