TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS. 



181 



wherever the wood to be cut is of small dia- 

 meter. It varies in form in different districts 

 or counties, the blades being more curved or 

 longer in one district than in another. 



Chisels. — These are used for various horticul- 

 tural purposes, for which different kinds are 

 adapted. Some are similar to the carpenter's 

 chisel, and are used for cutting off branches too 

 strong for the knife, and situated where the saw 

 could not work ; and also for smoothing the cuts 

 made by the saw or other instrument. 



Scythe. — The usual form of scythe -blade 

 answers for lawns, provided the neck is set 

 with the handle to take in a wider sweep, and 

 it should also be turned up so that the under 

 side of the blade may be nearly flat with the 

 surface of the ground. Brades' scythe -blade 

 still retains its character as being the very best 

 in make and quality. The scythe-snaths (fig. 

 212), an improved method of attaching the blade 

 to the shaft, are very convenient and effective, 

 being easily adjusted, and the blade can be set 

 in any position or angle without bending the 

 shank or twisting the edge. The common bent 

 handles are as good as any, if not the best. 

 Much depends on the placing of the two pro- 

 jecting handles for the grasp; their distance 

 from the heel, and from each other, should be 

 so regulated, that the blade, when lifted up 

 clear off the ground, will balance parallel to the 

 surface. 



In sharpening a scythe, the stone should be 

 drawn almost flatly along the under side, so 

 that the edge may not be turned up ; the upper 

 side should be more bevelled. 



The Asparagus Knife (fig. 213) has a serrated 

 blade, with a long iron shank fixed in a wooden 

 handle. The blade should be made of hard- 

 tempered steel. In using it, a little soil is 

 removed with the blade from the side of the 

 shoot, in order to discover the direction of the 

 latter; the blade is then pushed down some- 

 what slanting, and the shoot is cut, or rather 

 sawed off, near its base. In doing this, care 

 must be taken not to injure the crown of the 

 plant, nor other shoots that may be coming up. 



Saws. — Several kinds are required for various 

 purposes in gardens and plantations. A cross- 

 cut saw is required for cutting down trees; and 

 for large limbs the saws used by carpenters will 

 answer, only the teeth may require to be wider 

 set if the wood is soft and full of sap. Priming 

 saws (fig. 214), are most required for ordinary 

 pruning; they are employed for cutting off 

 smaller branches than the preceding, and, not 

 being so broad, are better adapted for cutting 



close to the fork of branches, or where a 

 broader plate could not be introduced. The 

 kind called turning saws, such as are used for 

 cutting out circular spaces in boards, answer 

 exceedingly well, and being made of the clip- 

 pings taken off in cutting out other saws, they 

 are not expensive. In some cases, pruning 

 saws with the teeth set in their cutting edges 

 in the direction of the handle, so as to cut by 

 drawing, instead of by pushing forward, are of 

 use, for these can be attached to a long pole 

 handle, in order to reach high branches. In 

 such cases, a saw with the teeth set in the usual 

 way would be apt to warp or break at every 

 thrust; but one adapted to cut by drawing is 

 not liable to this inconvenience. 



Before saws used in pruning are laid aside, 

 they should, in the first place, be perfectly 

 cleaned from all juice, or other adhesive sub- 

 stance, that may collect upon their surface. 

 They should then be well dried and oiled. 

 They will also work more easily, and cut more 

 expeditiously and with less danger of break- 

 ing, if cleaned and oiled occasionally when in 

 use. 



III. Instruments Used in Laying Out 

 Ground Lines. 



Garden Line and Reel. — A garden line should 

 be made of good materials, otherwise it soon 

 gives way in stretching; but however good at 

 first, a line will soon decay if rolled tightly up 

 when wet. It should therefore be wound on 

 a. reel, which not only permits the line to dry 

 more speedily than when closely rolled up, but 

 also facilitates its being readily extended and 

 recoiled. When a line rests on the ground, 

 its weight does not affect the straightness of 

 the tracing; but when stretched and supported 

 only between two points, with the intention of 

 indicating a straight line between them, the 

 line should combine strength with lightness, 

 as, for instance, small whip-cord. A stout iron 

 pin, 2 feet long, with a loop after the pattern 

 of a skewer, is a useful fastener for a garden 

 line. 



The Chain is indispensable where land, walks, 

 or roads have to be measured, and it is always 

 desirable that there should be one in a garden, 

 at least if it is of considerable extent. The 

 one commonly employed, and which is used by 

 surveyors, is called Gunter's chain. It consists 

 of 100 links, each of which is 7*92 inches in 

 length, consequently the whole length of the 

 chain is 66 feet = 22 j^ards, or 4 poles. 



