. The book of the garden. Gardening. 38 CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. weed. The purpose of hoeing is twofold, in all cases save that of a gravel walk, whereon such an operation should, if pos- sible, never be allowed. Hoeing keeps down weeds while in their cotyledon state, that being the most proper time to attack them; it keeps the surface of the ground open, and renders it pervious to the rays of heat and to air. Weeding only removes the evil after it has too long existed; in the process the ground is trodden to a hard surface, and unless im- mediately loosened by the hoe, it is ren- dered nex
. The book of the garden. Gardening. 38 CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. weed. The purpose of hoeing is twofold, in all cases save that of a gravel walk, whereon such an operation should, if pos- sible, never be allowed. Hoeing keeps down weeds while in their cotyledon state, that being the most proper time to attack them; it keeps the surface of the ground open, and renders it pervious to the rays of heat and to air. Weeding only removes the evil after it has too long existed; in the process the ground is trodden to a hard surface, and unless im- mediately loosened by the hoe, it is ren- dered next to impervious to heat and air. The hoe, therefore, should be used at once, and one operation thus be made to do, instead of two. The best hoe, when deep - stirring the soil between drilled crops is performed, is the Spanish hoe, fig. 2, or the Vernon hoe, fig. 3; the former Fig. 2. Fig. SPANISH HOE. VERNON HOE. an implement much employed in the West Indies for deep-stirring the sugar crops. The flat or common hoe is only useful for cutting down weeds; and as it is in general used, it does do little more; whereas the deep-stirring of the soil is of the greatest importance, and can only be efficiently performed by such an imple- ment as the hoe referred to. Here we see the great advantage of the drill sys- tem over the broadcast method of sowing. Thinning the crop should be attended to as a principle, and, unless in petty gar- dens, dependence should not be placed on the removal of superfluous plants for daily consumption; it is better to thin the general crop, and leave a row or two for daily use. The London market-gar- deners thin their broadcast sown crops as soon as they appear above ground, by using small 2-inch hoes, kept exceedingly sharp and clean. Soil and manures.—Onions require a deep, rich, mfeUow soil, always kept in a high state of enrichment by the appli- cation of such stimulants as guano. blood, salt, soot, the ofial of a slaughter- house, superphosphate
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectgardening, bookyear18
