246 AGRICULTURE 



When seed is drilled all the resulting 

 plants have an equal amount of growing 

 space. It is true that in the direction of 

 the row the plants are much crowded, but 

 all have equal opportunities of spreading 

 their roots into the space between the adjoin- 

 ing drills. On the other hand, where seed 

 is broadcast it can never be distributed with 

 such equality as to secure equal growing 

 space to all the plants. In this respect, 

 however, a good deal depends upon the skill 

 of the sower, if hand distribution is practised, 

 or upon the efficiency of the machine, if 

 broadcasting is done by horse labour, but 

 more depends, as a rule, upon the character 

 of the surface of the ground. If the land has 

 been well ploughed, the conditions will be 

 most favourable to equal distribution ; on 

 the other hand, with irregular furrows, 

 the seeding may be very patchy. One great 

 advantage of drilling crops as contrasted 

 with broadcasting is that the former admits 

 of hand and horse hoeing, while the latter 

 does not, or only imperfectly ; and on land 

 that is much affected by perennial weeds, 

 like twitch, or annual weeds, like charlock, 

 drilling is of special importance. It is also 

 found that less seed is required when it is 

 drilled, chiefly because one can be more 



