Page:How and what to grow in a kitchen garden of one acre (IA howwhattogrowin00darl).pdf/39

 hoe. There are numerous styles of wheel hoes on the market, but the only good one that I have ever seen is “Lee’s Wheel Hoe,” which is made in Philadelphia under the patent of the inventor, who is himself a prominent trucker. It is strong, light and well built; it has five sharp, finger-shaped teeth back of the wheel, which loosen and pulverize the soil, and a broad hoe blade behind, which travels beneath the surface, turning the soil over and cutting off under ground any weeds which may be in its track. When the soil is in good order, it leaves it as smooth and fine as would a steel rake. To obtain the best results with this tool or with the cultivator, you should go through each row three or four times, so as to pulverize and work over the soil thoroughly. The hoe blades are of different widths, for working rows of different widths, a set of three going with each implement. These hoes can easily be sharpened by any blacksmith. Keep them well sharpened, and it will be surprising to note how much less muscle it takes to push them and how much better the work is done. I have tried several different makes, as I work an acre or more each year with one of these hoes and a “Fire-fly” hand plow, which is run before the wheel hoe when the ground is very hard, and Lee’s is the only one that works satisfactorily. When the ground is in the best condition a man can hoe the acre in a single day, so that it will readily be seen what a labor saver it is.

The just spoken of is a very convenient tool for making drills, and will plow out 3