AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 55 



three eighths of an inch wide, and full half an inch deep or 

 thick, standing almost perfectly straight, tapering but very 

 slightly, if at all, and being dubbed off rather than pointed. 

 It should have a heavy shank, secured by a strong ferule and 

 riveted straps into the handle, and so bent as to give the 

 prongs a little set forward. The whole should be of the length 

 of an ordinary spade, or a little longer say rather more than 

 three and a half feet. It is used to great advantage in the fall 

 or spring for stirring and cleaning the ground around and among 

 herbaceous plants and shrubs, and for the proper spring clean- 

 ing and loosening of asparagus, strawberry-beds, &c. ; and, in 

 general, for all light digging, whether deep or shallow. 



The manure-fork (Fig. 51) should be of steel, with prongs 

 of the same general form, square-headed or semicircular, rath- 

 er wider than the spade-fork, but lighter, keenly tapered, well 

 curved, and polished. It may either be braced with strong 

 bands to the handle, or, if the additional strength be less desir- 

 able than lightness, it may be simply keyed into the handle 

 through a strong end-band or ferule, extending about the same 

 length upon the handle as the shank or tang within it. It is 

 used for moving manure, weeds, rubbish, &c., and is often found 

 convenient in heaping hay. 



The hand-fork (Fig. 52) is a miniature spade-fork, with a 

 handle twelve or fifteen inches long, useful for the light work 

 of ladies in flower-plots and borders. 



POTATO-HOOK. 

 Fig. 53. 



The potato-hook (Fig. 53) is a steel hook, which should be 

 strongly made, with four prongs shaped like those of the spade- 

 fork, but proportionably smaller, set well forward, and very 

 slightly curved, having a pretty stout shank securely keyed 

 into a strongly-feruled ordinary hoe-handle. In general the 

 prongs are made of other forms, and often give trouble, and the 

 mode of securing them in the handle is not yet perfected by 



