234 



A New Corn Drill. 



Vol. III. 



earths as are considered essential in tlie forma- 

 tion of a ?oil capable of producing vegetation, 

 namely, silicious, aluminous and calcareous, 

 whiciC properly combined with vegretable 

 mould or putrescent matter, becomes highly 

 productive. Joseph Cloud. 



A Wcw Corn Drill. 



We take great pleasure in laying the fol- 

 lowing letter from our old and valued friend, 

 Dr. MiCHENER, before the readers of the Far- 

 mers' Cabinet. It vi'as addressed to the Phil- 

 adelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 

 and is published at the request of the Com- 

 mittee of Publication, of said Society. The 

 model of the drill referred to may be exam- 

 ined at the office of the Cabinet. 



To the Phila. Society for Promoting Agriculture: 



Through the kindness of friends who are 

 entirely unknown to me, you have elected me 

 an Honorary Member, if my capacity was 

 in any degree equal to my inclination to pro- 

 mote the objects of your association, I should 

 not be unworthy of the honorable testitnony 

 which you have borne to it Although in a 

 measure estranged from agricultural ptirSuits 

 by professional duty, they are my delight, and 

 — if I were permitted fairly to engage in them 



would afford me more satisfaction than any 



other employment. It is with considerable 

 hesitation that I submit to your consideration 

 the following remarks, with an accompanying 

 model of a corn drill. 



About fifteen years ago, I made a temporary 

 drill for the purpose of a small experiment, 

 but did not pursue the subject further until 

 the last winter. At the time last mentioned 

 I constructed a more permanent instrument, 

 with which we have planted about twelve 

 acres of corn to good satisfaction. 



The model embraces such improvements 

 as the trial suggested. 



I have reduced it to one-fourth of the di- 

 mensions — the proportions being pretty accu- 

 rately observed. 



When the ground has been properly pre- 

 pared, and is in good working condition, the 

 requisite indications for a good corn drill are 

 supposed to be the following : 



1. It should be cheap and of simple con- 

 struction. 



2. It shouM be adapted to the draught ^of 

 one horse, and of easy management by the 

 man who drives. 



3. It should make a straight, uniform fur- 

 row of any required depth. 



4. It should drop the grains singly at any 

 rpq.uirpd distance, and in a straight line. 



5. It should cover the corn smoothly at 



any required depth, and press the earth down 

 upon it. 



All this should be performed at one opera- 

 tion. The drill which I have the pleasure of 

 exhibiting is the result of an attempt to meet 

 these indications. How far I have succeeded 

 can only be determined by further trial. Ex- 

 perience can best discover its imperfections, 

 and suggest the proper means of removing 

 them. 



The drill is worked by a man and horse, 

 with the same facility as a plough or cultiva- 

 tor. The depth of the furrow is regulated 

 by the rollers, and can be varied at pleasure 

 by raising and depressing the fore one. — The 

 depth of the covering is governed by that of 

 the furrow, and must be uniformly the sarne. 

 The intervening distance between the grains 

 will be determined by the size of the hind 

 roller — the number of notches in the cylinder 

 and the proportionate size of the whorls on 

 which the band plays. The tooth being nar- 

 row, and the grain falling between its wings 

 before the displaced earth can fill up the fur- 

 row, it falls in a direct line and is certainly 

 covered— the covering being completed by 

 the spike tooth which follows. If it should 

 be found necessary, the latter tooth can have 

 a wing attached, so as to throw more earth on 

 the corn. The hind wheel rolls the earth 

 sufficiently on the grain. But the great ob- 

 stacle to the proper construction and working 

 of the corn drill arises from the various size 

 and irregular shape of the grains. They oc- 

 cupy very different spaces in the notch when 

 placed on the side— the edge— or the end. — 

 This circumstance must always render the 

 delivery of the corn more or less irregular 

 and uncertain. When the notch is ma.de so 

 as to admit a grain in its broadest dimen- 

 sions, it will unavoidably allow two or three 

 to enter edge-wise. It is believed that the 

 present plan of a drill-box, with two apart- 

 ments communicating through a sliding door, 

 will greatly assist the process. By this ar- 

 rangement the cylinder is relieved from the 

 incumbent weight of the corn in the box, and 

 as only a few loose grains are at any time al- 

 lowed to float upon its surface, they can the 

 more readily arrange themselves in the 

 notche.=. In turning'at the ends of the field, 

 the handles may be so elevated as to raise the 

 hind roller off the ground, and thus stop the 

 drill, and prevent the grain from being scat- 

 tered where it is not required. A particular 

 description is unnecessary. 



Drill husbandry is by no means adapted to 

 every situation ; and always requires a due 

 preparation of the soil before it can be prac- 

 tised with advantage. Land which abounds 

 with stumps or large stones, or is broken into 

 steep declivities, is by no means suitable for 

 the drill. The judicious farmer will only era- 



