(Excellent use of plowing and hoeing in that sentence, don't you think?)
In this chapter, Ms. Bennett provides a little bit of advice on gardening tools.
"There is always the tendency among beginners to overload with the paraphernalia of their calling, whatever it may be."
I feel the need to point out to those who have just now recalled that I have a hoe collection, that I acquired the hoe collection over many years, even decades, and did not buy all those hoes as a beginning gardener. Ms. Bennett was surely not referring to a hoe collection when she wrote that!
"When the first enthusiasm passes, and one becomes a careful and successful worker, all that is superfluous is gradually dropped, and one realizes that it is brains and not tools that make the successful gardener."
In other words, just putting a hoe in someone's hands and sending them out to a plot of ground doesn't mean they'll become a successful gardener. We all would agree that it does take a bit more than tools to become a gardener.
Now, for the list of tools she recommends...
"A hotbed, a cold-frame or two, a work-table in some convenient place, a trowel, wheel-barrow, spade, pitchfork, rake, hoe, a few yards of stout cord, a hatchet to sharpen stakes, a watering pot, rubber sprinkler, rubber gloves, a good supply of pots and wire-netting, and a couple of good mole-traps cover the real necessities."
Times have changed. I'm not sure many of us would now include a hatchet, or mole-traps, or wire-netting on a list of necessities for the gardener. Plus, I know that many gardeners do not own a hoe. Others don't have a pitchfork. Who has hotbeds and cold-frames these days, or even knows what they are?
"Incidentals, such as wire-sieves, lath-screens, trellises, and the like, may be made as they are required."
I've never made my own lath-screens or trellises, but I did once make my own compost sieve which fits quite neatly over my wheelbarrow, making it easy to screen the compost into the wheelbarrow.
In the book, there is a picture of a woman showing someone how to sift loam through a sieve (see above). It is is one of several from the book that all feature the same woman, with a long skirt, protectors on her sleeves and a man's tie.
Is that our Ida D. Bennett?
Comments
Frances
Part of the fun working with a maintenance team of gardeners is learning from them and seeing how others go about achieving the same goal with different tools.
I, too, enjoy seeing how other gardeners accomplish the same task. It's great to learn from other gardeners.
Thanks for sharing this interesting book.
Even though this is a black-and-white photo, my guess is that Ida was a redhead.
Annie
(Word verification is pastrain... dry Austin, Texas is hoping for presentrain later today!)
I checked out your garden sieve and that quite a nifty one. Mine never actually worked since 90% of all the stuff I put it in was never going to make it through the holes. I ended up just shaking the whole mess to let the little stuff fall out. No as sophisticated and it looked ridiculous.
I have a garden seed catalog from 1929 and you've given me ideas on perhaps posting a few of the garden tool pages from that era.
Thanks & stay warm.
David/ (Not so) Tropical Texana/ Houston
I'm back. Next to gardening, researching is my favorite hobby.
I found this delightful book available FREE on Google ebooks as a download and have just downloaded a copy. It is copyright free and public domain. I love the pictures. I found one called
"Manure Water is a Good Way to Apply Animal Fertilizer". I think I'm going to frame it! Thanks so much for leading us to this wonderful look into the past.
David :0)
I have been continually amazed at how good her sense was that the advice she gave a hundred years ago is still so appropriate now. I like her list of essential equipment, and would only add my cobra head weeder to the list. That is one tool I have found to be essential equipment! And I bless you and the makers of Cobra head for the extra one so that Jim has one too.
Great series of posts, Carol. Thanks.