SOWING AND HARVESTING 225 
Method of sowing 
There should really be no need of discussing the 
method of sowing were it not that even at this day 
there are farmers in the dry-farm district who sow 
by broadcasting and insist upon the superiority of 
this method. The broadcasting of seed has no place 
in any system of scientific agriculture, least of all in 
dry-farming, where success depends upon the degree 
with which all conditions are controlled. In all good 
dry-farm practice seed should be placed in rows, 
preferably by means of one of the numerous forms of 
drill seeders found upon the market. The advan- 
tages of the drill are almost self-evident. It permits 
uniform distribution of the seed, which is indispens- 
able for success on soils that receive a limited rainfall. 
The seed may be placed at an even depth, which is 
very necessary, especially in fall sowing, where the 
seed depends for proper germination upon the mois- 
ture already stored in the soil. The deep seeding 
often necessary under dry-farm conditions makes 
the drill indispensable. Moreover, Hunt has ex- 
plained that the drill furrows themselves have defi- 
nite advantages. During the winter the furrows 
catch the snow, and because of the protection thus 
rendered, the seed is less likely to be heaved out by 
repeated freezing and thawing. The drill furrow also 
protects to a certain extent against the drying action 
of winds and in that way, though the furrows are 
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