26 



a straight eve are of great value here ; but with a little 

 practice a good degree of accuracy can be obtained by most 

 persons, though a few will always find it for their profit to 

 hire some experienced hand. Two or three sticks may serve 

 to mark out the first row, and by keeping these bearing on 

 each other as the machine is pushed along, the first line must 

 be a straight line. In some machines the chains which drag 

 from the handle, and in others the wheels, serve to mark 



out the rows. 

 As the Scuffle 

 Hoes (see en- 

 graving) and 

 Wheel Hoes 



(see engraving) to be used will be of a constant width it is 



important that 

 the width of the 

 rows should be 

 kept constant, 

 particularly that 

 they should not 

 be brought 

 nearer together 

 than the dis- 

 tance fixed upon. The distance between the rows varies in 

 different sections from twelve to fourteen inches; when seed 

 are planted for setts, ten inches is the usual distance between 

 the drills. 



The various hoes used in weeding are pushed before the 

 operator and again drawn quickly back, the operator taking 

 short steps, and making the hoe cut in both the forward and 

 backward slides. After the tops get so far grown as to bend 

 over into the rows, they ,:re apt to be caught between the 



