158 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 11. 
even then it would be below the point of draught or 
impulsion (the hand of the labourer); and the nearer it 
can he brought to a level with this, the more efficiently 
he exerts his power. 
The breadth of the wheel’s periphery, or felloes, might 
he also increased two inches advantageously; for, as it 
is always employed upon a surface in some degree soft, 
such an increased breadth would decrease the depth to 
which the wheel of a loaded harrow usually sinks into 
the soil, and would proportionately decrease the power 
required to overcome the augmented opposition. In a 
wheelbarrow so constructed, a man might move with 
more ease eight hundred weight, than he now impels 
five hundred weight, which is a full barrow load. 
If a wheelbarrow be made of wood, the feet and 
handles should be capped with iron, and its joints 
strengthened with bands of the same metal. Iron 
barrows are now made weighing no more than ninety- 
two pounds, and they run very lightly. 
The longer the handles of a wheelbarrow are, and the 
nearer the load to the wheel, the easier is that load lifted, 
and the easier is the barrow turned over to discharge 
the load. 
Our able coadjutor in the kitchen-garden department, 
writing to us on the same subject, says:—“Although we 
have gardened in five counties of England, and these 
wide apart, we never saw but some two or tltree wlieel- 
bar roivs that approached to what we would wish a 
garden one to be; and so often have our directions in 
the make of this indispensable vehicle been marred, in 
some of its parts, by the unwillingness of wheelwrights 
and others to depart out of their usual path, that we 
have almost despaired of ever obtaining a really cleverly 
made, useful article. The demand for garden barrows, 
unlike that for those used in common excavations, has 
never been so extensive as to call for any extraordinary 
mechanical skill in their construction; and while the 
navvy has the sides and head of his carriage arranged 
with mathematical precision to the proper angle, we of 
the blue apron are often compelled to push before us a 
sort of a packing-box-looking contrivance, mounted on a 
frame and wheel which deals out a description of music, 
that tells in unmistakeable language what barbarous 
machinery is at work. Now we must confess it is no 
easy matter to explain on paper what we would like to 
see adopted; every labourer can tell tolerably well by a 
single look whether the one before him is a “ right one” 
or not. We must, therefore, dwell only on general prin 
ciples, which are these: let the barrow be made with 
the sides only gently sloping outwards, the head more 
so, and to project so far over that a considerable part of 
the load may be thrown on the wheel when the handles 
are lifted up; nevertheless, a distance of not less than 
two inches should intervene between the head of the 
barrow and rim of the wheel. The wheel must be of 
wood, in the ‘ spoke and felloe' make, and an iron tire of 
about two-and-a-half or three inches wide. The axle 
being wood may have iron gudgeons, but these must 
not by any means run in the iron thimbles so common 
in many barrows, a week’s work will wear them out in 
such a place, besides the everlasting noise attending 
them, which no greasing (unless hourly) could prevent. 
We like them to run in blocks of wood; beech is best, ; 
nailed to the end of the shafts. The smooth and noise 
less manner in which the wheel performs its evolutions j 
entitle it to some consideration, independent of its 
durability. We may add that the ‘ tail-board’ ought to 
be made fast, but need only be about half the depth of 
the sides. The plan of having it to take out and put in 
when wanted, very often leads to its not being forth¬ 
coming when called upon; and the certainty it has to 
fall out, when the barrow is emptied, very often tempts 
the operator to dispense with it altogether. For grass 
or leaves a useful hand-cart is preferable to a barrow, 
but the wheels ought to be broader than is usually seen 
in those used by tradesmen ; and they ought to be made 
to upset cleverly, which a large barrow is difficult to do.” 
The best wheelbarrow of which a drawing has been 
sent to us, is from Mr. C. E. Wells, but he has not 
favoured us with his address. He says :— 
“ I ventm-e to forward a rough sketch of a barrow, 
which my ancestors originated and have used many 
years. We have hitherto used and considered it as one 
involving less labour (or weight upon the man) from 
the load conveyed than any other we are acquainted 
with. Again, the box of the barrow is large compared 
to those in general use, and will take a good bulk (which 
in gardens is frequently of as much importance as 
weight) of light materials. Another recommendation 
is, that when wheeling and pitching soil over the wheel, 
the load readily leaves the barrow. Made of oak they 
last many years. 
Diameter of bed of barrow, 1 ft. 10 in.; diameter of 
barrow at top, 2 ft.; handles spread at the workman’s 
end, 2 ft. 1 in.; handles spread at wheel end, 1 ft. 11 in.; 
wheel 2 inches wide, the periphery has an iron tire, a 
stout wood axle, with an iron pin at each end working 
in an iron eye.” 
These are not the only modifications of the wheel¬ 
barrow which have been suggested to obviate its incon¬ 
veniences, for the accompanying sketches represent 
wheelbarrows proposed as long since as 1700, to remove 
objections attendant upon that still generally in use. 
No. 1 has a broad wheel, three feet in diameter, 
passing through the centre of the barrow, but covered 
over by a box. The object of this is to have the load 
