PLANTING

By Staff
Published on November 1, 1991

Reprinted with permission from On The Tractor Seat, newsletter
of Branch #30 of EDGE&TA.

The next thing after spring plowing is planting. The timing is
critical. Plant before the ground warms and the seed will not
germinate properly. Plant when the ground is wet and the seed will
rot before it germinates. Farmers from the beginning of time would
walk the fields, test the soil and look at the sky. My father did
it with his hand and nose while modern farmers use thermometers,
soil test kits and the daily weather reports. The right combination
of temperature and moisture meant it was planting time. The land
and weather had the final say.

Plant the seeds too close together and the crop could be stunted
and produce a poor yield. Too far apart and you were not getting
the most out of your land. We have all heard the story about how
the Indians told the Pilgrims to place a fish in the hill with the
corn. The next hill would be placed one stride away. It took almost
two days to plant an acre using the dibble stick.

The next step was the corn jobber. The corn jobber was two wood
slats joined at the bottom with a metal hinge and handles at the
top. A canister on the side held the seeds. The hinge end of the
corn jobber was thrust into the ground. The slats were closed
making a hole and pulling seeds from the canister which dropped
into the hole. The hole was then covered by the farmers foot. The
corn jobber did little to speed planting but some two row versions
made it easier to plant evenly spaced rows.

The next step was the check planter. the field was first marked
into parallel rows. The check planter was pulled at right angles to
the marks and a boy pulled a lever releasing seeds whenever the
marks were crossed. Later the boy and marks were replaced by a wire
with knots at the desired hill spacing.

When we were farming in the 50’s the planter was mechanical.
The check wire had been replaced by gears that controlled plant
spacing. Chemical weed killers and fertilizers applied during
planting allowed closer planting and higher yields.

During the 50’s farmers were going away from the two row
planters to four and six row. Bigger tractors made the bigger
planters possible. Also trying to use a four row harvester on corn
that had been planted with a two row planter was a good way to
learn new words that your mother did not want you to hear.

My father would stop every now and again and go back to uncover
a foot or so of the planted row. He would check to see that the
planter was working and the spacing was correct. If the spacing
were wrong, a plate or a drive gear would be replaced to fix the
problem.

The modern planters are eight or twelve rows wide with
microprocessor electronics to control spacing and performance.
Large tanks on the tractor and planter apply chemicals. Bulk grain
hoppers are loaded by hose. There is no need to get off the air
conditioned tractor except to eat or reload.

The four row planter we had cost less than $1000 new. The last
time I talked to my cousin, he had a $40,000 electronic planter
sitting in the mud. It seems that no matter how fancy your
equipment is, the land and weather still have the final say.

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