In the past, sowing seeds in the fields, called broadcast sowing, was a manual activity performed by farmers. Carrying bags with seeds over their shoulders, the sowers would throw them in an arc as they walked across the field. An experienced sower could spread about 1.5 quintals of seed in a day. This practice required considerable skill, since the success of the harvest depended on the ability to distribute the seeds evenly. However, broadcast sowing had disadvantages such as higher seed consumption, uneven distribution and uneven depth of the seeds in the soil. This technique is still partly used today for crops such as wheat and fodder plants.