A watering can, also called a watering pot or watering jug, is a portable container, usually fitted with a handle and a funnel, used to water plants by hand. It has been in use since at least the year 79 AD and has since seen many improvements in design; its capacity ranges from about half a litre for indoor household plants up to around ten litres for general garden use, and it is usually made of metal, ceramic or plastic. A rose, a cap-like fitting with small holes, can be placed at the end of the spout to break the stream of water into droplets so it does not strike the soil or delicate plants with too much force.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)In use since at least AD 79; the term watering can is first recorded in 1692, before which the tool was called a watering pot. 1 OriginThe term watering can first appears in 1692, before which it was known as a watering pot; the Haws watering can was patented by John Haws in 1886. 1 Sources
1. Watering Can (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead paragraph, sentence on earliest use
It has been in use since at least A.D. 79 and has since seen many improvements in design.
History section, paragraph 1
The term “watering can” first appeared in 1692, in the diary of the keen cottage gardener Lord Timothy George of Cornwall. Before then, it was known as a “watering pot”.
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