THE YOUNG FARMEK'ri MANUAL. 229 



poor ones, by neglecting to keep them in good order ; and they 

 are often allowed to be used in that unworkmanlike condition, 

 because those who use them do not know how to keep them in 

 good order. And good tools are often very much damaged by 

 neglecting to take care of, and keep them fr< m the influence of 

 the weather. This leads me to speak of 



THE USE AND CARE OF TOOLS. 



309. It is not always those who break and wear out the great 

 est number of tools who perform the most labor, but the opposite 

 of this ; for those who are in the habit of damaging, staving up 

 and breaking the most tools, are usually those who do a very 

 limited portion of labor. One-half of the laborers yes, more 

 than that proportion do not seem to think but that they may 

 pry and lift with a spade, shovel, or hoe-handle, as they would 

 with a crowbar or handspike. For this reason, the handles of 

 both spades and shovels become so badly sprung, if they are not 

 broken, as to render them very inefficient, and almost worthless. 

 The beginner should learn to exercise a little judgment in regard 

 to the strength of the materials of which tools are made, and to 

 protect them from the injurious influences of wet and dry weather, 

 which will rust, warp, distort and rot them, to their injury more 

 than all the wear of them when in actual service. 



THE FENCE TOOL-RACK. 



310. When laborers are digging post holes, it becomes neces 

 sary to use several different tools, at various times, in digging 

 one hole, and when there is nothing to lean them against, a work 

 man will spend a portion of his time in picking up his tools and 

 changing them ; and in some places, where the surface of the 

 ground is covered with mud and water, tools will be falling into 

 the mud, and then a laborer must spend time to wipe off the 

 mud. All these little points of time will soon consume enough 

 to dig a hole or two. A workman needs all his tools close ly his 

 side, where he can lay his hand on them without stepping away 

 from his work. To aid him in having his tools all at hand, and 

 for keeping them out of the mud, a tool-rack, Fig. 98, is a very 



