THE HANDLING OF THE LAND 



107 



tools will last several years and may he used in hard 

 ground, but the cheap trowels are generally hardly 

 worth the buying. A solid wrought-iron trowel all in 



106. Long- 

 handled 

 trowel. 



107. 



Improvised 

 trowel. 



108. Weed- 

 spud. 



109. A good 

 weed-spud. 



110. Weed-cutter. 



one piece is also manufactured, and is the most 

 durable pattern. A steel trowel may be secured 

 to a long handle; or the blade of a broken trowel 

 may be utiUzed in the same way (Fig. 106). A 

 very good trowel may also be made from 

 a discarded blade of a mowing machine 

 (Fig. 107), and it answers the purpose of a 

 hand-weeder. 



Weed-spuds are shown in Figs. 108 to 111. 

 The first is particularly serviceable in cutting 

 docks and other strong weeds from la^vTis and 

 pastures. It is provided with a brace to allow 

 it to be thrust into the ground with the foot. It 

 is seldom necessary to dig out perennial weeds to 

 the tips of their deep roots, if the crown is severed 

 a short distance below the surface. 



111. A weed- 

 spud that lifts 

 the weed. 



