THE STRAWBERRY APRIL 1907 



THE EVOLUTION OF A FOUR-TINED MANURE FORK 



^FHINKOF IT! Tu-cnty-flvi* export tonlmuk.Ts and eight- 

 -i eeii assistants nrn reiV'ii'pd to manufacture a four-tiin.' 

 manure fork that you (-an hiiv for about fieveiity-flve cents. 

 Thirty-tliree intrinttc niju-dini's. forties Biid devices of 

 special invt-ntion. and worth tliousands of dollars, 

 are iiiso employed in tin- umklnf; of this fork. 



This Interesting inforniutlon Is furnished hy the 

 American Kork & Hoe Company in its free b<H)k, 

 "Toole and Their Uses," in connection with the 

 establishment of its Tnio Temper line of farm and 

 garden hand-tools. This is one of the important 

 Btep-s of the year in the implement world, accounts 

 of which are beinff widely published. 



The process of niakiuL' eaeh individual pattern 

 of tool is tiecessarlly different, but the four-tine 

 manure fork ulves a tfood idea of how much effort 

 and expert ability is put Into the best modem tool 

 as exemplified l»y the True Temper line. 



The tlrst operation in that of "blanking." A 

 large power maehine operated by two men cuts the 

 form shown by figure 1 from a iteel bar which has 

 been heated in a furnace. 



The form is then ' 'center headed' ' as shown in 

 flirure 'J. This form is the 

 result of heating the preced- 

 Int; form and subjeetinK; It to 

 the optTations of another 

 large speciftl machine oper- 

 ated l)y one man. 



The indentation on the un- 

 der side produces the space 

 between the two center tines, 

 making the head the right 

 size and injects the supej'- 

 flnous metal into the sliaiik 

 part. 



In the third step the bar in 

 "shank drawn." The last 

 form is hejited and a sliank is 

 drawn from the Uttle key- 

 stone appeiulage, and pointed 

 by meuns of a large machine 

 b hammeroperated byoneman. 

 The steel bar is then "split 

 and spread.' ' That Is. the two ends of the bar are heated, 

 cut and spread so as to form four projei-tions as shown in 

 fitfure 4. Those projections are to provide the tines of the 

 fork. 

 The tines are then "roUod." The four extending arms 



of the last Unin are each 

 lengthened into the prf>|i- 

 funiace and an immense 

 two men are necessary at 

 Is difflcnlt and takes 

 skillful Workmanship 

 In the next step we see 

 take the form of a fork. 

 The steel is heated aL'ain I 

 operation of two maehines 



M(Kirately rolled, and 

 ersizeforthetine.s. One 

 Miuchine operated by 

 this stage. The work 

 uch more time and 

 than one would judge, 

 the piece beginning to 

 It is now "shaped." 

 and subjected to the 

 The hummer and anvil are 



ft 



also brought into use by the expert 

 operator wh<i inspects and trues up the 

 fork at this stage. 



Tile fork is now ready to be ' 'trimmed 

 and pointed . ' ' The ends of the tine.s 

 are cut off evenly and of the jiroper 

 length by a macliine with one opera- 

 tor. Then it passes to a special ma- 

 cliine wliere one man does nothing but 

 put sharp, smooth ~ 



points on forks. 



The most impor- 

 tant stage in tlie 

 fork's production 

 is when It goes 

 through the last 

 actual forging shop 

 operations, to be 

 ' 'dished. H h uped| 

 and teiniiered.' ' 

 The fork in its unfinished shajn' up t< 

 this stage is completely heated and 

 >laced in a machine fi>riu"er. which gives 

 t the proper dish and final accurato 

 shape. 



It immediately goes through the fa- 

 mous "Tnie Tempering Process" per- 

 fected by the American Pork & Hoc (Vimpany. after years 

 of experience and experimenting. For obvi<»U8 reasons, the 

 process is not made public. It Is claimed for it, however, 

 that it brings the tool up to the highest degree of toughness. 

 and gives the elastic "sprinK" so nmch soujrht after by 

 toolmakers. During the final operations, the fork is crit- 

 ically Inspected and trued up on the anvil by hand and 

 hammer. The men who do this work are experts, skilled 

 to the highest degree in tool making, and when thev have 

 tempered and passed a fork, it is indeed genuinely true. 



Three rigid tests are now applied to the fork to see that it 

 has ( 1 ) the proper elasticity of temper. (2) the required 

 toughness of temper, Ci ) accurate dimensions. That is 

 how "True Temper" tools are proved "highest grade by 

 special test. ' ' After the tempering and testing, the fork 

 goes to the finishing shop, where it is subjected to the oper- 

 ations of three machines. It comes out with a bright, 

 smooth, metal polish. In the next step, the fork is treated 

 to a special liquid solution, which prevents rusting or 

 corroding. In the making of the handle, second-growth 

 ash timber. .*<uitablefor handles, isHrst selected inthetree. 

 After it is cut and delivered to the mill, it is sawed into 

 flanks and then into smiares of i)n»per dimensions and 

 ;ength8 for handles. The gracefully shaped handle is 

 ' 'turned. ' ' or cut down from the rough -sawed square piece 

 of timber, in an automatic macliine. It is steamed and 

 properly bent. Dried in this bent position, the shape is 

 retained permanently. The bent end Is then machine bored 

 and shaped ready for the steel parts. The ferrule and cap 



are next driven on. and the shank of the fork into the han- 

 dle ut one operation. 



The finished product is an articb* far superior to that of 

 the old indlWdual craftsman who did all the work, for the 

 best knowledge of mechanical science Is utilized throughout . 



ifi 



a tip plant which is the very weakest. 

 We have always discouraged the idea of 

 growing plants and fruit in the same place 

 at the same time. Of course, these alley 

 plants will grow and make lots of runners, 

 but they will never produce the big crop 

 of berries that plants would produce which 

 are grown in a special propagating bed. 



2. As you have used short chaffy 

 wheat straw for mulching, we hardly think 

 it will be necessary for you to remove 

 any of it from the plants, as the plants will 

 grow up through it. It would be a good 

 plan for you to go up and down each row, 

 carrying a fork, and remove the straw 

 where it is so thick the plants could not 

 come through. 



3. It is now too late for you to remedy 

 matters where your plants have matted so 

 thickly. Wait until the fruit is all picked, 

 then the rows may be narrowed down as 

 will be described in The Strawberry later 

 on. 



4. Strawberries easily may be hauled 

 to market twenty miles in a spring wagon 

 where the road is smooth. Of course, 

 the berries should be carefully packed in 

 the quart boxes, and the quart boxes snug- 

 ly packed in a crate. 



'^ ^ 



L. N. B., Shreveport, La. My land needs 

 potash and I want to use some commercial 

 fertilizer. Shall I put the fertilizer on now 

 in the rows in which I intend to set the plants 

 or shall I wait and put it on when the plants 

 are set out? 



2. How much fertilizer shall I use per acre 

 in rows? I have adopted the single- hedge 

 row system and will set the plants thirty 

 inches apart in rows three feet apart. 



3. After the plants are set out and begin to 

 grow this summer shall I allow one plant to 

 form on each side of the original plant and 

 keep all others cut out? 



4. I am in correspondence with Morrill & 

 Morley and want to buy a row sprayer. Do 

 you advise commencing spraying immediately 

 after the plants are set? 



As your land needs potash, if you could 

 get hard-wood ashes and apply fifty bushels 

 to the acre, working them thoroughly into 

 the soil before setting the plants, it would 

 furnish enough potash to give your berries 

 good color and high flavor. If you cannot 

 get the ashes you could use 200 pounds 

 of muriate of potash to the acre, applying 

 in the same manner as the ashes. 



2. It is not a good plan to apply fer- 

 tilizer directly in the row where plants 

 are set. Unless the fertilizer is thoroughly 

 mixed with the soil, there is danger of its 

 coming in contact with the roots, which 

 would burn them. Always apply com- 

 mercial fertilizer broadcast over the entire 

 surface and work well into the soil. 



3. It will be proper if you allow each 

 mother plant to produce two runner plants, 

 layering them directly in the row on each 

 side of the mother plant. Then you will 

 have a continuous row of plants, each one 



P*gelll 



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BERLIN FRUIT BOX CO.. 

 Erie Co. fierlia Heights. Ohio. 



ANDREW REESH 



MANUFACTURER OF BERRY 

 BASKETS AND BERRY CRATES 



All sizes of berry baskets 

 from half -pints to the 

 stiuidard quart. All IVIa- 

 chiiie Made, Bottom 



Stapled and made of Hard wood or Basswood. Send for 



circular and prlci-s. 



ANDREW REESH, New Springfield, Ohio 



When Writing Please Mention The Strawberry 



