Platk IV. Tliis special tlircc-man, .salt marsh ditching sj)ade weighs thirty 

 ])ounds, is U-shaped with cutting blades on three sides. It cuts a complete 

 sod the full dei)th of the ditch in each cycle of operation, top left. The first 

 step is to raise the spade high, then plunge it deep into the marsh sod. top 

 RIGHT. Operators one and two then step on bars on either side, forcing the 

 blade to the full depth of the ditch. Operators one and two push forward on 

 handle of spade, breaking loose the sod which was partially cut by side 

 blades in original down stroke, bottom left. Operator three pulls sod from 

 spade and stacks it beside ditch. Side blades of spade are shown in this view. 

 bottom right. The finished ditch, ten inches wide and twenty inches deep, 

 can be cut easily by three operators at the rate of eight hundred feet per day. 



