TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS. 



177 



Dibbling, though an advantageous mode of 

 transplanting small plants in point of expedi- 

 tion, is open to some objections. In it the 

 roots are all crowded together in a narrow hole, 

 instead of being spread out in the directions 

 which they naturally take; when thrust in they 

 are often reversed, or made to turn upwards; 

 the mere act of inserting the dibber renders the 

 soil at the sides of the hole more compact than 

 it is elsewhere, and when the soil is heavy, or 

 not in good working order, the trowel is much 

 to be preferred. 



The Potato-dibber is adapted for making a 

 hole sufficiently large for allowing the set to 

 drop to a proper depth. It has a cross handle 

 at top, which can be grasped with both hands, 

 and a projecting piece of iron or wood, serving 

 as a tread for the foot to press the dibber into 

 the ground. The tread might be made so that 

 it could be shifted, and placed higher or lower, 

 according as the hole requires to be made of 

 greater or less depth. 



Garden Trowel. — The common garden trowel, 

 below the handle and neck, is like the curved 

 portion of the section of a cone. But the gene- 

 rality of trowels made are too concave in the 

 blade, not giving freedom sufficient to clear 

 itself from soil. The best form should be as 

 in fig. 190. It is now made of steel, united to 

 a curved iron neck. It is used for many pur- 

 poses, but chiefly for taking up plants and re- 

 planting them, with balls of earth adhering. 



The Turf-beetle is a flat oblong piece of wood, 

 used for levelling and consolidating newly laid 

 turf. It may be formed from a thick knotted 

 end of elm, outside slab, varying in thickness 

 from 1J inch near outside edges to 3 or even 

 4 inches in centre, and having a handle inserted 

 in the upper side (fig. 191). The handle should 

 be fixed at a sufficiently acute angle with the 

 sole of the beetle, to admit of the latter being 

 easily brought down flat. 



The Rammer (fig. 192) is useful for ramming 

 the earth about posts, tree-guards, &c, and for 

 consolidating turf and gravel. It is generally 

 made of wood, in the form of the base part of a 

 cone, attached to an upright stem. Rammers 

 with cast-iron heads are also sometimes em- 

 ployed, and are very necessary where solid 

 ramming is required. 



Rollers. — A heavy cast-iron roller is required 

 for broad walks, gravel areas, and for lawns. In 

 flower-gardens, or where the walks are narrow, 

 or their turnings intricate, a narrow roller must 

 be employed. Iron rollers are now frequently 

 made with the cylinder in two parts, revolving 

 vol. i. 



separately on the axis, to facilitate turning -with- 

 out disfiguring the walk, which rollers in one 

 piece are more apt to do when it is necessary to 

 take a fresh direction, especially one at a right 

 angle, or less, to that previously traversed. 



Brooms. — Those used for sweeping lawns, 

 walks, &c, are generally made of birch twigs, 

 They are tougher and last much longer when 

 the birch is cut early in winter, or before the 

 sap rises. They should therefore be made, or 

 procured from the makers, before this takes 

 place, and should be kept in a moderately dry, 

 airy place, where they will not be liable to get 

 mouldy. They should be thoroughly wetted 

 when taken out for use. 



Suckering Iron (fig. 193). — This is useful for 

 removing suckers from Gooseberries, Currants, 

 or other shrubs. It consists of a chisel -like 

 steeled blade, 6 inches long, 2\ inches broad at 

 the edge, and If inch at the shoulder, where it 

 tapers to a straight round iron shank, the upper 

 part of which forms a socket for the insertion 

 of a wooden handle. The length from the edge 

 of the tool to the top of the socket is 34 inches, 

 and from that to the top of the wooden handle 

 10 inches, the whole length being 3 feet 8 inches. 

 The edge is usually straight, and is apt to slip 

 past the sucker; but the figure represents an 

 improvement, the edge being concave. 



The Dock-weeder is employed for taking up 

 such deep tap-rooted weeds as Docks; it consists 

 of an iron blade, with two prongs fixed in a 

 handle, like that of a spade; a curved piece of 

 iron on the back serves as a fulcrum; and in 

 some forms of the implement a projecting knob 

 answers the same purpose. 



Crowbar. — The usual form of this is a round 

 straight bar of iron, or, better still, of steel, 

 with a pommel top; the bar is thickened a little 

 towards the lower end, near which it is square, 

 and then tapers to a point. It is useful for 

 making holes for stakes; and being sometimes 

 made flattish and wedge-shaped at the end, it 

 is occasionally employed as a lever for loosen- 

 ing the soil below trees that are to be removed. 

 A pair of good steel crowbars are useful tools 

 for gardens of any size. 



Hammer. — The principal use of a hammer in 

 gardening is for nailing wall -trees. For this 

 purpose the head should be rounded to serve as 

 a fulcrum in drawing nails, and in this operation 

 the claws should hold the nails without slip- 

 ping. The head also should not be too long, other- 

 wise, in drawing nails, it is apt to bruise adjoin- 

 ing branches, where these happen to be close 

 together. A useful form is shown in fig. 194. 



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