38 



GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 



six years ago since it came into general use. A man can 



do full one-third more work with it, 



do it better, and with greater ease, 



than with the blade hoe ; true, it is 



not so good in cutting over weed 



but Aveeds should never be seen in 



a garden, for whether for pleasure or 



profit, it is short-sighted economy to 



delay the destruction of weeds until 



they start to grow. One man will hoe 



over, in one day, more ground where Fi =- 12— fbohged hoe. 

 the weeds are just breaking 

 through, than six will, if they 

 be allowed to grow six or eight 

 inches in hight, to say noth- 

 ing of the injury done to the 

 ground by feeding the weeds in- 

 stead of the planted crops. An- 

 other benefit of this early extir- 

 pation of weeds is, that taken 

 in this stage, they of course nev- 

 er seed, and in a few years they 

 are almost entirely destroyed, 

 making the clearing a much sim- 

 pler task each succeeding year. 

 Another tool used in place of 

 the hoe, is the steel Rake, fig. 1?, 

 which we use in various sizes, 

 from 8 inches to 20 inches in 



width. Nearly all our first " hoeing " is done with these ; 



that is, the ground is raked over and levelled in from two 



Fig. 13.— STEEL RAKE. 



