210 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 



long enough to give so much power that a branch or tree of an 

 inch in diameter may be easily cut off with them. 



The medium size, Fig. 92 c, are intended for ordinary prun- 

 ing. They are of the best and simplest construction, the han- 

 dles opening by a stout spring, and being held together, when 

 not in use, by a small smooth wire loop. 



The smaller size (Fig. 92 d) may be used with or without a 

 spring, and are intended for light shrub and flower pruning. 



Those of the larger sizes are usually made with a sliding 

 joint or movable centre, to give smoothness to the cut, and are 

 sometimes fixed upon a pole, with a rope attached to the lever 

 handle, for pruning high trees or cutting scions. 



The beak or finger of pruning shears is commonly made of 

 equal thickness throughout, with its upper edge almost square, 

 and being always held outside of the cut, it prevents the yield- 

 ing of the branch, and thus forms a strong brace against the 

 action of the blade. If regularly beveled from back to edge, 

 leaving the latter from one sixteenth to one eighth of an inch 

 in thickness, there would be no loss of strength, with a great 

 saving of power, and consequent relief to the hand in working. 



They are all efficient instruments in pruning, being especial- 

 ly convenient and useful for shortening and thinning thorny 

 shrubs, and in all rough trimming. An expert with the prun- 

 ing knife will seldom be inclined to use the shears ; their cut 

 is not so clean as that of a good knife, and when they are at all 

 dull there is a degree of bruising in the operation ; but they 

 are safer in inexperienced hands, since, in all ordinary work, it 

 is only necessary to have strong fingers, and to understand that 

 the blade, and not the beak, must be held next to the tree in 

 cutting off its branch, and the greenest hand can use the shears. 



The grape scissors, Fig. 92 e, are common small sharp-point- 

 ed and rather long-bladed scissors, used for thinning the 

 grapes when crowding upon their bunches, and for various 

 other delicate operations of the fancy cultivator. 



The seed or flower scissors, Fig. 92/, combine the operations 

 of cutting and holding. They are small round-pointed scis- 

 sors, with one proper blade (a), along the outer edge of which 

 runs a small bar or plate (i), against which the straight, keen- 



