184 FARMING ON FACTORY LINES 



There is generally a greater yield of straw from the 

 narrower drills, but not as good a yield of grain. 

 Neither is the grain so well filled as when it is sown 

 in wider rows. The eating down of the crop and 

 subsequent cultivations promote root development 

 and the general growth of the corn crop, w T hilst the 

 greater circulation of air through the wider rows pro- 

 motes ripening, and, more important still, minimises 

 the risk of "lodging." 



Some of the farmers referred to in support of their 

 statement have invited the writer to inspect their 

 crops. In these particular instances, he has found 

 that, whilst the corn had a better head on the wider 

 row r portion as compared with that on the narrower 

 rows, undoubtedly the yield of both straw and grain 

 was lighter on the former, buti in every single case it 

 transpired that only half the quantity of seed had been 

 sown on the wider rows! I That is to say, when sow- 

 ing, the operator, in changing from the narrower to 

 the wider rows, had merely blocked every alternate 

 shoot, without so arranging the seed gauge that an 

 extra quantity of seed should be sown by each 

 individual shoot. 



Drilling on twelve inch as compared with six inch 

 rows, does not require as much seed in the former as 

 in the latter case. Just exactly how much seed less 

 is required is a matter which at present is under 

 investigation. For the time being, the writer's general 

 plan has been to reduce the usual quantity of seed 

 only by about tw r o or three stone per statute acre, 

 when drilling in wide rows. 



A MODIFIED METHOD OF WIDE DRILLING. 



As may be gathered from the foregoing, the last 

 word has not yet been said in connection with inter- 



