FOR BETTER (JROPS 0!J 



Long- years of experience and observation seem to point to 

 early seeding rather tlian late, as most often successful. Many 

 of the experiment stations have prepared tables for their own 

 states and made suggestions for exceptional seasons, giving 

 approximate dates for sowing in each section of the state. In 

 southeastern Ohio, from the 10th to the 20th of September 

 usually gives the best results, though later dates are suggested 

 in some seasons. 



Advantages of Using the Drill — Whether to sow our grain 

 broadcast or with a drill is hardly a debatable question in recent 

 years, the advantages in favor of the use of a good drill are now 

 so well recognized. By means of the drill the seed is put in 

 evenly, at a uniform depth; the fertilizer is placed just where 

 it will be soonest available for the growth of the plant; and 

 the ground is left in small ridges between the rows. These 

 ridges hold the snow so that often a light covering will protect 

 the plant in the furrows. Another advantage from these ridges 

 comes when the freezing and thawing of miJd days causes the 

 earth to crumble on the ridges and fall into the furrows around 

 the roots of the wiieat. Farmers who drag or roll their fields 

 after drilling the wheat lose these advantages. All work of that 

 kind should be done before seeding. 



Depth to Set Drill — The depth at wiiich the drill should be 

 set for wheat has been much discussed. If weather conditions 

 could be foreseen, it would be the part of wisdom to seed deeply 

 in dry w^eather, and nearer the surface in wet weather. Experi- 

 ments in deep and shallow seeding show the best results from 

 seed covered from one and a half to three inches. The following 

 table shows the result of experiments conducted by the agricul- 

 tural college at Lansing, Michigan, and emphasizes the advan- 

 tages of shallow covering : 



Proportion of 

 Depth Time in coming up seed that grew 



i-inch 11 days I 



1 " 12 " all 



2 inches 18 " I 



3 " 20 " i 



4 " 21 " i 



5 " 22 " f 



6 " 23 " i 



The report showed that the plants from deep sown wheat 

 were weak. They had rooted deeply, and later put out a new set 

 of roots near the surface and the stem below rotted off, leaving the 

 plants to start a new growth from the second set of roots, which, 

 of course, made them later and weakened them. This would 

 not have been the case with wheat drilled at the proper depth. 



