I 
388 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Fourthly, it being granted that the seed has been evenly and 
in proper quantity distributed, the work is still but half done, 
i. e., it is yet to be covered , and so the field must all be trav¬ 
ersed again; and thus, time, so precious at the season of seed¬ 
ing, is wasted. 
In the fifth place, there can be no guaranty that the seed 
will all be covered, no matter how careful the harrower : the 
fowls of the air and vermin of various species will probably 
destroy a portion before it is possible to cover it up. Or, there 
may come a storm just as the sowing is done, driving the har¬ 
rower from the field and preventing his completion of the work 
until a re-sowing may have become necessary. 
A sixth objection is found in the utter impossibility, even 
with the most favorable conditions, of giving the seed a uniform 
depth of covering ; the importance of tvhich we have discussed 
under its proper heading. Some will be found too deep for 
germination, and others will get no covering at all. 
As a seventh objection, the soil is liable, if heavy and a little 
wet, to be packed down too heavily by the harrow which covers 
the seed. 
Finally, the irregular sprouting and uneven, helter-skelter 
growth of the plants, and consequently restricted influence of 
proper space, air, and sunshine, must occasion want of uniform¬ 
ity in the time of flowering and maturing, &c., and necessarily 
result in a crop inferior both in quantity and quality. 
Here are eight sound, invincible reasons why broadcast sow¬ 
ing should not be practiced, provided a better method can be 
substituted. We believe that drilling is that better method, 
and accordingly proceed to a statement of the following sub¬ 
stantial reasons—not doubting that, inasmuch as we have no 
selfish reason under heaven for offering them, they will be can¬ 
didly and fairly examined by the thousands of interested far¬ 
mers under whose notice this article may fall: 
First, because not one of the foregoing eight objections can 
with any degree of propriety be urged against it; and, second¬ 
ly, because there are other and important reasons, not enumer¬ 
ated, that may be urged in its favor, to-wit : 
