330 FIELD CROPS FOR THE COTTON-BELT 



seed being sown at a uniform depth, germination is also 

 uniform. A smaller percentage of the young plants are 

 injured by dry weather subsequent to seeding. The seed 

 being sown in slight furrows is not so subject to " heaving" 

 or winter-killing. (2) The grain ripens more uniformly. 

 (3) A saving of from one to two pecks of seed wheat to the 

 acre when the seed is drilled. 



In drilling wheat, care should be exercised to see that 

 the seed is deposited on the bottom of the furrows opened 

 by the drill. If the seed is caught by the closing furrow 

 before it has reached the bottom, germination is likely not 

 to be uniform. Grains that are placed on the firm soil at 

 the bottom of the furrows are in an ideal position for se- 

 curing moisture. 



405. Wheat-seeding machinery. The evolution of 

 seeding machines for wheat involves four different stages 

 of improvement. These are (1) the broadcast seeder 

 where gravity alone is utilized for the purpose of distrib- 

 uting the seed; (2) the broadcast seeder in which the 

 seed is brought from the seed cups by feed-wheels attached 

 to a revolving shaft spoken of as " force feed" instead of 

 " gravity feed"; (3) the ordinary drill with force feed, the 

 grain falling into a tube which instead of scattering it, 

 carries it in a steady stream to the bottom of the slight 

 furrows produced by the drill; (4) the drill with attach- 

 ments to press the soil firmly about the seed, known as 

 the press-drill. This is considered the best machine for 

 seeding wheat. 



The wheat drill is made in three different forms as re- 

 gards the arrangement for depositing the seed in the soil. 

 These are (1) hoe-drills, by which the ground is opened 

 with small shovels, called hoes, the tubes depositing the 

 seed in a stream into the furrow immediately behind each 



