Every Boy's Book: A Complete Encyclopædia of Sports and Amusements

by Unknown

DIGGING.

When land is first brought under the spade it should be well dug, and it ought to be trenched up; that is, a full spit or spadeful should be taken and thrown somewhat higher than the general level of the ground, and turned, so that the under part of the soil is brought to the surface; in doing this effectually a sort of trench will be left at the part where the spade goes in, and at the end of digging a piece of ground in this manner this trench will be required to be filled up. It is usual for gardeners to provide for this at the onset by bringing a barrow full of the mould from the part at which the spade is first put in, and filling up the trench so left at the end of the process. Common digging, when the ground is not to be trenched, consists in turning it over regularly and evenly with the spade. When manure is necessary, it is either hoed over the ground and dug in as the digger proceeds, or in trenching it may be laid in each successive trench as it is made, which will of course be covered by the next line of digging. Flower-beds are best turned up with a small three-pronged spade-fork; and it is often necessary to use the same instrument when digging between strawberry and other roots, which is technically called forking. The earth in this process is not turned over, but only broken up and loosened, and the handle of the fork not turned in the process, but drawn gently backwards with a kind of knock, which can be easily acquired by practice.

HOEING.

The hoe is of very great use in a garden. There are generally three kinds of hoes: 1st, the narrow; 2d, the broad; and 3d, the Dutch hoe. The small hoe is used for hoeing in flower-beds; the broad one for earthing up peas, potatoes, &c., and the Dutch hoe is of service in dry weather in clearing the ground quickly of weeds. The two former hoes are used by drawing the handle to you, and hence called draw hoes; but the Dutch hoe is used by thrusting forward, when the weeds cut up by it fall through the hollow portion at ([a]) clear of the operation. In hoeing the hoer should be particularly careful to go quite to the roots of the weeds, and clear of the roots of the plants. In hoeing up peas he should be careful to draw the earth nicely among the haulms; and in hoeing up cabbages not to sprinkle the dirt among the tender leaves forming the heart of the plant.

RAKING.

There are two kinds of rakes,—the broad and narrow. The broad rake is for raking over seed beds, and the narrow one for raking borders among flowers, &c. In the use of the rake the gardener should first lightly drag off all the weeds and stones from the soil. In holding the handle of the rake high, all the loose stones, weeds, &c., will be easily drawn from the ground without the mould; when the handle is held low, the teeth of the rake enter the ground and scratch it up, which is sometimes necessary to be done; but the little gardener should be careful not to rake away his soil; and the little hard balls of earth that come over with the stones, &c. should be pulverised by the back of the rake.

WEEDING.

The garden should always be kept perfectly clear of weeds; a weed in a garden is a disgrace to the gardener, and unless a young person makes up his mind to be very particular in this he had better never think of gardening. Chickweed, dandelion, plantain, bindweed, and every other description of extraneous growth should be quickly removed, and that worst of all weeds, called the gardener’s plague, “couchgrass,” should be extirpated entirely, as should all suckers from the roots of trees. Weeds, if not in seed, should be thrown into the manure pit, but sticks or stones should never be mixed with them.