GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 59 



Cheap boots are dear at any price. If possible to 

 afford it, they should be made to order, for a good 

 many hom-s of the day will be spent in them. It 

 is well to have a few nails in the soles ; those 

 made of aluminium are best. From 1 to Ij ozs. 

 will be sufficient for a pair of boots, and the dif- 

 ference in weight between them and the ordinary 

 tackets is worth the extra cost. 



Boots should never be blacked, but always 

 greased. This makes them warm in winter and 

 wonderfully cool in summer ; they are then really 

 waterproof. If they are dressed once or twice a 

 week with Gishurstine, they will wear well, and 

 keep soft and pliable. A Is. tin will last a long 

 time. Castor oil, too (the cheap veterinary kind), 

 is also excellent. Two pairs of boots are necessary 

 so that they can be worn on alternate days, 

 and thus be properly dried. There is a foolish, 

 old-fashioned rule in some gardens that the 

 men must have their boots neatly blacked 

 on Monday mornings. This should not be en- 

 couraged. 



The best way to dry boots, when absolutely 

 soaked through, is as follows : — Take 2 or 3 lb. of 

 oats, and heat them in the oven ; when the boots 

 are taken off, stand them in a pail, and pour the 

 hot oats up to the top of the polish. The oats 

 absorb moisture, and as the boot dries they will 



