Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

PREPARING THE LAND. 17 Photo: C. Reid, Wishcwu. SOWING WITH THE DRILL. deposits the seed at a regular depth in rows of fixed width apart, is preferred. It may, however, be remarked, as indicating the primitive nature of agriculture, that there is no evidence that better corn crops are obtained after drilling than after broad- casting. It is a matter of convenience rather than of superiority in ultimate results. The rotation or regular succession of crops has much to do with what may be called preparation of the land. The direct plough- ing and harrowing constitute the immediate cultivation, but the root crop prepares the land for corn, in consequence of the manuring and cleaning its cultivation necessitates ; and the clover crop is an excellent preparation for wheat. Folding sheep on the land is done as much for the benefit of the succeeding crop as for that of the animals themselves, and the hay, straw, and turnips (roots) raised and con- sumed by the live stock produce the manure which is necessary to keep up the fertility of the soil. Space does not allow of a detailed account of the many “ artificial ” manures and purchased foods which supplant the manure produced on the holding, but the plough and the manure cart still remain the most important agents for preparing the land for the final result—meat, milk, wool, and corn. John' Wrightson. 3