A ?iew Verge Cutter and Orange Tub. 139 



Art. XII. On a new Verge Cutter, and Orange Tub, invented 

 by Mr. Charles Mac Intosh, Gardener to Sir Thomas 

 Baring, Bart. M. P. and also on a new Mode of preserving 

 Cauliflowers, by the same, in a Letter to Mr. Mackay, of the 

 Belgrave and Clapton Nurseries. 



Dear Sir, 

 According to promise, I now send you theedging iron ( f fg. c 28.) 

 which I have described to you, and which I hope you will 



find to answer to my description ; of course some allowance 

 will be made for the first trial, as men are apt to be prejudiced 

 against new tools ; but I can pledge my word, that I will 

 myself (notwithstanding my infirmities) cut as much in one 

 day with this instrument as I could in four, or I may say in five 

 days, with the instrument in general use ; any of rny men 

 are most willing to do the same. In all cases, excepting when 

 there is a long straight line to be edged, a garden line is 

 unnecesary : where a line must be used it will perhaps be best 

 to place it so that it will run between the wheel and the coulter, 

 or cutting part of the machine (a). A certain degree of pressure 

 is necessary upon the handle where the ground is hard, and the 

 kneed coulter (b) may be used where the edgings are not 

 very regular. When in use I have them daily sharpened, 

 and the operator takes them out in his pocket in the morning, 

 and when one loses its cutting edge, he takes it off and 

 places on another, and so on. 



The model of the orange boxes ( €g. 29.) I have also sent. I 

 hope you will approve of them ; you will observe that they are 

 different from Sir A. Hume's, or those used on the Continent ; 

 they are tapered a little, which gives them a lighter appearance 

 than when made square. The advantage that this sort of box 

 has over those in use is, that you can with so little trouble take 

 them to pieces and examine the roots of the trees, remove old, 

 and replace by fresh mould, prune the roots, see whether they 

 are in a proper state, as regards moisture, &c. The last 

 particular I think very material to their health, the sides 



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