1709. The Bicton crane-necked hoes (fig. 334.) are used principally for stirring the surface among growing crops where there is not room for a larger hoe. They are also used for thinning out seed beds, and they are made of various sizes, some of them being small enough for stirring the soil in pots. These hoes were invented by Mr. Barnes, gardener to Lady Rolle, at Bicton, near Exetor, and are used by him for a variety of purposes. He has them of ten or twelve different sizes, and he employs them for every kind of crop, from beds of carrots, turnips, onions, &c, in the open ground, to stirring the surface of the earth in pots and seed pans. The larger kinds are used for destroying weeds, as well as stirring the soil.
