128 
intended to cut away from the operator and against the prong side 
of the secateur. 
The pruning knife previously illustrated in the chapter on 
grafting, if kept sharp, will, in the hands of an experienced pruner, 
do very good work, and makes a very clean cut which soon heals 
over. The blade should be strongly made, of the best steel, and 
with a beak curved at a sharp angle. A rough buckhorn handle 
will ensure a good grasp in the hand while in use; the blade, well 
ground, will be found useful for trimming and paring the wound, 
and giving it a smooth face after sawing. 
A pruning saw is also required, of which one type particularly 
suitable for sawing off arms of old vines is shown in the figure 
attached. Other suitable models are the bow saws illustrated in 
the chapter on grafting, page 92. 
An orchard ladder, properly constructed, is a very handy ap- 
pliance when puning trees and gathering fruit. 
Orchard ladders of several designs are made. Some consist of 
a pole of a fibrous kind of timber, such as stringy-bark, bound with 
a strong band of hoop-iron a foot or so from the top end; this will 
prevent the pole, which is sawn to that point, splitting when the 
two lower ends are stretched and the rungs fastened. 
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a 
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ee 
Midi Yih o/h ls 
Gh pol, 
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"a Pew 
- ise 
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4 = aE 4 
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eee i bs ms aan 
gee Praga nim. 
Fruit Ladder, 
