16 PEACTICAL GARDENING. 



HOEING. 



Hoeing generally comprises several distinct operations. 

 With the hoe we stir the ground, draw drills to sow seed in, 

 cut up the weeds, thin out crops, and earth up all sorts of 

 things that require it. The hoe is a sort of cutting blade, put 

 on a wooden handle, the cross way of the wood- work, and is 

 used by pressing it hard on the earth, and drawing towards 

 you, by which means the surface of the soil is disturbed, and 

 the air let into it ; whereas, when rains have run the surface 

 all together, nothing penetrates, the soil is soon heated, and 

 the wet evaporates more freely. Hoeing, therefore, means 

 moving the earth by means of a hoe ; but there are many 

 ways of hoeing, according to the state of the ground to be 

 hoed. If the groimd contains nothing but weeds, the hoe can 

 do good by preventing them from seeding, and save fature 

 labour; but stirring the earth among crops, weeds or no 

 weeds, does an immense deal of good ; and besides keeping 

 the weeds down, which it must by disturbing them, it makes 

 a loose surface, which does not absorb so much heat, nor let 

 out so much damp. The hoe is used to make gutters or drills, 

 in which to sow seeds ; and here we have to call in the aid 

 of a line, because, by first stretching a line the length and in 

 the place you want the drill, there is at once a perfect guide. 

 You have simply to draw the corner of the hoe along by the 

 side of the line, drawing out earth to the depth you want the 

 gutter or di'ill ; and when you have done this, shift your line 

 as far as you want the di'ills to be distant from each other, 

 and draw a second, third, and fourth, up to as many as you 

 want. The depth of these drills is regulated by the crop you 

 want to sow ; but the process is the same, although large or 

 small hoes may be used for large or small drills. With regard 

 to weeding with the hoe, there is nothing more efficacious. 

 Tlie hoe is thrust in the ground, or rather chopped in the 

 ground, and the surface cut off, with the weeds at the same 

 time ; and the most difficult part of hoeing is when you have 

 to weed small crops with but httle room between. Hoeing 

 the weeds up is work for dry weather, because you leave them 

 on the ground to dry up. If, however, it happens that rain 

 comes after they are hoed up, they should be removed from 

 the bed altogether, to prevent their rooting fresh in the soil, 

 v/hich many would. Occasionally this weeding is done at 



