JANUARY: SECOND WEEK 7 



cost of ten per cent of the purchase price; ten per cent more 

 will under ordinary conditions cover the charge for interest 

 and the cost of repairs. The saving made by not getting a 

 spading fork that costs twenty cents a year, a spraying 

 machine that costs a dollar and a half a year, or a seed drill 

 and wheel hoe that costs two dollars a year — a man's labor 

 for one day — is often wholly imaginary. In the home 

 garden it is often possible to lose several dollars by saving 

 one. 



There are now special tools for doing most of the garden 

 work, including the preparation of the ground, planting, 

 cultivating, forcing and protecting plants from insects and 

 disease, supporting vines and climbing plants, and harvest- 

 ing. Some of these tools are of little practical use, but the 

 great majority are of real advantage in getting better and 

 quicker results in the special and particular work for which 

 they are designed. 



Special Tools for Different Kinds of Work 



Of the various tools useful in handling and preparing the 

 soil, one or two makes of hand garden plows are practicable 

 for fairly light soil where there is no rubbish or manure to 

 be turned under. The depth to which they wiU work is, 

 however, quite limited, and for gardens too small for a 

 horse and plow the trustworthy spade must be relied upon. 

 The spade is put to frequent and severe use, so buy the best 

 one you can find even if it costs a little more. A cheap 

 one will not stand up under the work; the blade is likely 

 to wear down quickly or to become bent, which is worse yet. 

 A spade that has once been sprung is ever after a source of 

 annoyance and delay. A poor spade is Hkely to give out 

 where the blade joins the handle. A good spade should 

 have steel straps, front and back, running weU up the 

 handle. Some persons prefer the spading fork to the regular 

 spade. In many soils this will do just as good work, and 

 do it more rapidly; it is lighter, goes into the ground more 

 easily, and is better adapted to breaking up lumps of 



