APRIL, 1908 
time, too, the hoe 
in some form or 
cther is always 
called fcr. And 
from this very great 
diversity of uses it 
is but reasonable to 
consider that there 
should be a diver- 
sity of form. 
rake is stronger than a T A hoe is a tool 
SIRETO HOE! to scratch and 
scrape; it is not in- 
tended to be used for chopping. Various 
forms are shown in the illustration on 
page 150, two views of each tool being 
presented to show the shape and the angle 
of blade to handle at which each one works 
best. 
The weeding hoe, shown in No. 8, is the 
easiest and fastest working hoe that I have 
ever used, but cannot be bought as shown. 
However, it is easy to adapt one to my 
pattern. Buy a square-top hoe with as 
shallow a blade as possible and cut this to 
two inches in depth. It can then easily be 
cut to any width desired and set at the 
proper angle, 63 degrees. ‘The one illustrated 
is eight inches wide and the handle four feet 
eight inches long. While it can be used 
the same way as any other hoe, the angle 
at which the blade sets to the handle gives 
it such a draw cut, that when pressed into 
the soil and drawn forward quickly, the 
soil passes over the shallow blade and falls 
behind itin a crumbled condition nearly 
as level as it was before hoeing. If the soil 
does not crumble easily a sliding backward 
motion will complete the pulverizing and 
place the hoe in position for the next stroke. 
These strokes can be made from a few inches 
to three feet or more in length, according 
to the nature of the soil and the work. 
The shallow blade permits the use of the 
hoe under such low-growing plants as let- 
tuce and cabbage without injuring them. 
As it can also be used between plants set 
close in the row, hoeing between rows and 
plants can be completed at one time. One 
trial will prove my assertion that a shallow- 
bladed hoe, set at an angle that will give a 
good draw cut will loosen and pulverize the 
soil in one-half to one-quarter the time re- 
quired for the same work with a half moon, 
or a hilling hoe; even if those two hoes are 
- set at the same angle as this, they lack its 
efficiency because of their greater depth. 
The Warren, or all-purpose hoe (No 9), 
has a multitude of uses, and will answer for 
Nos. 11 and 12 in most circumstances. 
The point, ears, or edges of the blade are 
used as needed for opening furrows of any 
depth, covering seed, general hoeing, and 
for drawing the earth to the plants, called hill- 
ing. It is also useful for loosening the soil 
for successive plantings. The garden outfit 
is incomplete without it. The one figured 
has a blade six and one-half inches long 
from tip of ear to point, but it may be had 
with either a seven, seven and one-half, -or 
eight inch blade. This blade has a slight 
forward curve frem its connection with its 
shank to the point, being shaped somewhat 
4. A full bow frame 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
like the double shovel plow. Both edges 
and ears are sharp; it is set at the same angle 
as No. 8, and has the same length handle. 
Lightning scuffle hoe (No. 10). This is well 
named for with it the soil can be loosened 
and pulverized at a saving of three-fourths 
of the time required by the use of the ordinary 
hoe. It can be used for weeding among the 
vegetable plants without danger of cutting 
them off, as the upturned ends show the path 
of the blade. It is invaluable in a grape 
or berry border. To illustrate the speed 
of this hoe: a border three feet wide and sixty 
feet long, planted with twenty-four berry 
bushes can be hoed with ease in ten minutes; 
I have done it in eight minutes. For loosen- 
ing the soil and destroying weeds over large 
areas, there is no tool that can compare 
a 4 
5. Showing the proper angle for the various 
blades. The dotted line shows the hoe handle; the 
numbers at the ends of the solid lines correspond 
with those in figure 2 
with it except the wheel hoe. The double- 
edged scuffle hoe is made in a variety of 
sizes and shapes, all of which work very 
rapidly. It is operated by moving it back- 
ward and forward, the blade working be- 
neath the surface, loosening the soil, and 
crumbling it as it passes over the blade and 
cutting off all plants in its path. The one 
_shown here has a six-foot handle and the 
blade measures nine inches between the 
upturned ears. It is V-shaped and sharp 
on all its edges and set at an angle of 33 
degrees to the handle. 
The half-moon hoe (No. 11) isa very pop- 
ular tool, but the depth of the blade and the 
angle at which it is set draws the soil along in 
front of the blade and when the soil is crusted, 
it requires a chopping motion to produce 
results. This is tiresome and slow. It 
is useful, however, when it is desired to hoe 
a hill at one time, but works much slower 
than hoe No. 8. The popular width of the 
blade, as illustrated, is seven inches, but is 
made in various widths of from three 
to eight inches, and three to three and one- 
half inches in depth. The blade usually 
sets at an angle of 68 to 70 degrees to the 
151 
handle, which is four and two-thirds feet 
long. 
Hilling hoe (No. 12) in its various 
forms has a number of names, but the one 
used is as common as any. Notwithstand- 
ing that this is a very popular type of hoe, it 
nevertheless wastes more labor than any 
hoe Iever used. The inclination of the blade 
and its depth make it a first-class hoe for 
hilling purposes, but as a tool for general 
cultivaticn it is a failure as compared with 
hoe No. 8. Nurserymen and truckers may 
find various uses for this hoe, but it has no 
place in the home garden. The one illus- 
trated is eight inches wide and four and 
one-half inches deep to the top of the ears, 
as the two curved portions at the top of the 
blade are called. It is also made with a 
square top and from six to eight inches in 
width and three to five inches in depth. 
The blade sets at the same angle as No. 11 
and has a handle the same length. 
I especially recommend weeding hoe, 
Warren hoe and lightning scuffle hoe. These 
form a trio that will loosen the soil, kill the 
weeds, and do the general work of the garden 
with less labor than any other combination 
of hand tools on the market (excepting only 
the wheel hoe, and are valuable even to 
supplement the work of that invaluable 
tool). All can be bought easily except 
No. 8, which must be made and No. to, 
which is not commonly in the stores. 
MAKING HOE WORK EASY 
The angle of a hoe blade to the handle, 
makes all the difference between easy work- 
ing and the reverse, yet few people give it 
any consideration. The angles recommended 
for the different forms of hoes are those that 
have actually given the best results. To 
secure these angles the user will have to set 
the blades himself by bending the shank, 
as of a dozen hoes of the same pattern pur- 
chased at one time to make into my weeding 
hoe, hardly two were set at the same angle, 
the variation being as muchas 5 degrees: Two 
Warren hoes had 5 
degrees difference in 
the set of the blade. 
The height of the 
person using, the 
length of his arms, 
or the length of the 
hoe-handle will 
make some slight 
difference, of course. 
The only thing to 
do is to make a trial 
at the angles given 
and if they do not 
give the proper re- 
sults alter them to 
suit your individual 
needs. In the dia- 
gram of angles the 
line a 6 represents 
the hoe handle, the 
lines extending 
from 6 to the vari- 
ous numbers repre- 
sent the set or angle 
of the blade fcr the 
tesres a 
6. The spading fork, 14, 
which supplants the ordi- 
nary spade; a planting 
spade, 15; and a setting 
rod, 16 
