THE HORSE SCUFFLE IIOE. 



135 



THE HORSE SCUFFLE HOE. 

 BY ALLEN W. DODGE, HAMILTON , MAS^ 



Labor-saving machines are valuable to the 

 horticulturist, especially such as will ena- 

 ble him to subdue weeds, and cultivate 

 among trees, with the least expense and the 

 most effect. The scuffle hoe is, in this res- 

 pect, agreat improvement on the comm on 

 hoe, doing its work more thoroughly, and 

 with far greater dispatch. For the same 

 reasons, the cultivator, Avhen used for stir- 

 ring the soil, is a far more valuable imple- 

 ment to the horticulturist than the plough. 

 But I have lately met with an instrument, 

 which I have used the present season with 

 great benefit in cultivating in nursery rows, 

 and which combines the properties of the 

 scuffle hoe and of the cultivator. It is sim- 

 ply a cast iron scuffle hoe, of the same width 

 as is the cultivator, on a line crossing the 

 two hind teeth, with prongs or fastenings 

 similar to those of the teeth, and is design- 

 ed to take their place in the cultivator. It 

 is represented in the cut a, and its appear- 

 ance, when affixed to the cultivator, in the 

 cut b. 



It will readily be seen that with an im- 

 plement of this description, the earth is 



loosened by the cultivator teeth, and that 

 every weed which escapes them, is effectu- 

 ally cut up by the scuffle hoe in their rear. 

 If the rows through which it passes are on 

 a straight line, by passing twice between 

 them, and running it near the trees, the 

 work of destroying the weeds is so well 

 done, and the ground is left in so smooth a 

 condition, that a hand hoe is hardly needed 

 to complete the operation. 



Of course, great care is to be exercised 

 in using this instrument, as well as the mere 

 cultivator, that no wounds are inflicted on 

 the trees. For this purpose, a short whipple- 

 tree should be used, and the ends of it should 

 be enveloped in list or woolen cloth. All 

 wounds to the bark of young trees are ex- 

 ceedingly injurious, retarding their growth, 

 and leaving scars which last for years. A 

 severe hail-storm, which visited this region 

 the last of June in 1840, scarred a large 

 number of thrifty apple trees in my nursery, 

 which were making their first year's growth 

 from the bud, so that the wounds are con- 

 spicuous to this daj'. 



Allen W. Dodge. 



