The Beauty of Tools

Gardeners once watered plants with hoses made of leather or canvas. Then, in 1870, Benjamin Franklin Goodrich introduced the first rubber hose. Thirty years later, it was still a luxury; Sears Roebuck's hose sold for 14 cents a foot—$2.80 at today's prices—but without any couplings. Now, an everyday garden hose like this vinyl model sells for about 25 cents a foot, couplings included.