3 1 2 New Method of forming living Arbours. 



The blades are formed by cutting into different lengths the blade 

 of an old scythe, and unriveting the back-plate. Three or four 

 hoe blades are obtained from one old scythe blade. The sockets 

 vary from 4 in. to 6 in. in length, and the breadth, as above stated, 

 is about 1 in. The most convenient-sized socket for wheat is 

 4 in., with blades of from 4 in. to 6 in. ; and for turnips 6 in., with 

 blades of 8 or 10 inches in length. For wheat-hoeing, the blades 

 should be a little narrower at the edge than at the back, as in 



Jig. 47. c; and for turnip-hoeing, and especially when the turnips 

 are to be thinned, the blade should be widest at the edge, as in 



Jig. 47. a. 



The great fault of the common hoe is the thickness of its 

 blade, by which it is with difficulty forced into the soil suffi- 

 ciently deep to render the hoeing of much use; but with the 

 shifting-blade hoe, in consequence of the thinness of the blade, 

 and the material being steel, it requires no more force to stir 

 the soil to the depth of 3 or 4 inches, than it does to stir 

 it to the depth of 1 in. with the common hoe. In hoeing 

 field turnips, you may send every man into the field in the 

 morning with five or six blades for his hoe in his pocket, each of 

 them as sharp as the blade of a scythe, and as thin ; and these 

 he can change in succession as they become dull ; and the next 

 morning he can sharpen the whole of them on the grinding-stone 

 in a few minutes. Every one who has had much practice in 



■ turnip-hoeing knows how difficult it is to perform the work well 

 when the corners of his hoe are worn off; but with the shifting- 

 blade hoe, as soon as the corners get blunt, the blade can be 

 thrown away and replaced by another. 

 Bitteswell Hall, May 4. 1841. 



[We have sent one of these hoes to Messrs. Cottam and Hal- 

 len, Winsley Street, Oxford Street, who, if they should be asked 

 for them, will manufacture them for sale. — Cond.'] 



Art. VI. A nexu Method of forming Living Arbours. By W. P. 



I SEND, for insertion in your Garde7ier's Magazine, the following 

 account of a method of forming a living arbour or fence. It has 

 been spoken of, at various times, by Mr. D. Cooper, lecturer on 

 botany, but has never been noticed in any of the gardening peri- 

 odicals, that I am aware of. 



To form an arbour, plant a weeping ash, the stem of which 

 should be several feet high, in any convenient spot ; at the dis- 

 tance of 4 or 5 feet from it, according to the size you wish 

 to have the arbour, plant some of the common ash, at 6 or 

 8 inches' distance from each other, leaving a space of 3 ft. 

 for the entrance; with every alternate plant slanting in an 



