Most Chinese seed-drills sow not only seed but also manure. The idea was almost as old as the seed-drill itself in Europe, and it was common in India too.

American farmers began using the seed drill on a limited basis by 1775.

Another major advancement in the field of agriculture was the seed drill. The seed drill helped the row farming of the Chinese.[…]The first seed drill was introduced into Europe 1600 years after the Chinese had improved upon their original design.

Seeding with the Chinese seed drill requires higher than normal soil moisture compared to conventionally tilled wheat.

In 1701, English inventor Jethro Tull built a prototype seed drill that planted a metered stream of seeds at the right depth and covered them with soil to optimize growth. The fact that the seed drill sowed seeds in regular straight rows also meant that a mechanical horse-drawn hoe (another invention by Tull) could be used to remove weeds from between the rows.

Seed drill

Meaning

Noun