228 DRY LAND FARMING 



Sowing wheat on the broadcast plan should never 

 be attempted in dry areas where it can be avoided. 

 It is impossible to bury the seed so that the germination 

 will be even and complete. In humid areas such sowing 

 is attended with much less hazard. Sowing with the drill 

 has the following advantages : (1) The seed is distributed 

 uniformly and is buried at an even depth. (2) It may 

 usually be sown where the soil is sufficiently moist to 

 insure germination. This may not be possible in many 

 instances with much of the seed sown on the broadcast 

 plan. (3) The pressing of the soil around the seed, which 

 is favorable to quick germination. (4) A saving in the 

 amount of seed called for. This saving is probably not 

 less than one peck per acre. (5) Burying the plants so 

 deeply that they may be harrowed at certain stages of 

 growth without the hazard of taking many of them out. 



There may also be the advantage in some instances 

 of protection in winter through the depression made by 

 the drill marks. To some extent these tend to shield 

 the plants from winds and to cover them with snow. 



In nearly all soils the press drill is a favorite in 

 dry areas but there may be conditions when the shoe 

 drill may answer better. The size of the drill may be 

 suited, of course, to the needs of the farm. When 

 the wheat is sown amid standing corn of normal size, 

 it is put in with a small seeder drawn by one horse 

 which runs between the rows. The large drijl is used for 

 sowing the crop amid corn stalks of some low growing 

 varieties which are not to be removed but from which 

 the ears have been taken. 



The depth of planting depends on the kind of soil, 

 its physical condition, and its moisture content. The 

 more sandy the soil, the looser it is, and the farther from 

 the surface that the moisture is the more deeply may 

 the seed be planted. 



