ae 
& 
JUNE, 1908 
plow and coverers for sowing onion seed in 
wide band for growing sets or pickling 
onions is furnished as an extra. 
The consideration of seeders naturally 
leads to the question of the combined tool. 
Having the wheel hoe and seeder separate 
leaves each tool to be used at any time 
without the necessity of changing and is 
the most convenient way to have them, 
but it is also the most costly. When the 
gardener must have both in one or not 
have a seeder at all, by all means buy 
the combined tool. It is better to spend 
the short time necessary to make the change 
from one form to the other than to be with- 
out the labor-saving seeder. 
The most useful combination is the 
seeder and the double-wheel hoe, but it 
takes longer to change to the wheel hoe 
and back again than is the case with the 
single wheel hoe, with which it is only 
necessary to remove the seed-sowing device 
(all in one piece) and attach the tool frame. 
This is very quickly done by removing and 
— - a - ~ 
H 
The working parts of a handy seed drill for small 
gardens. The regular coverer is shown at ?, but a 
better one can be made at home from the details 
shown at 8s. ¢, u. and attached to the drill 
replacing one bolt. Changing the double 
wheel type can be simplified by purchasing 
an extra wheel, which remains attached to 
the seeding device. . 
Where the garden is of sufficient size, or if, 
as with me, the saving of time is an impor- 
tant consideration, the best tool assortment ° 
to purchase is a double-wheel hoe and a 
single-wheel combination hoe and _ seeder. 
Here are my reasons: 
All the vegetables in the garden can 
be worked with a double wheel hoe while 
they are small. This leaves seeder and wheel 
hoe ready for use at any moment without 
changing. Later in the season when growth 
necessitates the use of a cultivator between 
the rows and it is only necessary to make 
an occasional sowing of seed, the work 
can then also be performed with a minimum 
of changes, as the hoes can remain attached 
to the double-wheel hoe, and the cultivator 
teeth to the single-wheel hoe frame. This 
scheme, moreover, has the added advantage of 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
allowing two people to cultivate at the same 
time. From actual use I believe this is 
the best combination possible, covering 
all classes of work and giving the use of three 
tools with the purchase and storage of, 
practically, two. 
Few people view the first cost of tools 
in the proper light. A garden 60x 75 ft., 
properly planted and cared for, will each 
year yield between $60 and $70 worth of 
vegetables and berries of such freshness and 
quality that double the amount could not buy. 
Remember that seeds can be sowed and 
the work of cultivating done in one-fifth 
to one-tenth the time required for hand 
work, and better too. Divide the cost 
by the years the tools can be used. I can 
hardly estimate the life of either hoes or 
seeders. Five years’ use with proper care 
will leave them practically as good as when 
purchased. This means that to find the 
cost per year, the purchase price can be 
divided by at least fifteen. The only costs 
for maintenance are occasioned by breakage 
through carelessness. Even if you deduct 
the first cost of a complete equipment from 
the value of one year’s products it leaves 
a substantial profit. 
FOR THE SMALLEST PLOT 
Those who possess a kitchen garden 
too small to think of a hill and drill seeder, 
will find the kitchen garden seed drill a 
yery handy tool. It will open the furrow, 
sow, and cover to the depth of about one 
inch all such small seeds as beets, cabbage, 
carrot, lettuce, etc. It is also useful for 
sowing vegetable seeds in coldframes, hot- 
beds, and greenhouses. To work properly 
the soil must be well loosened and _ pul- 
verized, of proper moisture, neither too wet 
nor too dry. When using it one thing mus¢ 
not be neglected. This is, to firm the soil 
after sowing either by walking on the row, 
rolling, or otherwise. 
The details of this tool are shown in the 
illustration. The wheel is a wooden disk 
one-half an inch thick, the seed drum is 
made of tin, the feed holes can be adjusted 
in size to suit the seed to be sowed and to 
regulate the quantity. A few trials with 
various seeds on a sheet of paper will enable 
the operator to adjust the openings by the 
eye. A brush clamped to the stationary 
axle forces the seed through the holes 
in the revolving seed drum, the seed falls 
into the cast-iron spout which deposits 
it directly behind the drill opener, which 
is adjustable in depth. When purchased 
this opener is painted; scrape it and polish 
and it will work better. The coverer 
furnished with this seeder is made of a piece 
of one-quarter-inch round iron and is shown 
at v. A much better one, however, can 
easily be made at home from an old window- 
awning frame, the screwhole in it being 
used to attach it to the seeder, or get a piece 
of three-eighths inch round iron twelve 
and one-half inches long bent into shape 
shown at ¢ and uw, and attach the same 
as the one furnished with the seeder. The 
rod, marked for bending, is shown at s. 
| ; 
275 
E ™ This V-shaped coy- 
erer draws the soil 
in over the furrow 
much better than 
the straight one 
that is supplied. 
Remember that 
this is a low-priced 
implement, and is 
made accordingly. 
Do not expect it to 
do the work of a 
tool costing many 
‘ times as much. Yet 
The seed drill shown : 
in the figure to the left for all its cheap- 
with its own coverer MESS ame does the 
work surprisingly 
well and many times faster than it can 
be done by hand. For making small sow- 
ings, it will give many dollars’ worth of 
service. 
I most highly recommend the corn 
planter. It will plant corn any depth to 
about two and one-half inches, and 
the quantity sowed can be regulated. 
To secure a continuous supply of sweet corn, 
it is necessary to make successive plantings 
every ten to fifteen days. With this tool 
kept loaded with your favorite variety, there 
need be no plantings missed or behind time 
for any cause whatever. A few minutes’ 
use of the planter each time will make the 
supply continuous — no holes to make, seed 
to drop, and then cover. With the depth 
regulator properly set, walk down the row, 
stick the planter into the soil, and press 
it forward until the planting blades are 
clear of the ground again. The projecting 
plate resting on the ground and attached 
to an arm opens the wedge-shaped _ planting 
blades, releases the required quantity of 
seed and the planter is lifted clear without 
allowing any soil to get between the planting 
blades. This is done more quickly than 
it can be told, and large plantings can be 
completed very rapidly. 
There are various makes and prices of corn 
planters on the market. Select one in which 
the feeding device will insure the sowing 
of a uniform quan- : 
tity of seed in each 
hill and in which 
the quantity to be 
sowed can be regu- 
lated, as the grains 
of different varieties 
vary considerably. 
This is important. 
The planter illus- 
trated, named the 
American Standard 
No. 4, fulfils the 
conditions better 
than any other that 
I have seen, some 
of which cost nearly 
as much. Its me- 
chanical design is 
the work of a prac- 
tical man, the con- 
struction is substan- 
tial, and it is well 
finished. 
For successional plant- 
ings this corn planter, 
kept loaded, is a great 
labor saver 
