HI ELLEN, I DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE ELSE WHO STILL USED A "GRUBBING HOE" FOR HARD TO DIG BULBS. SEEMS AS IF I'M NOT THE ONLY "OLD LADY"! HAVE A GREAT DAY, GIRL!! PATTY -----Original Message----- >From: Ellen Hornig <hornig@earthlink.net> >Sent: Aug 28, 2010 2:13 PM >To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> >Subject: [pbs] Digging up crinums > >For the record, this old lady DOES have a strong back, and DID dig her own >crinums. :-) > >This is a slight departure from bulbs, but related in this context: my >all-time favorite tool for digging recalcitrant crinums and similar is the >mattock, or grub hoe. I don't know when it went out of common circulation, >but it is hands-down the best tool for tough digging jobs that I know. You >can generate a whole lot more force by lifting a blade high and then >whacking it down than you can by digging and prying, and you break a whole >lot fewer handles that way too. Fortunately, I live in an area where >small-scale farming flourished thorugh the 1920s or so, and used mattocks >can generally be found, albeit not at every garage sale. > >Ellen > >Ellen Hornig >Seneca Hill Perennials >3712 County Route 57 >Oswego NY 13126 USA >http://www.senecahillperennials.com/ > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ ________________________________________ PeoplePC Online A better way to Internet http://www.peoplepc.com/