Hoes and Rollers 119 



lumps and travel on soft ground. Soil must be in good 

 condition to be worked with wheel-hoes ; therefore, 

 they should be introduced for their educational effect. 

 Aim at the onion-bed condition of tilth (Fig. 32). 



A hand -hoe is a clumsy and inefficient tillage tool. 

 Its one merit in this regard is the fact that it can be 

 used between the plants, where many other tools can- 

 not enter ; but it leaves no efficient surface mulch and 

 does not often improve soil -texture. The common hoe 

 has two types of legitimate uses on the farm, to aid 

 in planting, to kill weeds. As a tillage -tool, the rake 

 is far superior. Most persons use the hoe as they 

 would a pick, to chop the earth. Much hoeing usually 

 wastes soil moisture. 



Rollers have two uses : (a) to break clods and 

 level the ground, (&) to provide moisture for seeds or 

 newly set plants. They provide moisture by wasting 

 it. Rolling the land establishes capillary connection 

 with the under soil, and brings the particles into con- 

 tact with the seeds. It destroys the surface mulch. 

 The water rises and passes off into the air: in its 

 passage, it moistens the seeds. As soon as the seed- 

 lings or transplanted plants are established, therefore, 

 restore the surface mulch. The farmer pats his hill 

 of corn with the hoe, thereby accomplishing the result 

 which he secures on the wheat field with his roller. 

 The gardener walks over his row of seeds. 



If the roller is used only to break the clods, the 

 land should be tilled again to restore the surface mulch. 

 The roller is a poor tool in the hands of a thoughtless 

 man. For the leveling of land, a home-made planker 



