60 acre hillside
Member
I always wondered what a farmer is doing behind a planter on his knees, digging into the soil with his pocketknife and mumbling. I have assumed it is not some rite to an unknown deity that has some control over how the harvest will be, well maybe it is, but I am careful to not interrupt his meditation. He repeats this rite at each row varying with the tone of the mumbling and the duration of the rite. Sometimes changes on the mechanical things are made, but even if drastic changes are made the seeds seem to all peek of the ground the same. I once had a two row planter but never did any digging and mumbling. I was afraid to look because I may have found a skipped row. Planters have surely improved because I never see skipped rows. When I was a kid skipped rows were common and I know one farmer who made a single row planter to plant skipped rows.