16 



IMPLEMENTS AND HOW TO USE THEM. 



by taking a piece of crooked hard wood about ten or twelve 

 inches in length, and sharpening it to a blunt point. In 

 using it, after pushing it into the ground perpendicularly 

 to make the hole for the plant, the plant should be held in 

 the hole and the dibber again inserted about two inches 

 from the plant in an angular direction and then drawn in 

 at the top towards the plant ; this presses the soil against 

 the roots and insures it being firmly set in the soil, for if 

 not so set it will be likely to wilt and die. It is possible, 

 and is often done by careless garden 

 laborers, to press the soil against the 

 collar of the plant and leave the roota 

 hanging in an open space below, and if 

 :Such careless men press the soil down 

 with their feet, they do it so heavily as to 

 compress the soil, if it is any way wet, 

 to the consistency of an unbaked brick. 

 In either case, as we have often experienced to our loss, 

 both the plants and the labor are thrown away. 



The Sidney Seed Sower is a very 

 useful implement for sowing seeds, 

 especially in windy weather, as it dis- 

 tributes the seeds of any size from 

 peas to cabbage seed with great reg- 

 ularity, either broadcast or in drills. 



To these may be added a wheel- 

 barrow, a water pot, a garden reel 

 and line, a garden trowel, and an 

 eight or ten inch coarse, flat file. We find the latter an 

 essential tool to sharpen hoes and spades, for if they are 

 not kept well sharpened they require a much larger 

 amount of labor in using them. An oil cask is also useful 

 for mixing liquid manures in. 



