320 DRY-FARMING 



therefore, provided with large hght wheels, one for 

 each furrow, which press lightly upon the soil and 

 force the soil into intimate contact with the seed. 

 (See Figs. 84 and 85.) The weakness of such an 

 arrangement is that the soil along the drill furrows 

 is left somewhat j^acked, ^\'hich leads to a ready 

 escape of the soil-moisture. Many of the drills are 

 so arranged that press wheels may be used at the 

 pleasure of the farmer. The seed drill is already a 

 very useful implement and is rapidly being made to 

 meet the special requirements of the dry-farmer. 

 Corn planters are used almost exclusively on dry- 

 farms where corn is the leachng crop. In i^rinciple 

 they are very much the same as the press drills. 

 Potatoes are also generally planted by machinery. 

 Wherever seeding machinery has been constructed, 

 based upon the principles of dry-farming, it is a 

 very advantageous adjunct to the dry-farm. 



Harvesting 



The immense areas of dr}--farms are harvested 

 almost wholly by the most modern machinery. P"or 

 grain, the harvester is used almost exclusivel}^ in the 

 districts where the header cannot be used, but wher- 

 ever conditions permit, the header is and should be 

 used. It has been explained in previous chapters 

 how valuable the tall header stubble is when plowed 

 under as a means of maintaining the fertihty of the 



