Hoe (tool)

The Hoe is an agricultural tool designed to loosen surface soil, move soil, and to dig trenches. All three purposes are used in the area of plant cultivation.

Clases
There are two classes of the Hoe; the push/draw, and the pull/thrust (or Dutch) hoe. The push/draw hoe is used in a chopping motion, while the pull/thrust is pushed forward into the soil.

Types
There are a variety of hoe types;
 * The Collinear hoe has a narrow, razor-sharp blade which is used to slice weeds by skimming it just above the surface of the soil with a sweeping motion; it is unsuitable for tasks like soil moving and chopping.
 * The Dego (Common) hoe, which has a heavy, broad delta-shaped blade and a flat edge.
 * The Dutch hoe (scuffle, action, oscillating, swivel, or Hula-Ho) is a design that is pushed or pulled through the soil to cut weeds just under the surface. Its tool-head is a loop of flat, sharpened strap metal. It is not as efficient as a chopping hoe for pulling or pushing soil.
 * Hoedads (also, "hoedags") are hoe-like tools used for planting trees.
 * Stirrup hoes are designed with a double edge blade that bends around to form a stirrup like rectangle attached to the handle. Weeds are cut just below the soil surface as the blade is pushed & pulled through the area. The back and forth motion is highly effective with cutting weeds in loose or breakable soil. Widths of the stirrup blade typically range between three to seven inches.
 * Wheel hoes are, as the name suggests, a hoe or pair of hoes attached to one or more wheels. The hoes are frequently interchangeable with other tools.

History
The Hoe preceeds the Plough, and follows the digging stick in development.