170 



MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES USED IN HORTICULTURE. 



459- An Hygrometer of some kind is almost as necessary as a thermometer, 

 more especially now, when, as we have seen (251), the importance of keeping 

 the atmosphere of plant structures saturated with moisture is beginning to 

 be understood. 



460. Other articles of various kinds are required in gardens, of which it 

 will be sufficient to enumerate those which are most important. A grind- 

 stone is essential in every garden ; because, unless tools and instruments are 

 kept at all times sharp, it is impossible that operations can either be properly 

 performed, or a sufficiency of work done. Whetstones are also necessary for 

 scythes and knives. Portable shoe-scrapers of cast-iron, for using when 

 coming off dug ground in wet weather on the gravel walks. One or more 

 bridge planks, fig. 107, for wheeling across box 

 edgings. Common planks for wheeling on 

 when the soil is soft, or when injury would be 

 Fig. 107. Bridge plank for wheeling done by the sinking of the wheels ; and trestles 

 acrot* box or other edgings. f or ra i s i n g them as scaffolding. Some hundreds 

 of bricks and flat tiles for forming traps for birds or mice, and for a variety 

 of purposes. A pair of leather bearing-straps for relieving the arms in 

 wheeling or in carrying hand-barrows, fig. 108. Old fisher- 

 men's-netting, for protecting rising seeds from birds, and for 

 covering currant or cherry trees for the same purpose, or 

 for protecting wall trees, or for shelter. Live moss, com- 

 monly sphagnum, for packing plants and for other purposes. 

 Lime unburned, but broken into small pieces, in order to 

 be burnt in the hothouse fires, to supply quicklime as 

 wanted for making lime-water : quicklime will answer, if 

 kept compressed in a cask or box, so as to exclude the air. 

 Potash, for using as a substitute for quicklime, in preparing 

 a caustic fluid for destroying worms, snails, &c. Refuse 

 tobacco, tobacco paper, or tobacco liquor, from the tobacco- 

 nist's, or tobacco of home growth, for destroying insects. 

 Sulphur in a state of powder, for destroying the mildew, 

 and for sublimation to destroy the red spider. Soft soap, 

 tar, gum, glue, &c., for suffocating the scale, and for coating 

 over the eggs of insects to prevent their hatching. Gun- 

 powder, for bruising and mixing with tar to deter insects 

 by smell. Bird-lime, for entrapping birds. Baskets, ham- 

 pers, boxes, and cases of various kinds, for packing vege- 

 tables and fruits, and sending them to a distance. A cabinet 

 or case for the office, or for the seed-room, for containing seeds ; another 

 for bulbs, if collections of tulips, &c. are grown. Canvas for bags, which 

 may be used as a suhstitute for boxes for containing seeds. Paper of different 

 kinds, twine and cord, cotton, wool, hay, fern-leaves, the male catkins of 

 the beech, or sweet chesnut, to aid in packing fruit. Straw, reeds, tan, 

 common sand, pure white or silver sand, oyster-shells as coverings to the 

 holes in bottoms of pots ; pieces of freestone, for mixing with peat soil used 

 in growing heaths ; leaves and leaf mould, grafting-wax, grafting-clay, com- 

 mon paint, and probably various other articles which we cannot recall to 

 mind, might be enumerated under this head. But it is scarcely necessary 

 to observe, that no gardener ought to confine himself to those implements 

 of his art, which have hitherto been in use, whether as regards the con- 



Fig. 108. Leather 

 bearing-straps. 



