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Avork Avill be easiest done by tho draAv-lioe. SeA’eral improvements have been recently
made in the hoe, by vaiying the form of the blade, as in figs. 346, and 347., or by
malcing it sharp on all its edges, as in fig. 349. This last form is the invention of the
late Mr. Booker, of Croustadt. Fig. 348. shoAvs a double Dutch hoe, Avhich is veiy
useful for hoeing betAvcen drill crops Avhen they are young.
350
1715. The wheel hoe {fig. 350.) i s a c o m p o u n d b e tA v e e n t h e draAv a n d t h r u s t h o e s ,
b e i n g d r a -w n b y o n e m a n , a n d t h r u s t b y a n o t h e r . I t i s u s e d f o r h o e i n g g a r d e n -A v a lk s i n
t h e L oav C o u n t r i e s a n d i n F i - a n c e , A vhe re t h e Ava lks a r e e i t h e r o f s a n d o r e a r t h . In t h i s
c o u n t i y i t c o u l d s e l d o m b e e m p l o y e d f o r a s im i l a r p u r p o s e ; a n d , i n d e e d , f o r a n y o b j e c t i t
i s a b a d im p l e m e n t , a s i t r e q im - e s tAvo m e n t o A vork i t ; a n d tAvo m e n A v o rk in g Avitli t h e
s a m e t o o l w i l l ncArar d o s o m u c h Avork a s i f t h e y u s e d s e p a r a t e to o l s .
1716. The garden-rake consists of a range of teeth inserted in a straight bar of iron or
wood from six to eighteen inches in length, and attached at right angles across the end
of a handle. Ralies vaiy in size, and in the length and strength of their te e th : they are
used for covering seeds, or raking off weeds or cut grass, for smoothing surfaces, and for
removing or replacing thin strata of pulverised surfaces, as in cuffing (cuffing is a mode
of covering tree seeds sown in beds, by spreading the earth, previously drawn off to the
sides, over the seeds by a smart blow, or cuff, with tho back of the rake). For the latter
purpose a wooden-Jaeaded rake is preferable; for tbe others, iron is generally more
useL
1717. The drill-rake has large coulter-formcd teeth, about six inches long and the same
distance apai-t: it is used for draAving drOls across
beds for receiving small seeds, and also serves to
stfr the soil between the rows after the seeds come
up. In veiy loose soils, where a wide drill is required,
a sheath of Avood may be fixed to the
upper part of each prong in order to spread tlie
e a rth ; but this is seldom necessary. When tho
drills are not to he quite so Avide as six inches, the
operator has only to work the implement diagonally.
Fig. 351. shows a rake of this kind, invented
by Mr. Ogle, wliicb may be formed from a common bay rake.
1718. The daisy-rake {fig. 352.) has teeth shai-pened on both edges like lancets, and
is used for raking the grass in order to tear off the flower heads or buds of daisies, and
other plants, in gi'ass lawns.
354
352 ^ ^ 353 ? -
J
2 f t . S i n .
1719. Hislop’s short grass-rake {fig. 353.) consists of a piece of thin plate iron {fig. 354.),
cut into teeth, with two slips of ash, or other tough wood, between which it is firmly
riveted to form a back, and to keep it from bending. When put together, the back is
one inch and three quarters thick. The wood is beveled off half an inch above the
interstices of the te e th ; at which point the iron is slightly bent longitudinally, to admit
the thickness of the Avood underneath, and to give a proper inclination to the handle.
This instniment serves hoth for a grass-rake and a daisy-rake; and has the advantage,
over the daisy-rakes in common use, of being more easily cleaned, from the wideness
of the interstices between the teeth. {Gard. Mag. vol. v. p. 597.)
1720. The hoe-rake combines a hoe and a r a k e ; either at opposite ends of the same
handle, as in France, or back to back at one end, as in England {fig. 325. p. 518.).
Hoe-rakes are used for giving slight dressings to borders.
1721. The mow plough {fig. 355.) is madcAvith tAvo pieces of board about eight inches
wide, and two feet long, nailed
together as if to form the end and
side of a box. A common road-
scraper, made of wood, is put between
the boards in the form of
a triangle, or something like an
arrow head, the end of the handle
being placed at a sufficient inclination
to enable tbe operator to
walk erect. >\Tien used, it is
pushed before the operator, who
advances at a walking pace.
1722. The turf-raser {raser, Fr.
to shave) {fig. 326. p. 518.) consists
of a narroAv kidney-shaped blade fixed to a straight handle, and is used tor paring
the edges of verges or borders of tu r f ; and for cutting the outlines of turves to be raised
Avith the turf-spade. .
1723. O f wheel turf-rasers, or verge-cutters, or edging-irons, there are vanous kinds;
one in use by the French is shoAvn in fig. 356.; and another, mventcd by Mr. Macintosh,
in fig. 357. With Macintosh’s verge-cutter, a man may cut as much in one day as
he A v ill cut in four or five days Avith the one in general use.
Unless there be a long straight line to be edged, a garden line is
unnecessary; but when one is used, it may be placed between the
wheel and the coulter, or cutting part, of the machine (a). A certain
degi-ee of pressure is necessary on the handle, when the ground is
h a rd ; and the kneed coulter (5) may be employed Avhere the
edgings are not very regular. When in use, the coulters should be
sharpened every moi-ning, and several should be taken out by the
operator, in order that the instant one loses its cutting edge, its
place may be supplied by another. {Gard. Mag. vol.i. p. 139.) Bell’s turf-raser ( /p ’.
358.) is adapted to places where the smface is hilly or un ev en ; and its advantages are,
358
f i r s t , t h a t i t c a n n o t be p r e s s e d i n t o t h e g r o u n d , t h e b r o a d a n d c i r c u l a r - f o rm e d p a r t
( a ) , t h a t i s p r e s s e d u p o n , p r e v e n t i n g i t s e n t e r i n g t h e g r o u n d , h oA v ev e r soft t h e s a m e
m a y b o ; w h i l s t t h e s a m e c u r v i l i n e a r fo i-m e n a b l e s i t t o r i d e f r e e l y ( a s t h e w o r k m e n
t e rm i t ) , r e q u i r i n g b u t c o m p a r a t i v e l y l i t t l e f o r c e t o d r i v e i t : s e c o n d ly , tAvo k n i v e s
a c c o m p a n y t h i s im p l e m e n t , o f d i f f e r e n t l e n g t h s , Avhich c a n b e t a k e n o u t a n d r e p l a c e d