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Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: SOU-STE |
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SOWING (from "to sow," O. Eng. shwan, cf. Du. zaaijen, Ger. saen, &c.; the root is seen in Lat. severe, cf. "seed") , in agriculture, the planting of seed for the raising of crops. The scattering of seed by hand is the simplest and oldest method of delivering seed to the earth, and is still preferred by some farmers and in certain circumstances. The sower carries the receptacle for the seed, a zinc " seed-lip," seed-sheet or basket, slung over his shoulder , and walking up and down the ridges of the field scatters handfuls of grain with a semicircular sweep of the arm across the body
manual
It was long recognized that the precision which is of the essence of good sowing could be better attained by mechanical means, and as early as 1662 a sowing-machine was invented by Joseph Locatelli in Carinthia. In England the early history of mechanical sowing is chiefly connected with the name of Jethro Tull, who about 1730 invented the corn- drill
drill
series of tubes or " spouts " and drops into shallow furrows traced by small coulters travelling immediately in front of the streams of seed. The coulters can be raised or lowered by levers and are kept down to their work by weights or pressers, which can be regulated according as deep or shallow sowing is required.In the force-feed type of drill the seed falls through apertures in the bottom of the seed-hopper into funnels, through which extends a shaft carrying bowl-shaped wheels, one for each (fig. I). These wheels are either spirally-grooved inside or else cogged and serve to feed the seed regularly into the tubes. Instead of coulters, the drill is often fitted with shoes or revolving disks, similar in action to those of the disk-harrow. The tooth and brush pinion, the perforated disk and the chain feed drills, are other types differentiated according to the method by which the seed is " fed " from the hopper and the kind of crop being sown. Liquid-manure drills distribute chemical manure mixed with water and are often fitted with a seed-box for root seeds, the manure and the seed being deposited through the same spout. Drills are also made in which dry fertilizers may be deposited with the seed in a similar manner. The wheelbarrow seeder, a long box pierced with openings and carried transversely on a skeleton wheelbarrow, is used for sowing grass seed. ' The machine devised by Josiah Worlidge about 1669 was ineffective in practice and differed totally in structure from that of Tull. In the United States the maize or Indian-corn crop exceeds all others in value, and machines used in planting and handling this crop are of great importance. Corn (maize) is sometimes listed or planted in a continuous row like wheat, and for this purpose a machine known as a lister is employed. In its general construction this machine is a sulky plough, having a double mould-board, which turns the furrow in both directions. Immediately behind the plough is a sub-soiler for deepening the furrow and penetrating to the moist soil below the surface. A seed-box is mounted on the plough beam, and is prppided with a feed-plate operated by a shaft geared to one of the wheels. The seed is delivered to the furrow in rear of the mould-boards and covered by two shovels fixed behind which turn the soil back into the furrow. It is, however, more common to plant maize in hills, which are spaced equally from each other and form rows in both directions, so that a cultivator may be driven between them. This work is done by a machine called a check-row corn planter. In using the corn planter, a wire, having buttons attached thereto, at intervals corresponding to the distance between the hills, is first stretched across the field and anchored at its ends. This wire is then placed upon the guide rollers at the side of the machine and passes between the jaws of a forked lever, which is connected at its other end with a rock-shaft passing across the machine and serving to oscillate a feed-plate in the bottom of each seed-hopper. As the buttons on the check-wire strike the forked lever, the latter is drawn
In another corn planter the check-wire is dispensed with, and the machine is provided with a shaft carrying two reels, the blades of which are at a distance apart equal to the distance between the hills of corn, and thus measure the intervals at which the corn is to be dropped. A rod, extending from the side of the machine, and carrying a small wheel, marks the next row and serves as a guide to the driver. See J. B. Davidson and L. W. Chase, Farm Machinery and Farm Motors, p. 132 (New York
End of Article: SOWING (from "to sow," O. Eng. shwan, cf. Du. zaaijen, Ger. saen, &c.; the root is seen in Lat. severe, cf. "seed") If you wish, you can link directly to this article.
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