30 WILD NATURE IN STRATHEARN. 



come that the earth assumes that light grey 

 colour that the farmer likes to see. If the 

 drains are working properly the soil dries, the 

 air penetrates the soil thus aerating it, and the 

 sun's rays warm the cold earth. All hands are 

 now busy ploughs and harrows are kept con- 

 tinually going. The seed lying ready, no time 

 is lost in committing it to the ground ; but 

 here many err in not studying the right depth 

 to deposit the seed. 



As a rule, all small seeds such as those of 

 grasses should have the lightest of covering 

 and a fine firm bed on which to lie. Far too 

 often many of these seeds are buried, and have 

 no resurrection, and the seed merchant is blamed 

 for supplying bad seed. The same seed sown 

 by different farmers will show that the fault 

 does not always lie with the seed. In the 

 sowing of the seed of cereals there are many 

 different ways. Using a sowing sheet and 

 two hands is perhaps the most common way, 

 but many use machines broadcast and drills 



