XIX 



GARDEN TOOLS 



^HE list of tools and appliances which are necessary 



A to the comfort and convenience of the gardener- 

 in-a-small-way, comprises sixteen or seventeen articles. 

 A few more that are highly desirable bring the number 

 up to twenty-two. If the space under cultivation is 

 large enough to warrant the addition to these of a 

 wheel hoe, by all means include it in the outfit. It will 

 not do away with the need for the common hoe and 

 rake and spade, for frequently they are indispensable; 

 but it does lighten the labor of tilling the soil to an 

 unbelievable degree. 



It is useful too, even in a very small garden, if the 

 vegetable rows have space enough at their ends to admit 

 of turning around with it outside the garden limits. 

 Where they run close up to a fence this is of course 

 impossible; consequently the wheel hoe is not of much 

 service in such restricted garden plots. But if land is 

 not at a great premium it is worth while to leave a 

 margin around a vegetable patch for just this purpose. 

 The saving in labor — and fatigue — is worth the sacrifice 

 in garden space, for the complete seeder, hoe, cultivator 

 and plow of the wheel hoe make gardening only fun. 



