NURSERY PRACTICE FOR PRAIRIE -PLAINS PLANTING 



83 



on an axle between two wheels so that it can be pulled with a rubber- 

 tired tractor and raised out of the ground when necessary. 



Such machines do good work if reasonable care is exercised to 

 assure proper sowing depth. If the motive power is supplied by a 

 tractor throttled down to an even speed of 1 % miles per hour, a better 



F35369 1-35369 



Figure 25.-^4, Front view of sled type of seeding machine. The seed is fed by 

 hand into the long horizontal seed trough. B, Side view of sled type of seeding 

 machine. " & 



job of sowing will be accomplished than if horses or mules are used, 

 since the latter ordinarily walk at a faster rate and at uneven speeds' 

 At a seeding speed of close to 1% miles per hour and a row spacing of 

 21 inches, a 4-man seeder will sow approximately 8 acres in an 8-hour 

 day. 



Regardless of method followed, careful sowing should be the 

 objective rather than low initial costs, since in the final analysis sow- 

 ing costs are a relatively small part of the cost per thousand of pro- 

 ducing seedlings. A cheap job of sowing may be quite expensive in 

 the long run if it results in low production. 



