TOOLS
The lady-gardener can turn her attention to the question of tools when she has carefully looked round her new garden and when she knows how many men are to be employed. A list should then be made of those that are wanted, and they should all be ordered together, as by that means they will be cheaper. Those of an inferior quality should not be obtained just for the sake of saving a few shillings. They are dear at any price, so the best should be had and treated well. I have known instances of spades that “came to pieces in my 'and,” as the housemaid says. If they broke off at the first trial of a lady gardener, they certainly would do so when used by a man. Therefore all spades and forks should be obtained from a trustworthy manufacturer.
In some cases, a tool for each person employed will be required. In other instances, one or two of each kind will be enough, according to the size of the garden. Of these “sets” had better be ordered.
Spades.—A spade must be chosen to fit the user, and Nos. 2 and 3 are the most generally serviceable. One with a solid socket is strongest, and if the bend of the handle is right, it will not be appreciably heavier than others.
Forks.—A digging fork or grape with four prongs may be either flat or round. For general use, the round pronged ones are best, as they can be used for stirring the ground, digging potatoes, or forking manure. When digging, a flat pronged fork is strongest.
Rakes.—These can be obtained with iron or steel teeth, three to a set, in sizes of 16 in., 12 in., and 8 in. The end teeth and head should be in one piece, the other teeth rivetted, and very slightly curved. The socket should be long, and have at least three holes for rivets.
Draw hoes should be two to a set, 9 in. and 4 in.; the blades of steel welded to an iron neck which is slightly curved or swan-necked, as it is easier then to keep free of weeds.
Dutch hoes should be two to a set, 9 in. and 6 in.
Trowels.—A trowel should be chosen not too concave in the blade. A small mason’s trowel is useful.
A strong pruning knife will be required for each person. Besides these tools, there will be required, according to the size of the garden, one or two shovels, several manure forks, some wooden rakes, and two or three dibbers.
A garden roller.
A pick with one end sharpened to a point, and the other wedge shaped.
A crowbar, pitch bar, or punch.
A couple of hammers and a wooden mallet.
An edging iron.
A pair of shears for cutting grass verges.
A pair of straight hedge shears.
A pair of lopping shears.
One or two pairs of secateurs.
A large axe and a couple of hatchets. The American are best, or if these cannot be had, those with American handles should be obtained.
Several scythes.
A couple of saws, one an ordinary carpenter’s saw, the other a pruning saw. A cross-cut, to be used by two men, is very useful.
One or two garden lines and reels.
A measuring rod, 10 ft. long, and marked in feet and quarters.
A diamond for cutting panes of glass.
Several wheelbarrows.
A hand barrow.
Several baskets or trugs.
Watering cans.
Mowing machine. This will depend upon the amount of grass; but in a garden of any considerable size two will be required, one large one for the lawns, and a small one, 10 in. or 12 in. wide, for borders and edges. For the first, the American make is light, cheap, and simple in construction, but as they have no back roller, they will not work on narrow borders. The “Pennsylvania,” to be worked by a man and a boy, and a small “Green,” will probably be the most suitable.
It must be seen that the tools are kept in first rate order. A grindstone, one worked with a treadle, will be necessary. If good tools are bought and kept clean, well oiled, and sharp, they will last a long time; and those that have been used are the easiest to work with. They are broken in, as it were.
It will be advisable, upon the first opportunity, to clear out every hole and corner, and get rid of the rubbish. Old tools, however, should never be thrown away, as wooden handles will turn into dibbers and measuring pegs. Short handles will do for trowels, etc. Old spades can be cut down, re-sharpened, and used for digging amongst shrubs and in herbaceous borders. When they are past work, they can be put into the ground, blade upwards, as foot scrapers. Old forks can have their prongs shortened and turned down at right angles, or nearly so, to the helve. They are then useful as drag hoes for loosening soil among young crops.
It is a good plan, in a garden where extra labour is employed, and when neat and tidy habits cannot always be expected from the labouring men, to have receptacles for different kinds of refuse. There should be one for crocks, another for glass, a third for paper, and one for bits of wood. It should be seen each night that tools are carefully put away clean.
No pains should be spared to master thoroughly the mechanism of mowing machines. The lady-gardener must also know how to stoke a greenhouse furnace, and repair broken glass in frames. If these matters have been learned in student days there will be no difficulty for her in directing men. Should she be unable herself to put a piece of glass into a frame, she must not be angry with her workman if he fixes it insecurely. As thorough master of her trade, she will make herself respected.
Care, too, should be taken from the first to look ahead, as regards what has to be purchased, such as pots, soil, manure, peat, nails, raffia. It is provoking in finishing a job to be delayed because, at the right moment, some necessary article was not ordered.
“Thinking ahead” in this way is a habit, and can be acquired.
It is well never to be without a pocket-book and pencil, to jot down at once any things that may be required or jobs which need attention.
MISS HESTER PERRIN AT WORK IN HER BROTHER’S GARDEN AT FORTFIELD HOUSE, TERENURE, CO. DUBLIN
Photograph by Pictorial Agency
CHAPTER VII
DRESS FOR LADY GARDENERS
The question of clothes is always an important one to the feminine mind. It is impossible to lay down any fixed rules as regards the costume best adapted to a lady gardener. Chief considerations are neatness and suitability to the climate.
It is best to have few clothes, and to have them good. It should be remembered that lady gardeners usually must brush their skirts, and possibly have to clean their own boots. A small cottage does not afford much space, so nothing should be bought which is not absolutely necessary.
Underclothing.—Wool should be worn next to the skin, both in winter and summer, and the weight of clothes varied according to the weather. A plain fitting flannel belt to cover the waist and abdomen is advisable. This is worn next the skin, whether the usual underwear be merino or not. Knickerbockers, and not petticoats, should be worn. For winter wear, ready-made blue or black stockinette ones are best. Cheap ready-made cotton ones are useful for summer; or they can be obtained in khaki drill, should that material be preferred.
Blouse or Shirt.—This should be of the simplest, untrimmed make. For student days, when there are digging and other exertions to be performed, a turn-down flannel collar, with a tie, will give most freedom of movement. For a head gardener, a stand-up linen collar will give a neat appearance. In winter a flannel or Scotch wincey blouse is warm. For summer, a tussore silk one is cool. Wincey and silk cost more than flannel and cotton, but they wear longer, and do not shrink in the wash, so the expense in the end is the same.
A strong leather belt round the waist will keep both skirt and blouse neat. If one or two swivels and spring hooks are fixed to it, a knife, keys, etc., can be attached, and thus will always be at hand.
Skirt and Coat.—Several of these are needed, all thoroughly business-like and tailor made. The skirts should clear the ankles well, and be very even all round. Nothing looks worse than one that hangs lower at the back than in front. Care should, therefore, be taken to get the tailor to see to this. In rough weather, one should be worn with a 3 in. or 4 in. lining of thin waterproof inside. This enables one to wash off the mud with a sponge, and it will help preserve the dress. Thin waterproof is preferable to leather for this purpose, as it is lighter, and does not hang like a log round the wearer when she has been out in the rain for some time.
The colour of the coat and skirt should depend upon what will least show the soil when it rubs off as tools are handled or heavy mud is walked through. For winter, homespun, Scotch, West of England, or Irish tweed should be worn; a heather mixture or light brown are best, as these show dust less than darker colours. In summer, navy blue looks smart and workmanlike, but will get dirty easily, so it should only be kept for when clean jobs are undertaken.
Blue fishwife’s flannel is inexpensive, and washes well. A loose coat or Norfolk jacket of the same material as the skirt is useful to slip over a blouse when the weather is cold, or after work is finished.
It should be seen that the tailor gives two comfortable deep pockets, and makes a wide collar with a flap, by which it can be fastened at the neck in rainy weather. Unless the necessity of these details is pointed out, he will probably skimp cloth and work. The tailor should be consulted as to the material best suited, an explanation having been given to him of the hard wear to which it will be put. Several colleges and schools for lady gardeners have designed special costumes for their students, but although some are becoming to slim, graceful figures, they are by no means suited to all, and are somewhat too conspicuous to be really desirable.
Waterproof or aqua scutum.—This will be needed for stormy weather and night work; and the latter is preferable, as it is pleasanter to work in than a mackintosh.
Hat.—In summer, a shady, thick straw hat looks best. It should not be “floppy,” as this is troublesome in windy weather, and it must be plain, not trimmed with chiffon or flowers. A bit of ribbon round it is all that is wanted. Although a sun-bonnet is picturesque, it is hot and close, for it keeps off the air as well as the sun. The old-fashioned plan of putting a couple of cabbage leaves in the crown of the hat is not to be despised, should the heat be felt very much. For winter, a soft felt hat or cap will be required.
Boots.—This is the most important item of all, and one, curiously enough, usually neglected by lady gardeners. I often notice that students, when they begin work, wear ready-made and badly-made articles of the thickness only of paper. Boots are better than shoes, but they must be good. Cheap boots are dear at any price. If possible to afford it, they should be made to order, for a good many hours of the day will be spent in them. It is well to have a few nails in the soles; those made of aluminium are best. From 1 to 1½ ozs. will be sufficient for a pair of boots, and the difference in weight between them and the ordinary tackets is worth the extra cost.
Boots should never be blacked, but always greased. This makes them warm in winter and wonderfully cool; in summer they are then really waterproof. If they are dressed once or twice a week with Gishurstine, they will wear well, and keep soft and pliable. A 1s. tin will last a long time. Castor oil, too (the cheap veterinary kind), is also excellent. Two pairs of boots are necessary so that they can be worn on alternate days, and thus be properly dried. There is a foolish, old-fashioned rule in some gardens that the men must have their boots neatly blacked on Monday mornings. This should not be encouraged.
The best way to dry boots, when absolutely soaked through, is as follows:—Take 2 or 3 lb. of oats, and heat them in the oven; when the boots are taken off, stand them in a pail, and pour the hot oats up to the top of the polish. The oats absorb moisture, and as the boot dries they will swell, and act as a last. The same oats may be used over and over again. To clean brown boots Bucknell’s saddle soap is better than any of the patent preparations.
Stockings.—For winter wear, stockings should be knitted of soft, thick wool. Woven ones are the best in summer.
If, when the mid-day hour of rest arrives, boots and stockings are wet through, they should be changed at once. It is false economy to neglect to do this, for a rheumatic future may be the outcome. It will be found, however, that, if they are not wet, there will be less suffering from tired feet when the same stockings and boots are kept on all day. If they are removed, and a rest is taken in easy shoes during dinner time, the feet will swell, cause pain, and blisters will probably rise when a fresh pair of boots are put on for the afternoon. Beginners usually have to put up with tender feet until they become accustomed to heavy boots. For this reason, thick stockings are preferable. It will be found that camphorated Eau de Cologne cools the feet. Another and better remedy is Balm of Bethesda, which can be had from most chemists. The feet should be soaked in warm water, and while still damp a few drops of the balm rubbed in. This should be done every night until a cure is effected. It may be necessary to repeat the remedy each spring when the first warm days arrive.
IN THE GARDEN AT FORTFIELD HOUSE, TERENURE, CO. DUBLIN.
WHERE MISS HESTER PERRIN DEVOTES MUCH TIME TO THE SUCCESSFUL CULTIVATION OF BULBS AND PLANTS.
Photograph by Pictorial Agency.
Leggings.—These, too, are important, and should be of leather, and similar to those worn by men. Buttons or spring fastenings are to be avoided. The spiral strap fastening with a buckle is the most practical, and brown leather is better than black, as it is more easily cleaned. Cloth leggings, gaiters or puttees should not be worn they are troublesome to clean.
Gloves.—Thick leather gloves are useful when working among thorns and thistles. Many jobs, such as thinning out small things, pruning and nailing, cannot be properly done in gloves. When working among wet vegetables, they only make the hands cold, and encourage chilblains. Hands will wash, but it is as well to be provided with a bottle of nail-cleaning fluid, a box of orange sticks, and a little cotton wool. A hand nail brush must not be used, but soap and water should be vigorously applied.
Apron or Overall.—This will keep the skirt clean, and if there is a large pocket in the front it will be useful to keep scissors, a knife, raffia, or string in it for tying roses to pergolas, or picking flowers. A blue serge apron looks best, or an overall made of sacking, with a belt round the waist, is neat.