TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS. 



193 



general purposes, as they are easily made and 

 are portable. The handles may be either as 

 shown in the figure, or a pair of stout iron hooks 

 may be screwed on to serve as handles. These 

 are very convenient when the tub has to be 

 lifted, a pair of poles being used as lifters. 



Sieves and Screens are useful in gardens for 

 sifting earth and for screening gravel, mould, 

 &c. Sieves with very small meshes are also 

 used for cleaning seeds. 



All sieves should be what is termed square- 

 meshed, varying from 1J inch to \ inch. This 

 also applies to sieves used for seeds; the size of 

 mesh in this case goes by number. 



Grindstone. — The utility of a grindstone is 

 such that it is said to be an accompaniment of 

 civilization into the most remote parts of the 

 world. It is almost indispensable in a garden, 

 for when cutting tools are not kept properly 

 sharpened they can only be used with great 

 disadvantage. In many cases, only half the 

 amount of work can be performed with a blunt 

 tool that can be done more perfectly with a 

 sharp one in the same time and with less exer- 

 tion. It would be well to have a large stone 

 for spades, hoes, &c, and a smaller one of closer 

 grit for fine-edged tools. 



Watering-cans. — The common form of the 

 watering-can with a straight rose, for open 



Fig. 247.— Haw's Watering-cans. 



ground work, and smaller cans, with straight 

 tubes of different lengths, but adapted for 

 having roses either straight or bent-necked 

 fixed upon them, will answer every purpose 

 required of these utensils. 



"Haw's Improved Watering-can" is an im- 



VOL. I. 



provement on the ordinary type, and is much 

 preferred on account of its strength and handi- 

 ness. It is much broader than the ordinary 

 form, the diameter exceeding the height. The 

 large pots have a galvanized hoop round the 

 bottom, which imparts strength and durability. 

 Fig. 247 illustrates the various sizes and shapes, 

 all designed on the same principle. Excellent 

 roses are supplied with these cans, far superior 

 to those on the ordinary rose-pot. 



The 3-gallon and 4-gallon water-carriers are 

 most useful and convenient for the purpose 

 intended. 



Ladders. — Various kinds of these are required 

 in gardens and orchards. For wall-trees, a step- 

 ladder, with boards for steps, is far preferable 

 to one with rounds. The sides and steps should 

 be made of clean well-seasoned deal, and at the 

 top two iron spurs should be attached to the 

 sides, for the steps to rest on when they are 

 placed against the wall, that the trees may not 

 be injured. The spurs, as well as the steps, 

 should be fixed at an angle of about 85° with 

 the sides, so that when the ladder is inclined 

 against the wall, the steps and spurs may be 

 horizontal. For pruning standard trees, and 

 for gathering fruit from such, the ladder should 

 have the sides from 2 to 2J feet apart at the 

 bottom, in order that it may have a good 

 footing sideways, for this is more neces- 

 sary in ladders the tops of which have to 

 be placed against the bending branches of 

 trees, than in those that are placed against 

 solid walls. An iron round near the lower 

 end, another in the middle, and one near 

 the top are very useful for keeping the 

 sides from shifting out or in; the iron 

 rounds should be shouldered against the 

 inner part of the sides, and secured with 

 a screw-nut on the outside. The iron round 

 at top is sometimes made to project on 

 each side, in order to receive the eyed 

 ends of poles, which may be thereto at- 

 tached, and secured with a pin, to form 

 support independent of the tree. But 

 these projections cause obstructions when 

 the top of the ladder has to be pushed up 

 amongst the branches. Folding-steps are 

 occasionally useful in gardens and hot- 

 houses. Two pairs of them, with a plank 

 between, may be used as a stage in summer- 

 dressing wall-trees. Jointed ladders are re- 

 quired for curvilinear roofs. A piece of board 

 is fixed across the top, to rest upon the bars, 

 and another lower down, if necessary. Ladders 

 have been made for orchard work with two 



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