106 



Broadcast and Drilled Wheat. 



Vol. IX. 



we wish grass to follow our wheat crop, was 

 yet deemed sufficiently plausible to deter- 

 mine us to give a fair trial to the drilling, 

 in comparison with the broadcast plan. Ac- 

 cordingly, in the fall of 1843, our field, the I 

 clover being all ploughed under, and a light 

 dressing of manure, about 10 one-horse cart- 

 loads to the acre, being spread on the sur- 

 face, was nicely harrowed. We commenced 

 at one side — sowed broadcast about six acres, 

 with two bushels of seed to the acre; in 

 about one week afterward.^ we were fur- 

 nished with a drill, by our enterprising 

 neighbour, John Jones, of Bohemia Manor, 

 who owned the only wheat drill in the State 

 of Delaware; commencing on the 20th of 

 Ninth month, we drilled about 27 acres, 

 putting in about 10 acres a day, with one 

 bushel and one peck of seed to the acre — 

 the cost of the drill, including the services 

 of one man and one horse, was 50 cents an 

 acre, though two horses were required to 

 work the drill. AH the wheat, both drilled 

 and broadcast, stood the winter v.-ell ; to ap- 

 pearance, the broadcast looked best; it ap- 

 peared thicker, both in the fall and in the 

 spring; the drilled wheat, by our neighbours 

 generally, was pronounced too thin and was 

 considered by tjiem a failure. 



In the Fourth month the weather was 

 very dry and warm, which seemed unfavour- 

 able for wheat; it appeared to stop it from 

 stooling sufficiently, causing it to shoot up 

 prematurely and too thinly ; but when the 

 heads were formed, there was a manifest 

 difference between the length of the drilled 

 and broadcast, those on the drilled wheat 

 being decidedly longer. The whole crop 

 was free from rust or fly, excepting along 

 one headland, which had been eaten off by 

 cattle when about one foot or 18 inches in 

 height, where wc found the fly in abun- 

 dance ; showing certainly, that insects are 

 most likely to attack those plants whose 

 powers have been impaired; thus teaching 

 farmers that the most likely w'ay to avoid 

 the fly and even rust, is to keep their plants 

 by all known means, in as healthy a condi- 

 tion as they possibly can, for where one field 

 of healthy vigorous wheat will be destroyed 

 by the fly or rust, ten will be, which "are 

 either put in badly or are too poor. 



Previous to harvest, we had five acres 

 carefully measured witii the chain and com 

 pass, by W. Penington, the surveyor of the 

 neighbourhood, assisted by John Jones. 



The surveyor was present when the wheat 

 was cradled, and saw that each acre had its 

 due share; it was put away in separate 

 mows, and threshed separately, and the 

 grain all measured. 



Nos. 1 and 2. — Two acres of ilie broadcast surveyed 



together. 

 2 Bushels of seed to the acre. 

 715 Shocks. 

 55 Bushels of wheat, or 27| bushels to 



the acre. 



No. 3. — One acre drilled, adjoining the above, 

 the land if any different, rather in- 

 ferior, treated exactly alike. 



1 Bushel and 1 peck of seed to the acre. 



42 Shocks. 



35 Busliels. 



No. 4.— One acre drilled, a little distant from 

 No. 3. 

 1 Bushel and 1 peck of seed. 

 42 Shocks. 

 35 Bushels. 



No. 5.— One acre drilled, a little distant from 

 No. 4. 

 1 Bushel and 1 peck of seed. 

 50 Shocks. 

 40 Bushels to the acre. 



Here we see that by the use of the drill 

 alone, the soil being in the same or perhaps 

 in an inferior condition, that the crop was 

 increased seven and a half bushels per acre, 

 and adding the amount saved in the seed, 

 — three pecks — make eight bushels and one 

 peck to the acre. And further, that the 

 amount of straw on the drilled acre, with a 

 smaller quantity of seed sown, increased 

 12 per cent,, and the amount of grain on 

 the same acre was increased more than 27 

 per cent. 



It may be proper here to state that the 

 whole field, between 30 and 40 acres, was 

 manured and treated alike ; although from 

 causes existing previously in the soil, some 

 parts of the land being naked and barren, 

 was more denuded than others, the surface 

 soil being washed away, did not yield as 

 well as other parts. I suppose that without 

 the clover and manure, the field would not 

 liave averaged more than three bushels, 

 certainly not five bushels to the acre. 



The drill used, was invented and made by 

 M. Pennock &" Sons, of Kcnnet Square, 

 Chester county. Pa., the inventors of the 

 revolving horse-rake. Seven rows, about 

 eight inches apart, are planted by it at one 

 time, about three inches in depth ; the 

 planters stand perpendicular, their points 

 projecting forward, produce small furrows, 

 similar in shape, but deeper than those made 

 by the teeth of the Cultivator. The wheat 

 thus growing in the bottom of the furrow, 

 is protected from the bleak winds of winter, 

 and the fine earth pulverized by the frosts, 

 fills up the furrows by spring and nourishes 

 the young plants. 



Our own convictions have been sufficiently 

 strong upon the above experiment, to cause 

 us to purchase a Drill, or as it should be 

 called, a Wheat and Corn-planter — for it 

 plants either equally well — for our own use, 



4- 



