KNIVES USED IN GARDENING. 283 KNIVES USED IN GARDENING. 



Knife, Budding. In the operation of 

 budding, the bud has to be prepared for 

 insertion, and the necessary incision made 

 in the stock and the bark raised for its re- 

 ception, and therefore 

 the form of the blade 

 must be adapted for 

 these purposes, and the 

 form of the handle as 

 well. The shapes in 

 which budding knives 

 are usually made are 

 shown in Fig. I. 

 Strength is not re- 

 quired in them, they 

 therefore are altogether 

 smaller in size than 

 pruning knives ; but 

 although the blades 

 are small, they must 

 be very keen and 

 adapted for making a 

 clean incision as well 

 as for making a clean 

 cut. For this purpose 

 the blades of both the 

 knives that are figured 

 in the illustration are 

 well adapted ; but perhaps the form 

 of the smaller one is preferable. The 

 handle is of bone or ivory in every case, 

 these materials being of a smooth surface, 

 and capable of being reduced to a thin 

 spatula-shaped termination, suitable for 

 lifting the bark on either side of the 

 incision for the insertion of the bud. A 

 heart-shaped termination, such as is found 

 in the knife known as Goodsall's Budding 

 Knife, is perhaps the most convenient for 

 accomplishing the purpose for which it is 

 specially required. Budding knives cost 

 from 33. to 43. 6d. 



Knife, Garden. This is a knife for all 

 ordinary purposes which should be carried 

 by every gardener. It may be had with or 

 without a joint, as preferred j but one with 



FIG. I. BUDDING 

 KNIVES. 



a broad and strong curved blade, set in a 

 buckhorn handle with a slight curvature in 

 the opposite direction, without a joint, and 

 carried in a stout leather sheath, is prefer- 

 able. This kind of knife is shown in Fig. 

 2. The handle, as will be noticed, is larger 

 at the bottom than at the top, from which 

 the blade issues. This enables the operator 

 to hold the knife with a firmer grip, and to 

 apply more force or power when cutting 

 away a bough of some size from a shrub, 

 &c., as he often must do. There is a flat 

 plate at the bottom of the handle, which 

 may be utilised for loosening old garden 

 nails, or even for driving in a garden nail 

 on an occasion when v 



no hammer is within 

 reach, or it is not 

 worth while to fetch 

 one. 



Knife, Grafting. 

 This is similar in 

 form to a pruning 

 knife, and, indeed, 

 pruning knives may 

 be used for this 

 purpose. Keenness of 

 edge is indispensable, 

 and when the bark 

 has to be lifted, as 

 is the case in some 

 kinds of grafting, the 

 handle should be 

 made of some smooth 

 material and with a 

 wedge-like termina- 

 tion, as in the case 

 of the budding knife. 



Knife, Pruning. 

 This description of 

 knife is shown in 

 Fig. 3- 



FIG. 3. 



FIG. 2. 



It should be PRUNING GARDEN 



. . , , . . KNIFE. KNIFE. 



furnished with a buck- 

 horn handle of the same form, or very 

 nearly so, as that of the garden knife; 

 but it should be made with a joint, so 



