GARDEN TOOLS. 



57 



SO that a cutting edge may be always maintained. This device has 

 the merit of copying nature, as the rat's tooth is constructed of bone 

 of two degrees of hardness, by which arrangement, as one part wears 

 more rapidly than the other, a sharp cutting edgg always exists. 



It is curious that most South Europeans use a spade with a long 

 handle, very dissimilar from our pattern. They get through a great 



Fig. 45. 



Fig. 46. 



■ ifiigi 



Fig. 43. Fig. 44. 



L 



Fig. 47. 



Fig. 48. 



deal of work with these long spades by using their hands alone, but, 

 as far as I know, this spade is never employed in this country. 



There is a useful modification of a spade used for laying drain 

 pipes which we employ (fig. 44)- Another tool is used for cutting 

 the edges of grass (fig. 45) : for cutting ofif suckers, or digging out 

 long-rooted weeds we have recourse to the spud (fig. 46), and, as a 

 companion to the spade, the shovel (fig. 47) is useful for the removal 

 of earth loosened by the spade or pickaxe. 



For digging, the steel four-pronged digging fork (fig. 48) is also 

 used, and smaller forks (fig. 49) 

 are of great value to loosen the 

 earth in our flower borders ; in fact 

 no other instrument should ever 

 be used for that purpose. 



For gravelly soil we employ 

 the pickaxe (fig. 5°), an instrument 

 pointed at one end and sharpened 

 at the other, to cut roots. We also frequently use ■ the mattock 



Fig. 49. 



Fig. so. 



