108 



MANUAL OF GARDENING 



112. Hand-roller. 



Rollers. 



It is often essential that the land be compacted after it has 

 been spaded or hoed, and some kind of hand-roller is then use- 

 ful. Very efficient iron rollers are in 

 the market, but a good one can be 

 made from a hard chestnut or oak log, 

 as shown in Fig. 112. (It should be 

 remembered that when the surface is 

 hard and compact, water escapes from 

 it rapidly, and plants may suffer for 

 moisture on arrival of warm weather.) 

 The roller is useful in two ways — to 

 compact the under-surface, in which case the surface should be 

 again loosened as soon as the rolling is done; and to firm the 

 earth about seeds (page 

 98) or the roots of newly 

 set plants. 



Markers. 



A marker may often 



be combined with the 



roller to good advantage, 



as in Fig. 113. Ropes 



are secured about the cylinder at proper intervals, and these 



mark the rows. Knots 

 may be placed in the 

 ropes to indicate the 



113. Roller and marker. 



114. Roller and marker. 



115. Marking-stick. 



