182 



CITRUS FRUITS AND THEIR CULTURE. 



n 





The best pruning knives are those with 



a heavy staghorn handle and straight or 



somewhat curved blades. This knife is 



used in propagation work to smooth the 



cut surface of the stock, for splitting the 



stock and frequently for removing small 



branches and thorns which may be in the 



way of the operator. For the latter pur- 



pose, however, the pruning shears are pref- 



erable. 

 The best shears are the solid steel ones. 



They are strong and durable. The 



blades are easily tightened and they can 



be taken apart for sharpening when so 



desired. Nothing is more unsatisfactory 



than to have to work with a poor pair of 



shears, and the best should be secured. 

 In cleft grafting, the grafting iron and 



mallet come into use. An iron with a 

 blade shaped as in Fig. 47 is best 



For nursery work, labels made of inch mater- 

 ial, two and one-half inches wide and two and 

 a half or three feet long should be provided. These 

 are to be used as labels for rows of varieties, 

 the name being plainly stamped on the upper por- 

 tion. For block labels, nothing is better than 

 cypress posts three or four inches in diameter. 

 These are sloped off at the top, leaving a broad, 

 smooth surface, three or four inches long by as 

 much in width. This area is then painted white 

 and the block number placed on it. Wired, wooden 

 * ree l a ^ e ^ s should also be provided. 



v 



iron. 



