436 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 27, 1905. 
The Man with the Hoe. 
Bowed down by the weight of centuries, he leans 
Upon his hoe, gazes on the ground, 
The emptiness of ages in his face, 
And on his back the burden of the world. 
Who made him dead to rapture and despair; 
A thing that grieves not, and that never hopes ; 
Stolid and stunned, a brother to the ox 1 
Who loosened and let down this brutal jaw 1 
Whose breath blew out the light within,this brain? 
E. Markham. 
When the Californian penned these stirring lines, which 
aroused all America, he had in mind the famous painting by 
Millet; but the cruel, awful wording throughout the whole 
poem struck the hearts of men. 
Especially did it affect such an agricultural country as the 
United States, because it cast reflections upon a body of men 
who were making the nation. 
Whatever the picture may suggest, it is a crime to look 
upon the man with the hoe with disdain. 
To the gardener and market man the hoe is an indispensable 
tool, whether it be the humble Dutch or draw hoe, or the latest 
Weller invention. 
Without the hoe cultivation ceases, and gardening becomes 
a farce. The intelligent gardener will have long since dis¬ 
covered why the use of the hoe among his crops is beneficial. 
A few might imagine that its sole purpose is to keep down 
weeds, but that is only one of its valuable features. 
I remember once hearing a little story of a man who had 
discovered how to get rid of “ bearbine ’ ; that was, to grow 
Turnips. The queer old fellow overlooked the fact that to 
o-row Turnips he must constantly hoe, thereby cutting off all 
weed growths. Why he constantly hoed did not occur to him ; 
he only knew that they must be hoed. 
The most important feature about hoeing is that it keeps the 
soil in a loose condition. 
To hoe, it is not necessary to delve down some 6 in., but 
only one or two; indeed, when the soil is trampled, as for 
Onions, it is impossible to go deeper, especially on heavy soil. 
But if only 1 in. is loose the deed is accomplished, for the stirr¬ 
ing at that depth will prevent all weeds from growing, no 
matter how many crops may appear, and when dealing with 
land which has been infested with groundsel or Mercurialis 
annua, crop after crop will spring up for several seasons. 
In keeping the soil loose, it is also aerated, a most im¬ 
portant feature for healthy growth, and, further, evaporation 
is prevented to a very large extent. 
Let a plot of heavy soil remain unhoed during hot weather ; 
it rapidly cracks, and I have seen apertures in the meadows 
3 in. to 6 in. across, and deep enough to swallow a walking 
stick. This is more noticeable where there was constant tramp¬ 
ling when the soil was wet. Even without trampling the 
vicious cracks will appear, if untouched, and from these the 
underground moisture pours forth in the form of vapour. 
By°the aid of the hoe the incrustation of the soil is pre¬ 
vented ; no cracks can appear, with the result that the soil 
retains its moisture for a lengthened period, and, further, 
enables rains to soak away rapidly and evenly. 
In the kitchen garden hoeing Is an easy task, for all crops 
are in rows, and where large quantities are cultivated, the 
Weller hoe is a boon. 
In the small garden the Dutch and draw hoes can cope with 
the work to the mutual benefit of crops and the cultivator. In 
ordinary work the boy is as useful as the man, but where 
flowers abound, only the intelligent individual should, be 
allowed. More especially is this desirable in the early spring, 
when the plants in the borders are only just appearing. A 
clumsy hoer, or one who> is not familiar with the plants or their 
positions, will do a vast amount of damage in a short time. 
Last year I witnessed a catastrophe of this kind where an 
odd man, after working amongst the big herbaceous stuff, got 
into a small nursery bed of alpines which had been collected 
on the Alps only a few months previous. The owner did not 
discover the damage until the hot sun had burnt the atom-like 
plants to nothingness. Then, alack ! W, 
Tropaeolums. 
I think these plants are not grown so much as they deserve 
to be. For a cool greenhouse a more admirable plant of a self- 
clinging habit could not be chosen for pretty effect in early 
spring than T. tricolorum, which is very robust and most 
brilliant, the flowers being scarlet, tipped with black, and with 
a. yellow throat. T. brachyceras, bearing yellow flowers, is 
very pretty, but not so bright as the previous one. T. azureum 
is a beautiful blue-flowering species, but it is a weaker grower 
and requires greater care to bring it to perfection; such things 
as overwatering, droughts, and overcrowding must be avoided, 
and it should have a light position near the glass and every 
encouragement possible given to promote growth. The two 
first-named sorts cling splendidly on string or wire fixed to 
the roof, either lengthways or straight up the roof in a festoon¬ 
ing arrangement, producing this way a most pleasing sight 
when the whole is covered and in full bloom. A different mode 
of training may be adopted in the case of T. azureum; a few 
neat twigs or a wire balloon should be put in the pots for the 
fragile growth to twine on, taller sticks being added as the 
growth advances. Although, they are self-clinging, yet they 
need almost daily attention in order to train the growths the 
way they should go. The effect is improved if a few growths 
are allowed to hang, nipping the ends out when about 1 ft. 
long. This is a tuberous'-rooted plant, and is usually grown in 
6 -in. and 7-in. pots. 
Annual potting is advisable. Compost, two parts good loam, 
one part leaf-mould and coarse sand. Two or three tubers, 
according to size, may be planted in each pot, and this work 
should be done shortly after they have gone to rest, not leaving 
them until the new growths have commenced, which, being so 
very tender, it is almost impossible to avoid breaking off. The 
tubers can be left to remain dormant just the same length of 
time after being newly potted, and are then at liberty to start 
at their own free will without any interference. Water must 
be given sparingly approaching the time of starting, early 
autumn being the time for them to move. Keep them through 
the resting period in a cool pit, eventually giving them their 
permanent quarters. Never allow them to suffer for want of 
water when in- activity, but gradually lessen the supply wheii 
going to rest. Frequently watering them with weak soot- 
water and farmyard manure-water greatly assists them to 
flower abundantly. M. J. 
Rhododendron Edgeworthii. 
This is one of the most distinct and handsome Rhododen¬ 
drons we have, both in point of flower and foliage, as an 
epiphyte, growing on trees, etc., in the Sikkim Himalayas at 
elevations of 7,000 ft. to 8,000 ft. A curious point about this 
species is the rich, ferruginous, downy tomentum covering the 
branches, calyx and underside of leaves, which in itself con¬ 
trasts well with the dark deep green of the upper surface. The 
leaves are about 4 in. to 5 in. long, being deeply reticulated, on 
the upper surface. The habit is very straggling, producing 
long, slender growths with few, lateral branches. The flowers 
are terminal' in threes or fours, the individual flowers being 
4 in. to 5 in. across, slightly tinged with rose. The stamens 
are very prominent, with the anther lobes of a deep purple 
colour, which greatly improves the beauty of the flower. 
Where room can be spared, it should be planted out in a 
l-ich, peaty border, and allowed to ramble over a few old tree- 
roots; placed in as natural a way as possible, a veiy pleasing 
group can he obtained. At the south end of the Himalayan 
House fn Kew this effect can be seen. This attractive feature, 
together with its sweet, fragrance makes R. Edgeworthii one of 
the most pleasing species we have. Mac. 
