40 



GARDEN STEPS 



Hoe and Cultivator. — ^The principal use of the 

 hoe is for opening small trenches and furrows. 

 For cultivating and killing weeds, the best tool is 

 not a hoe, but a potato digger with five or six round 

 tines. The shorter the tines and the lighter the tool, 

 the better. The sharp teeth of this potato digger 

 sink into the ground easily, and work back and 

 forth, leaving the dirt loose and fine without piHng 



it up. It is also useful in 

 turning over new ground. 

 A sharp stroke and a pull 

 will bring up a clod with 

 little effort. In selecting 

 tools of this sort, light- 

 ness is essential. A heavy 

 hoe only requires more 

 effort for the same result. 

 Trowels. — ^Trowels are 

 not expensive. Good 

 ones can be bought in 

 the ten-cent store. Have 

 one large trowel with a 

 curved blade for general 

 use, and one small mason's trowel for working about 

 the smaller plants. 



Wheel Harrow.' — Another tool for cultivating is 

 the wheel harrow or wheel plow. This tool costs 

 about five dollars, and is worth every cent of it, 

 where the garden covers five thousand feet or more. 



Sickle, Small Mason's Trowel, 

 Round-Bladed Trowel, and 

 Small Cultivator 



