PRACTICAL GARDENING 



TWENTY RULES FOR HANDLING TOOLS 



1. Don't hang up a dirty tool. Clean it. 



2. Put each tool in its proper place. Get the habit. 

 S. Don't leave soil or manure in the wheelbarrow over 



night. Oil the wheel if it needs it. When not 

 using the sides, lean them upright against some 

 object. Don't forget where you left them. It 

 looks careless. 



4. Don't buy a heavy hoe, so that it will last for years. 



Use a light hoe and save your back. Good judg- 

 ment. * 



5. Do not chop weeds with the hoe. Keep the blade 



close to the surface of the ground. Save energy. 



6. Don't buy combination tools. They are hard to 



handle and often made of poor steel. You can 

 use only one tool at a time. Why carry others 

 with you all day? Common sense. 



7. The hoe and rake should be held firmly with the 



right hand over the handle. Balance the instru- 

 ment with the left hand and take short strokes 

 with both tools. For raking grass or hay, shift 

 the right hand to the underside of the handle. 

 The best practice. ^W* 



8. Do not injure vegetables, such as beets and carrots, 



with the hoe. If you do, the wound will show on 

 harvesting the crop. Sins will out. 



9. Don't bend the body too far forward while raking 



or hoeing. Stand erect. 



10. Stand up to, and between the handles of the wheel 

 cultivator or mowing-machine. Push the imple- 

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