and of Rural Improvement generally -, during 1842. 651 



Implements, Instruments, 8fc. — A number of implements, and 

 some instruments and utensils, new, curious, or useful, will be 

 found figured in p. 474., and from 597. to 601. ; and a machine 

 for levelling, and other purposes, in road-making, in p. 602. A 

 new dahlia stake is given in p. 453., and a very convenient car- 

 rying utensil in p. 306. Another utensil also deserves notice, 

 because, though it does not belong to gardening as an art of 

 culture, it may be referred to it as an art of design. We 

 allude to the box for receiving the soil excavated from graves, 

 and returning it with expedition without leaving fragments to 

 disfigure the surface. An article for protecting peas, and one 

 or two others, noticed under the head of Implements in our 

 Table of Contents, may also be worth referring to. 



Operations of Culture and Management. — A mode of working 

 with two hoes, one in each hand, long in use by the market- 

 gardeners in the neighbourhood of London, is noticed in this 

 Magazine for the first time, by Mr. Barnes, (p. 555.) This 

 mode of hoeing serves as a substitute for weeding, and is greatly 

 preferable as stirring the soil. It is used in thinning all seedling 

 crops, whether broad-cast or in drills. Mr. Barnes has seven 

 different sizes, the largest having a blade 3| inches in width, and 

 the smallest one of | of an inch. He also uses one of the 

 smallest Avidth, but with the blade pointed, for stirring the 

 surface soil of plants in pots. The whole will be figured and 

 described in our next Volume. The only objection that we know 

 of that can be urged against these hoes is, that they require the 

 operator to stoop ; for which reason many would prefer the 

 crane-necked or sickle-hoe figured in our Volume for last year 

 p. 258. The value of pure sand for striking cuttings is well 

 known, but sometimes it is difficult to be had. The operation for 

 separating this sand from the sweepings of walks is described 

 by a very intelligent correspondent in p. 452. A mode of se- 

 curely fastening the mats or other nightly coverings on the 

 sashes of pits or frames is described by Mr. Ogle in p. 109., to 

 the excellence of which we can bear witness, having seen it in 

 use in the gardens under Mr. Ogle's care in Sussex. 



Garden Vermin. — Our present Volume is enriched by a va- 

 riety of papers on this subject, and more especially with some 

 interesting ones on destroying vermin in small gardens (p. 292.), 

 on song birds in flower-gardens (p. 254.), on the Italian owl, and 

 on relative subjects, by our highly esteemed correspondent and 

 great public favourite, Charles Waterton, Esq. 



Garden Architecture. — We have observed, in some few cases, 

 advantage taken of British sheet glass, which, our readers are 

 aware, may be used in panes from 3 ft. to 5 ft. or even 6 ft. in 

 length, at very little more expense than the best crown glass. 



