THE GENESEE FARMER. 



257 



The most convenient form of sowing wheat is 

 of the semi-spheroid, made of linen sheeting, 

 ng an opening large enough along one side of 

 nouth to allow the head and right arm of a 

 to pass through, and the portion passed under 

 upon his left shoulder. On distending its 

 th with both hands, and on receiving the seed 

 it, the superfluous portion of the sheet is 

 ad tight over the left arm, and gathered under 

 to the left hand ; by which it is firmly held, 

 e the load of grain is thus securely supported 

 lat part of the sheet which passes over the left 

 lder across the hack, and under the right arm. 

 right arm, which throws the seed, finds easy 

 3S to the grain from the open side of the mouth 

 ie sheet, between the left hand and the breast 

 e sower. A square sheet, knotted together in 

 i of its corners, and put on in a similar manner, 

 imetimes used as a sowing-sheet ; but one 

 ed and sewed of the proper shape, and kept 

 be purpose, is a much more convenient article. 

 a sheeting makes an excellent material for a 

 ng-sheet, and, when washed at the end »f the 

 >n, will last many years. The difficult point is 

 ake the sowing-sheet fit the sower on the top 

 e left shoulder, where the greater part of the 

 lit of the corn rests ; and, in attempting this, 



ilfiilip 









HE METHOD OF PUTTING ON THE SOWING-SHEET. 



rincipal thing to be considered is, to make the 

 , which goes over the shoulder, broad enough, 

 iake the slope of the top of the shoulder from 

 eck downwards. The gatherings of the cloth 

 .ch side of the shoulder-top should be as neatly 

 ited as is a shirt, and a couple of tapes should 

 •awn through a slot-hem, to be tied tight in 

 of the sheet across the breast. The accompa- 

 x, figure shows very correctly the manner in 

 h a well-made sheet should be put on and 



L basket of wicker-work is very commonly 

 in England for the sowing of seed. It is sus- 



pended by girths, fastened to the two loops shown 

 on the rim of the basket, by passing the girth from 

 the left-hand loop over the left shoulder, behind 

 the back to the other loop — or from one loop to 

 the other, round the back of the neck; and the left 

 hand holds the basket steady, by the wooden sfcad 

 on the other side of the rim. 



THE ENGLISH SOWING BASKET. 



" In sowing, the sower walks on the third and 

 fourth furrow-slices from the open-furrow, which 

 he keeps on his right hand. Taking as much seed 

 as he can grasp in his right hand, he stretches his 

 arm out and a little back, with the clenched fingers 

 looking forward, and the left foot making an ad- 

 vance of a moderate step. When the arm has 

 attained its most backward position the seed is 

 begun to be cast, with a quick and forcible thrust 

 of the hand forward. At the first instant of the 

 forward motion, the fore-finger and thumb are a 

 little relaxed, by which some of the seeds drop 

 upon the furrow-brow and in the open-furrow ; 

 and while still further relaxing the fingers gradu- 

 ally, the back of the hand is so also turned upward, 

 until the arm becomes stretched before the sower, 

 by which time the fingers are all thrown open, with 

 the back of the spread hand uppermost. The 

 motion of the arm being always in full swing, the 

 grain, as it leaves the hand, and partaking of its mo- 

 mentum, receives such an impetus as to be project- 

 ed forward in the form of a figure corresponding to 

 the sweep made by the hand. The forward motion 

 of the hand is accompanied by a corresponding 

 forward advance of the right foot, which is planted 

 on the ground the moment the hand casts forward 

 the bulk of the seed." 



High casting is a common error with young 

 sowers. The hand should be kept low, the arm 

 stretched out, and the seed made to fly off in a 

 curve in front, by a sharp turn up of the hand, and 

 a free opening of the fingers »ear the end of that 

 action, the nearest parts of the seed falling within 

 two paces of the sower. 



In regard to the quantity of seed per acre, we 

 think two bushels or two bushels and a half none 

 too much. Thin seeding, other things being equal, 

 is apt to make the crop later. 



Do not forget to clean out the dead-furrows, and 

 to run furrows through any low spots to carry off 

 the water. 



