PRUNING 263 



and the point should curve forward a little, to prevent 

 the edge from slipping off the branch. The handle should 

 be large to avoid blistering the hand, the base of the blade 

 should be thick to furnish support for the thumb, and the 

 rivet should be strong enough to sustain hard ^,^^ 

 pressure upon the handle. fc^ 



In using the pruning knife, the shoot to be cut 

 off should generally be pressed with one hand 



Fig. 173. 



Fig. 171. — Hedge shears (much reduced). 

 Fig. 172. — Lever shears (much reduced). 

 Fig. 173. — Pole shears. The wire connects with a lever not shown in 



the figure. 

 Fig. 174. — Raspberry hook. 



toward the member that supports it and the blade 

 should be inserted at the proximal side. Care is neces- 

 sary to prevent the blade from cutting too far. 



The pruning saw (Figs. 167-168) is useful for cutting off 

 large limbs. There are many kinds of pruning saws. 



