HIBISCUS. 



252 



HOES AND HOEING. 



mistress. This would probably recover, 

 for our soups and salads, some of the neg- 

 lected tarragons, French sorrel, purslain, 

 chervil, dill, and clary, which are only 

 found now in the pages of the old herbals. 

 Laid out after a simple geometric design, 

 the herb-garden might be rather orna- 

 mental than otherwise. Most of the herbs 

 are propagated by slips in the autumn. 

 Basil, burnet, and other herbs, require to 

 be sown early in spring, on slight hotbeds 

 of about 2 feet in depth ; but many culti- 

 vators leave them later, and sow in the 

 open ground. Thyme, the marjoram, 

 including pot and sweet knotted marjoram, 

 savory, hyssop, chervil, and coriander, may 

 be sown in dry mild weather, to be trans- 

 planted afterwards. Sow in shallow drills 

 about half an inch deep and 8 or 9 inches 

 apart, and cover in evenly with the soil. 

 Mint may be propagated by separating the 

 roots, and planting them in drills drawn 

 with a hoe 6 inches asunder, covering them 

 with an inch of earth, and raking smooth. 

 They will quickly take root, and grow 

 freely for use in the summer. This method 

 may be applied to the several sorts of spear- 

 mint, peppermint, and lamb mint. 



The whole family of borage, burnet, clary, 

 marigolds, carduus, dill, fennel, buglos, 

 sorrel, and angelica, may be sown about 

 the middle of March, when the weather is 

 open. Sow moderately thin in drills or 

 beds (each sort separate), in good light 

 soil ; if in drills 6 inches apart ; some of 

 the plants may remain where planted, after 

 a thinning for early use ; others may be 

 planted out in the summer. Cultural 

 duections respecting herbs are given under 

 the name of each plant. 



Hibis'GUS (nat. ord. Malva'cea). 



The members of this genus are for the 

 most part beautiful and showy plants. 

 Whether the hardy sorts be planted in 

 mixed or shrubbery borders, or the more 



tender varieties be grown for in-door deco- 

 ration, they are all alike characterised by 

 the size and varied colours of their flowers. 

 Those intended for in-door culture 

 require a compost of fibrous peat and rich 

 fine loam with a large proportion of sand. 

 A little charcoal in the soil is often bene- 

 ficial. The hardier sorts like a light sandy 

 soil, and are propagated by sowing seeds or 

 by cuttings. The stove and greenhouse 

 plants are propagated from seeds sown over 

 gentle bottom heat, or by cuttings taken 

 early in the spring, say April, and set in a 

 close frame. The best known varieties are 

 Hibiscus Africanus, otherwise H. Trionum, 

 or Bladder Ketmia, yellow with a purple 

 centre, hardy annual, ij feet in height, 

 H. fedunculatus, rosy pink, beautiful, a 

 greenhouse shrub 3 feet in height j H. rosa- 

 Sinensis, or Chinese Rose with flowers of 

 various colours from 10 to 15 feet in height ; 

 H. coccineus, bright scarlet flowers from 4 

 to 5 feet high, and H. roseus, with large 

 pink flowers, from 4 to 5 feet high. 



Hints on Sowing Seeds. See 



Seeds, Hints on Sowing, and Germina- 

 tion. 



Hoes and Hoeing. 



As the pick is used for loosening hard 

 soil, and the spade and fork for preparing 

 and working mould that is sufficiently 

 loose in itself to be readily penetrated by 

 this implement, so the hoe may be said to 

 have its special use for cleansing purposes, 

 though it is also serviceable in loosening 

 and stirring the surface of the soil amid 

 growing crops, as well as for destroying 

 weeds. Hoes are of many forms, but they 

 may be broadly classified as draw hoes 

 and thrust hoes. As these names imply, 

 the draw hoe is pulled towards the oper- 

 ator, and the thrust hoe is pushed from 

 him. Hoes for the most part are made 

 with sockets, into which a handle of ash 



