The Spitzenberg Planting Tools 95 



well as men. For all rough work, it is to be preferred to the 

 three spade-point size (in the picture), which is larger and heavier, 

 and to be used on sandy and level surfaces. 



Some instruction as to the handling of the Wiihlspaten is neces- 

 sary before one can use it to the best advantage. The spade is 

 pressed into the ground, at the same time moving it back and 

 foi;th, and this is repeated, working across the plat of soil and 

 then at angles, so that the soil is thoroughly loosened but is 

 not turned over, as is the case when a mattock or an ordinary 

 American spade is used. 



The Wiihlrechen, or Rotary Hoe. This tool, shown in 

 figure XIII, plate B, serves the double purpose of a hoe and a 

 rake. The star-shaped discs on the right as they appear in the 

 picture, have sharp edges and are useful in loosening the soil for 

 the reception of the seed. The tool is used for mixing manure 

 or fertilizer into the soil and to distribute evenly the seed and also 

 to cover it after it is sown. 



Figure XI shows another form of this tool with three wheels, 

 while figure IX shows the same instrument with a single wheel. 

 This particular form is used generally for leveling and pulverizing 

 soils preparatory to making the rills. A certain amount of 

 weight is necessary to make the rollers go deep enough into the 

 soil, and to facilitate this a stone is sometimes placed upon the 

 flat U-shaped iron at the base of the handle. 



The Rillenzieher , or Rill-ynarker . This tool, which is shown 

 in figure VII, plate B, is used mostly for nursery beds in gardens 

 and small patches. After the surface has been loosened suffi- 

 ciently, this tool is run over it, both leveling the ground and 

 marking the drills. Cylinders of different sizes can be put in to 

 give the desired distance between the rows, the distance and cyl- 

 inder depending on the kind and age to which the seedlings are 

 to be grown, a different rill being necessary for acorns, pine, 

 spruce, fir. 



Another type of rill-markers are those that press the rills, and 

 hence need considerable weight in their make-up. This is shown 

 in the illustration, figure IV in plate A. The handles on both 

 sides are grasped firmly and the tool is raised a foot or more above 

 the ground and then placed firmly on the surface, making two 

 rills of equal depth and parallel. This is repeated until a row of 

 the desired length is obtained. 



There is yet a third type which may be called a rake rill- 



