238 



GARDEN LABOURS WITH PLANTS, 



called into severe action. In mowing corn or long grass, the blade of the 

 scythe may be moved along in a direction in which the plane of the blade 

 forms an acute angle with the surface of the ground ; but in mowing short 

 grass, the blade requires to be kept parallel to the surface, and, when the 

 grass is kept very short, even to be pressed against it. The motion requires 

 to be rapid and uniform, and the edge of the scythe to be kept very sharp by 

 the frequent use of the whetstone. In the case of mowing lawns which 

 contain scattered trees and shrubs without any dug space round them, the 

 use of the grass- shears is required to cut the grass which comes in contact 

 with the stems and branches. (416 and 417.) Mowing is chiefly used in 

 lawns and pleasure-grounds, to keep the surfaces of grass short, smooth, and 

 green ; but it is also employed to destroy weeds on grassy surfaces, and at 

 the bottom of pieces of water, by cutting them over, as soon as they have 

 advanced an inch or two in height in the spring, and repeating the opera- 

 tion, with every triflmg increase of growth during the season, and every 

 succeeding one, till the roots cease to have the power of throwing up leaves. 

 The scythe for mowing at the bottom of water ought to have an iron handle, 

 in order that it may pass more readily through the water from its small 

 diameter, and sink readily from its weight ; and it must not be forgotten 

 that the time at which weeds must be mown is not when they are an inch or 

 two above the surface of the water, but every time that they are an inch or 

 two above the bottom of the pond or river. In mowing lawns, the mow- 

 ing machine (442.) is often used on a large scale; and the common 

 hedge-shears on a small scale for shortening the grass at the roots of 

 shrubs or trees, which the mowing machine or scythe cannot conveniently 

 reach. 



549. Weeding is simply the pulling up of weeds, or any plants that are 

 out of place ; and it is generally effected by the hand, more or less aided by 

 weeding implements of the different kinds before described (400) ; to which 

 we may add, the Guernsey weeding prong (described in the Gardener's 

 Chronicle, vol. i. p. G6), which appears well adapted for preventing stooping, 

 and the touching the weeds and q rubbing in the soil with the fingers. The 

 head of this implement (fig. 165), is in the shape of a claw hammer; with 

 the one end flattened into a chisel, an inch wide, and the forked or clawed 

 end, consisting of two flat 



sharp prongs by which ^^^^ W 



the weeds are grubbed " ^""^^71/ 



up and lifted at the same [j 

 time. The length of the head from the extremity of the chisel end to that 

 of the prong end is nine inches, and it is attached to a handle five feet long. 

 A great part of the labour of weeding may in most gardens be performed by 

 women and children ; and it will not only be lightened, but their hands will 

 be kept clean, by the adoption of the Guernsey prong. 



550. Other labours with plants might be enumerated, but they are either such 

 as are common to arboriculture, agriculture, and other arts, or belong more 

 properly to garden operations. We may, however, here notice splitting 

 the stocks or roots of trees ; as, though it belongs properly to the forester, it 

 is yet a labour which a gardener may have occasionally to practise. It is 

 effected by entering a wedge always more or less in the direction of the fibres 

 of the wood. This wedge must be struck with a heavy iron hammer, with a 



