The A. B. C. of July Watering 
BUYING AND REPAIRING THE GARDEN HOSE— 
WHEN AND HOW TO WATER GRASS AND FLOWERS 
BY L. J. Doogue 
C OMPARATIVELY few people 
realize just how important a 
hose is in the matter of keeping a 
place looking well, but it is a fact that 
were it not for its good offices there 
would be a very small percentage of 
velvety green swards during the fre¬ 
quent hot periods when the weather 
man is shy with moisture. Notwith¬ 
standing the fact that flowers and 
grass are so often dependent on it for 
life, there is no garden implement 
which is treated with less considera¬ 
tion and is so roughly used and from 
which so much is expected as the gar¬ 
den hose. Where garden hose is used 
a hose-reel will be found of the great¬ 
est convenience and will pay for its 
cost in one season by the saving in 
wear. Good garden hose costs eight¬ 
een or twenty cents a foot, even in 
fifty-foot lengths, but the wise gar¬ 
dener never buys cheap hose. Hose at 
twelve or fifteen cents a foot that will 
last two seasons is much more expen¬ 
sive than at twenty which will last for four, 
and the difference in wear is often much 
greater than that. 
The tag of the manufacturer is the best 
thing to go by in buying hose. The number 
of ply is a delusion calculated to catch the 
unsophisticated. Nine-ply of an unknown 
manufacturer is not a tenth the value of 
four-ply with a reputable firm standing spon¬ 
sor for it. 
Hose made on honor cannot be retailed for 
less than fifteen cents per foot, and from that 
up to twenty-five—a seemingly high price, 
but really reasonable for services rendered. 
Another point to be remembered. When a 
really good hose begins to show signs of 
wear after years of service, its useful¬ 
ness can be maintained for many more 
years by proper repairing. For this 
brass sleeves are recommended, 
though there are many other things- 
on the market. The kind with re¬ 
versed prongs is quickly applied and 
holds fast. 
To make repairs when a leak shows, 
sever the pipe, cut out the damaged 
area, and slip the hose ends into the 
sleeve and press together. It takes 
but a moment, and the number of 
times a hose can be repaired is only 
limited to the lasting ability of the 
rubber. 
A cheap hose resembles the far- 
famed one-horse chaise in that its 
days of usefulness are ended on the 
appearance of the first leak. After 
this leaks appear so fast that it might 
be used as a sprinkler with its many 
perforations, rather than a hose with 
For spraying there is nothing better than the attachable nozzle a singleness of purpose. 
A good hose will be a good hose 
very much longer by careful treatment than 
by careless handling. Another very neces¬ 
sary “don't” is to warn against dragging the 
hose over gravelly walks. This is one of the 
potent causes of hose destruction. 
Have you ever noticed a gardener water¬ 
ing his flower bed with a hose? He never 
uses the very common brass sprinkler in such 
common use; he produces the same variety 
of streams without increasing a heavy pres¬ 
sure simply by using his thumb. The change 
from a very light spray for nearby flowers 
to a heavy long stream to reach plants far 
back are each instantly produced by a slight 
shift of the position of the thumb. The use 
How not to put the hose away after using ( Continued Oil page 56) 
By the use of the thumb the stream may be regulated for flowers at varying 
distances or of tender growth 
In the same way, the stream may be turned into a spray. This method ensures 
an even and thorough sprinkling 
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