88 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY. 



pressed down perpendicularly until the plate at the back 

 touches the surface of the soil ; it is then turned round 

 by means of the crutch from 180 to 360 degrees, 

 and lifted with ball and plant out of the ground ; 

 holding it then with the left hand, the ball and 

 plant are pushed out towards the handle with the 

 middle finger of the right hand, which glides along 

 the blunt edge of the front opening ; if necessary, 

 especially when using a larger sized spade, two fingers 

 are used. 



The circular spade is used of various dimensions, with 

 a minimum diameter of 2 inches at the small end. 

 Spades of more than 5 inches diameter cannot be recom- 

 mended, as the balls are either not severed at the bottom 

 or, even if severed, do not come out with the spade, 

 but remain in situ. Even small spades demand a 

 fairly binding soil, or else they will not work satis- 

 factorily. The height of the spade is about equal 

 to the diameter. The ball is cylindrical, the object 

 of the conical shape of the spade being to facilitate 

 its removal. The instrument works expeditiously and 

 cheaply. 



The hoe is also used for lifting young plants with 

 balls ; it is inserted from one side so as to get underneath 

 the plant, which is then lifted up. The operation 

 requires skill, and even then the method is of doubtful 

 utility, as the balls are likely to fall to pieces. The 

 ordinary planting spade (Fig. 29, p. 60) and the Irish 

 spade (Fig. 28, p. 60) are used for the lifting of larger 

 plants. The operation necessitates four insertions, 

 and it produces an inverted pyramidal ball. The 

 semi- circular spade (Fig. 43) is also used for lift- 



