M«y 8, 1873. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



3G9 



venient, but it is not in general use. As a thrust hoe it is 

 useful in hard-bound soUa for eradicating weeds. 

 Fig. i is another combination, having all its edges sharpened, 



of similar construction also in use. Now if these hoes are 

 serviceable to the market gardener, they will be equally so for 

 others, and will, doubtless, save valuable time and trouble. 



The Drao Hoc {f'il- 8) is not, I think, in general use, but it 

 should be so, for it is quite as necessary to expedite work as 

 some others. Its construction is a horizontal iron bar attached 



Fig. 4. — Draw-and-thrust Hoe. 



and is used either as a draw or thrust hoe. I have used this 

 sort of hoe when living in Suffolk, and a man can easily go 

 over a large space of ground in a short time. Hoes of this 

 description are principaUy used for killing weeds and loosemng 

 the surface of the soil. 



The Sci{/flt' Hoi- (fig. 5) is a 

 very handy tool, and although it 

 is sometimes used as a weed- 

 destroyer, it is more employed 

 for reducing the coarse surface of 

 the soil previous to planting, as 

 for Cauhflower or Cabbage beds 

 and the like, or to go over the 

 SOU before using the rake, and 

 for stirring flower-beds before 

 planting. It is a light easily- 

 used tool about a foot or more 

 in length and 14 inches wide, with 

 sharp-edged teeth on both sides. 

 Firis. 6 and 7 are Drill Hoes. There are two or three sizes of 

 t'lese. They are mostly triangular-shaped curved-faced tools, 

 some of them with the shoulders rouuded-off, making them 

 heart-shaped, with a socket to secure the handle, and a thin, 

 curved iron neck. They are necessary implements in well- 



iig. 



Fig. 6.— Drill Hoe. 



Fig, 7. — Double-edged Prnssian Hoe. 



■worked soils, leaving the drills even in width and of uniform 

 depth. Their length varies from 4 to 6 or 7 inches. The 

 double-edged Prussian Hoe {firf. 7) serves not only to destroy 

 the weeds, but leaves the ground level, thus obviating the use 

 of the rake. 



Another excellent drill hoe I saw in use the other day in a 

 market garden in this neighbourhood. It is made stout and 

 strong enough of wood, excepting the teeth or hoes, which are 

 of iron. It is of the shape of a hay-rake, and nearly as wide 

 and long. The hoe blades are similar to fig. 6, but narrower 

 and an inch longer, slightly curving inwards towards the 

 operator. The hoes are fastened to the woodwork by a nut 

 screwed on at the top. The handle is fixed on in the same 

 way as for the hay-rake. The merit claimed for this tool is 

 that three drills can be drawn at once. There is a double one 



5 



Fig. 9.— Guernsey Prong 



Fig. 8.— Drag Hoe. 



to a socket for the handle. It is much like one of the steel 

 digging forks reversed, only the prongs have a much greater 

 curve. It is used principally in collecting from the ground 

 the refuse of any crop, and for that is very handy, as well as 

 for other purposes. 



Dutch or TJiiust Hoes.— I am not acquainted with more than 

 two forms of these. The better of the two is a thin straight 

 plate of iron and steel attached to a bow of iron, with a socket 

 in which to fasten the handle ; the plate ia set at a suitable 

 angle for a person to stand upright when using it. These 

 hoes are made in sizes varying from 4 to S inches or more in 

 width, and are used either for loosening the soil or killing 

 weeds. They are easy to work, and are generally used. The 

 others simply vary in the shape of the plate ; some have a 

 pointed instead of a square front edge, others a square plate, 

 with all the edges sharpened ; but in my opinion there is no 

 advantage in these, therefore I will not further illustrate 

 them. 



Prong Hoes. — I come now to another section of hoes. The 

 first is the Guernsey Prong {fig. 9). 

 It is very much in the shape of a 

 hammer, about 8 or 10 inches long, 

 attached to a handle 4 or 5 feet long. 

 One end is made in the shape of a 

 chisel, and the prongs are flattened 

 and sharpened in the same way, only 

 slightly curved. These tools are ex- 

 cellent for eradicating deep-rooted 

 weeds. The farmers use the same 

 sort of tool in their Turnip fields 

 to tear up the roots of Turnips left in the ground by the 

 sheep. 



Next, there are the double and treble-pronged hoes. I think 

 they may not inappropriately be called digging hoes, for they 

 are made stronger, and are used for a much heavier kind of 

 work than any of the others before described. I have not 

 seen them so much used as in this part of the country. The 

 two-pronged one is about 5 inches wide, and 8 or 1) inches long, 

 with chisel-shaped prongs tolerably sharp, steeled at the ends, 

 and there is an iron eye at the top for the handle, which is 

 4 or 5 feet long. The three-pronged hoe is made in a similar 

 way, and is about 7 or 8 inches wide. These tools are capable 

 of penetrating the earth to a considerable depth and loosening 

 it about the roots of crops, or of preparing soil for planting 

 after digging. They are handy tools in any garden, and may 

 be used for several purposes. Farmers Ukewise patronise this 

 tool for cleaning their hedgerows, as it is not easily put out of 

 order, and when the prongs become worn down they may be 

 relaid or steeled again, and be as good as new. They will last 

 for years. 



The above is a description of the most-approved forms of 

 hoes in use at the present time that I am acquainted with. 

 Other forms and shapes might have been illustrated, but for 

 construction and utiUty they are not equal to those described. 

 If any person having a hoe of distinct merit wUl kindly add 

 to my list he will be doing a service. 



Now for a word or two about the handles. These should 

 not be too long ; from 4 to 5 feet, according to size, is a fair 

 length, and allows room for a convenient shifting of the hand ; 

 neither should the handles be too hea\'y, otherwise they are 

 burdensome to the operator. Generally the size and strength 

 of the tool, and the sort of work for which it is made, will bo 

 a good guide to the size and strength of the handle to be fur- 

 nished. The handles for the smaller kinds of draw hoes, as 

 well as Dutch hoes, may be made of good deal wood ; Imt the 

 tools for heavier work, such as the double and treble prongs 



