142 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



Mat 



Copeland's Broad Cast Grain and Grass 

 Seed Sower. 



I)r. Eobert D. Foster, of Loda, Iroquois 

 coiintj, (Oiikulla P. 0.,) sent us oue of tlie 

 above seed sowers for trial. '' Our farmer " 

 has Sown twenty-two acres of spring wheat 

 with it, and twelve acres of iirass and clover 

 seed mixed. The first sowing of the wheat 

 is up and presents an even cast, much more so 

 than the average of hand sowing. The grass 

 seed is sown in a very superior maimer; it 

 was intended to put three bushels on the 

 twelve acres, and on finishing he had just 

 a pint of seed left, showing that it is possi- 

 ble to very nearly regulate the quantity per 

 acre. On the first tri;d with the wheat he 

 fell short of getting two bushels to the acre, 

 so the machine has not the capacity to sow 

 quite that amount, but is graded for about 

 one and a half bushels per acre ; of course, 

 by taking very short steps the two bushels 

 can be accomplished, but the better way is 

 to enlarge the wings of the sower, when any 

 aincvunt, from a quart to three bushels, 

 could be sown. In considering the value of 

 any new niacliine at this time, when economy 

 is the order of the day, we must take into 

 consideration the cost of the implement, its 

 durability, cost of repairs and amouiit of la- 

 bor it will save, or the increased value of the 

 crop in cnnscquencc of its use. AVc will 

 suppose that in sowing, nothing is saved but 

 the real difierence in the value of labor. To 

 sow o:ie hundred acres will require a good 

 hand ten days hard labor, which, at a dollar 

 a day, is ten dollars; this same work can be 

 done by the same man with ease in four days 

 or 1-ss, with this sower, which will be four 

 dollars, and making a saving applicable to 

 the cost of the machine of six dollars, but 

 this is not ail. During the ten days of sow- 

 ing we h:ive no small amount of windy days ; 

 in fict, with the ex.-eption of tlie morning 

 and evenings, the vrind is too high to make 

 sowing by iiand either a pleasant or profita- 

 ble operation, from the fact that in a wind 

 we are liable to ridge it : that is, sowing very 

 thick on part of the ground and too thin on 



the other. By the rapidity that the work 

 can be done with this, the mornings and 

 evenings can be appropriated to the sowing, 

 when it can be done lyuch better, either by 

 hand or with the sower, when it is compara- 

 tively calm. This, at least, to our mind, 

 would decide us in using the machine for 

 the one hundred acres of sowing, and which 

 in the saving of labor and the better per- 

 formance of the work would fully compen- 

 sate for the ten dollars invested in it. We 

 would therefore make the purchase if we 

 had one hundred acres to sow in one year or 

 twenty-five for four years, for at that rate it 

 would be paid for, and leave all beyoi;d that 

 a clear gain. Wish grass and clover seed 

 the case is a still stronger one, for there is a 

 saving by the use of the machine of two- 

 thirds in the labor, besides doing the work 

 vastly better than can possibly be done by 

 hand, The sowins,' of urass seed by hand is 

 a slow and tedious process, and uiust all be 

 done during calm weather, and in luardi the 

 mornings and evenings are almost the only 

 time that is suitable for this operation. Yvith 

 this sower from twenty five to thirty acres a 

 day can be sown in the most perfect manner 

 and without any extra effort The.-^e sowers 

 can be made to run by horse power, but we 

 have some doubts whether the inerea>ed cost 

 will be met with a corresponding beuefit — 

 certainly no ordinary farmer will need any- 

 thing more than this hand sower, fir one 

 man will sow thirty to forty acres a day of 

 the small grains, full as much as can bo har- 

 rowed in by the usual number of teaii-s on 

 this sized farm; besides, we think the sow- 

 ing will be better done by hand in this way 

 than with horse power. The machine sent 

 us was made very light, being the one used 

 as a workiiiij model at the Fairs wiiere ex- 

 hibited last fall, and lacks size, as we have 

 before stated ; the slide is regulated by a 

 spring instead of a groove, and tlie motion is 

 communicated by a band instead of gear- 

 ing. The machine thus made would be 

 adapted to all broadcast sowing, and would 

 last a lifetime with few, if any repairs. A 



