nOJIE AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
3
Economy in Using European Type of Grain Drill
1 , i
HEAVY CROP TAKEN FROM CLOSELY SOWN FIELD.
tHMm f t t t t T T T t -f- t t t t 1 t t t 1 t t 1 t t t t t t 4
BY WILLIAM PRITCHETT.
THE manner of seeding In Europe
should be a very profitable sub
ject for the American farmer to
consider at this time; very little has
been said in the agricultural papers
about seeding wheat, rye and other
grains in the fields of Europe, where
tt Is not unusual at all to produce 60
bushels of wheat per acre and some
times as many as 80 bushels per acre
have been claimed.
Land, of course, is very valuable In
the farming sections and the price of
labor is much cheaper than we can
realize or understand here in Amer
ica, so that labor perhaps might be
wasted in Europe but the greatest
possible care is to avoid the waste of
the land.
The European land owner or rent
er uses a grain drill putting in the
continually guide the machine by the
fore-carriage In front (called vordi
karre) and this fore-carriage has a
long lever that extends clear behind
the seed hopper and by using this
long lever the machine is guided so
perfectly straight that not an inch
of land is allowed to be wasted and no
crooks in the rows are possible.
Where three men operate the ma
chine, the second man simply looks
after the keeping of the seed In the
hopper and then it Is the exclusive
duty of the third man to simply
guide the machine and Instead of the
long lever extending behind the hop
per It Is hinged so that it can be
turned to allow the third man to
walk along side of the wheel of the
fore-carriage so that he can closely
watch the track of the wheels of the
fore carriage to see that the machine
mm
r
5fRH
II.VHWOSTISU I'HOl" SUWJI 111 E I'HOl'UAX TVl'li OF 111(11. L.
, rows often as close as 2 Inches
apart, never more than 3 Inches and
you simply could not give a European
farmer a grain drill making the rows
more than 3 V4 Inches apart.
European Grain Drills,
Again, If you would investigate the
type of grain drill used In Europe
It will be seen that they use two men
and very often three men to operate
a European grain drill; one- man do
ing the driving of the oxen, camels
or horses and then If two men are op
erating the machine the second man
sees to It that the hopper Is kept
properly filled with seed and that
the seed Is kept flowing steadily and
accurately. Besides It Is his duty to
is driven absolutely straight so that
not an inch of the land is wasted.
Wasteful American Method.
Let us make comparison of this
European system with our manner of
seeding in America; the American
farmer uses a grain drill with the
rows never closer together than six
inches and more generally in the corn
belt states It Is seven Inches or some
times eight inches apart. This Amer
ican manner of drilling the grain Is
found to be really better than broad
casting, but it permits a wonderful
waste of land; the seed Is not prop
erly distributed; it allows a very
great waste of moisture because of
the bare spaces between the seed
rows which allow the sun to come
down baking a surface crust and to
rapidly take up the surface moisture,
especially in a hot and dry year;
these wide spaces between the seed
rows allow much room for weed seed
to fall and every practical farmer
knows that It takes just as much
strength out of the ground to pro
duce weeds as it does to produce
grain.
Another feature of Importance to
consider in seeding grain is the
width of the seed furrow made by
the furrow openers because If the
seed furrow is very narrow it simply
puts one grain of seed nearly on top
of another, killing both stalks as
mentioned In the report of the Mis
souri State University, by Professor
C. B. Hutchinson, wherein It Is found
that "not more than 50 per cent to
75 per cent of the seed plants that
sprout in the narrow seed rows of a
grain drill ever mature."
Increasing Yield Per Acre.
Besides the Importance of produc
ing much more grain per acre with
the seed rows closer together there
is also the very great advantage that
in a dry year when clover is sown
with the wheat or the oats the closer
seed rows very favorably protect the
clover and It has been proven, re
peatedly that a good stand of clover
is obtained under drouth conditions
with the narrow seed rows when
otherwise with the seed rows six
inches or seven inches apart. the clo
ver has been entirely killed out by
drought.
I succeeded in buying a three-inch
American grain drill in January,
1912, and have now used this ma
chine for three years, putting the
grain drill rows only three inches
apart and I have never failed to pro
duce at least 10 bushels of wheat per
acre more than any of my neighbors
seeding with the rows made six
inches or seven inches apart, and my
oats likewise correspondingly in
creased over the wider seed rows.
NOTjB LEACH ED ""H
1
IE
"HEARTS,
WHEAT
A NATION'S BREAKFAST
EVERYWHERE 15c.
If your dealer does not handle,
send 15c stamps lor regular size
package by Parcel Post to
MORGAN MILLING CO.
GOLDEN DAI.K, WASH.
What Do You Think
OF THIS?
3,000,000 Acres
I'ISE FREE HOMESTEADS
and Moutnna Heeded Lands
ts to HO an acre
Ready for the plow.
Yields 30 to 60 bu. wheat,
Oats, barley, flax, hay, etc., in
proportion.
Finest Inland Climate.
' Lund Sold on Crop Payment
1'lnu.
Low f ,i re Hcmeseekers'
Excursions on first and third
Tuesdays of each month.
Western IinnilKratlon Agent,
f. M. ST. P. RV.
2d nnd Cherry, Seattle, Wnwh.
American apples sold In Sweden' . ... , ,
aro known as California, 6regon and HOW TO GET 320 "
American apples. .
ACRES FREE
Do You Want a Homestead?
CROP REPORT OF OREGON AND UNITED STATES.
FINAL estimate of acreage production and price December 1, in the state,
and production and price In the United States (acreage and production in
thousands, i. e., oou omitted.)
Every time you buy
from advertisements in
this paper you help to
make a better paper.
List of Government lands In each
state subject to homestead and for
what best adapted. Also description of
Oregon by counties. Send for 240-page
book, "Advantages of Oregon." Price 50
cents, postpaid.
R. C FISKE
410 Panama BldBn Portland, Or.
Crops
Acre-
Jregon
Produc- Price
Wheat, 1913.
Oats, 1914...
age. tion. Dec. 1.
22 660 82
SI 598 70
799 16,604 10a
750 15,717 76
364 12.740 45
,360 15.228 38
123 3,660 61
120 4,200 55
21 336 100
20 350 75
United States.
Produc- Price
tion. rov. 1.
, 49 4.753 60
, 50 6,750 58
,858 'i.716 M
825 1,732 9.09
Rye, 1914
Bye. 1913
Buckwheat, 1914
Buckwheat, 1913
Flaxseed, 1914
Flaxseed, 1913
Pvlce, 1914
Rice, 1913
Potatoes, 1914
Potatoes, 1913
Sweet Potatoes, 1914
Sweet Potatoes, 1913
Hay, 1914 858 1,716 9.20 70,071 11.12
Hay, 1913 82il 1,732 9.09 64,116 12.43
Tobacco, 1914 1,0.14.679 9.8
Tobacco, 1913 953,7:14 12.8
Cotton. 1914
Cotton. 1913 14.166 12.!
Sugar Beets, 1914 5,147 5.43
Sugar Beets, 1913 6,659 5.69
(Quantities of hay and sugar beets in tons; tobacco in pounds; cotton In
bales; other products In bushels. Prices for hay and beets in dollars per ton;
cotton and tobacco, cents per pound; flaxseed, dollars per bushel, other prod
ucts, cents per bushel.)
Wheat sown this Pall in the state 636,000 acres, compared wtih 637,000 acres
last year; condition 93 per cent normal, compared with ten-year average of 96.
Similarly, In the United States, 41,300,000 acres, compared wtih 37.100,000
acres sown last year; condition, 83.1 per cent, compared with 90.3, the ten-year
averase.
2,672.804
2,446,988
891,017
763,380
1,141,060
1,121,763
194.953
178.189
42,779
41,381
16,881
13,833
15,659
17,853
23,649
25.744
405.921
331,526
66,674
69,057
70,071
64,116
1,0,14.679
953.734
15,966
14,166
5.147
63.7
69.1
98.6
79.9
43.8
39.3
64.3
53.T
86.5
63.4
76.4
75.6
1.26
1.20
92.4
85.8
48.9
68.7
73.0
Double the Wheat and Oat Crops
Money must be made by better fanning; it is
common sense to see grain drilled only 3 inches
apart, not 6 inches or 7 inches between rows
means much better seed distribution, better sur
face covering with crop, less wasted land, better
saving of moisture, crowding out the weeds and
many other advantages; one maker of 3-inch
drills guarantees 25 or better increase or no
pay for the machines. Fetzer & Co., of Spring
field, HI., claim in a dry year the yield has been
increased four times more per acre, besides mak
ing a good stand of clover where the clover with
wheat was dried out with 7-inch rows. Write
today for the proof and guarantee and free
printed matter.