TILE DRAINAGE. 83 



rather thin sheet steel, rounded and sharp at both ends, and 

 hung near the middle by a ratchet (or clamp) arrangement that 

 permits it to be adjusted to any angle. They are made of dif- 

 ferent sizes. I use a two-inch one (single-ended and not 

 adjustable), and a four-inch one seen in the figure. The two- 

 inch one is seen in the hands of the workman who stands in 

 the ditch, Fig. 20, and is best for cutting a true groove for 

 two-inch tiles after the other lias cleaned out the crumbs, 

 and left a wider-grooved bottom. The position of the work- 

 man in using the scoop is best shown in Fig. 26, page 94. 



Fifth, the span-level, for determining grade. Mine is a 

 home-made affair simply a triangle, or Greek delta, Hi A 

 feet on each side, made of two-inch pine or poplar, plain 

 battens, and has a spirit-level screwed accurately to the 

 cross-batten that makes a capital letter A of the triangle. 

 Care must be taken that the spirit-level be exactly parallel 

 to the ba^e of the triangle. For convenience in using, a 

 short inch strip is tacked to each end of the bottom edge of 

 the base. The level is graduated to show a grade of one, 

 two, and three inches to the rod. Its use will be described 

 later. It is seen in Fig. 20, standing on the stoneboat in the 

 background, or, rather, back of the other tools. 



Sixth, the tile-hook. It is seen in Fig. 20, in the hands of 

 the first workman, who has a tile on it, which he is just in 

 the act of laying in position in the ditch. It saves getting 

 down into the. ditch. But often 1 prefer to lay by hand, 

 when the ditch is not too "nasty," standing on each tile as 

 laid, and pressing it firmly into place. 



Seventh, the fiUiny-Jwolc. It is seen leaning against the 

 span-level, in Fig. 20; also in Fig. 20i, No. 8. Its tines are 

 a foot long, and are flat, about I inch wide, and very strong. 

 Mine is made by bending the shank of a potato-digging fork 

 to a slightly acute angle, and setting it in a strong handle. 

 You strike it with a sharp blow into the earth on the side of 

 the ditch, and pull in 25 to 75 pounds at a time, according to 

 how strong you feel. It is by far the best filling tool I know 



