336 On Drilling. 



The arguments against drilling, are, 1. That it is not 

 likely to be profitable on a small scale, on account of the ex- 

 pense of the machinery for the different operations of sow- 

 ing, hoeing, &c. ; 2. That these operations must often oc- 

 casion delays, incompatible with the hurry of an extensive 

 autumnal or spring sowing, at least in wet seasons, and on 

 wet soils, however little it may be felt in dry seasons, and on 

 dry soils; 3. That it is not so well calculated for steep 

 lands ( II5 ); and, 4. That the grain is more liable to be 

 shaken by winds, and the harvest to be later on drilled 

 fields, than on those which are sown broad-cast, and con- 

 sequently, that it is not so well calculated for a windy and a 

 northern climate. 



Some other objections were formerly urged against drill- 

 ing, which the recent improvements in the system have effec- 

 tually removed. For instance, it was anciently the practice, 

 to earth up the plants, the consequence of which was, that in 

 rich soils, the vigour of the soil was exhausted on the stems 

 or foliage, instead of the fruit ; and though the straw was 

 strong and abundant, the grain was often defective in quali- 

 ty, or greatly diminished in quantity ; whereas, now, it is a 

 maxim in the school of Holkham, " That white straw crops 

 will be injured, if earthed up upon any soil ( ll6 )." 



It is likewise urged, that it might not be practicable in 

 many districts, to find a sufficient number of labourers to 

 hoe the drills, were all the crops on a farm to be subjected 

 to that process. But in the present state of the country, 

 with an overflowing, and unemployed population, a new 

 source of occupation to the peasantry would be most de- 

 sirable, provided their employers were remunerated for the 

 expenses they incurred ( * 1 7 ) ; and where there is a scarcity of 

 male labourers, women and boys have, in many of the agri- 

 cultural districts, as in Gloucestershire, been taught the art, 

 and have been found most expert at hoeing. 



It has further been urged, against the use of the drill 

 machine, that where seed has been steeped, and encrusted 

 with lime, as a preventive of the smut, the lime destroys 

 the brushes, and impedes the regular delivery of the seed. 

 But this objection is easily removed, by using cups, instead 

 of brushes, or by steeping the seed in a solution of the sul- 

 phate of copper, in a manner to be afterwards described, in 

 treating of the diseases of grain, (see the Addenda) ; and the 

 seed, in that case, might be sown in a few hours after the 

 solution has been applied, without lime, and with a certainty 

 of preventing smut. 



