136 



TOOLS USED IN HORTICULTURE. 



two-pronged fork is for stirring the soil in narrow intervals between rows, 

 and also for digging up carrots, parsnips, horse-radish, &c. 



403. Rakts^ figs. 35 and 86, are used for freeing the surface soil from 



stones and other ob- 

 stacles, for raking off 

 weeds or mown grass 

 or fallen leaves, and 

 for covering in seeds. 

 The common garden 

 rakes, used for rak- 

 ing soil and gravel, 

 differ chiefly in size. 

 See fig. 86 . The 



daisy-rake, fig. 85, a, has broad teeth, 

 lancet-pointed, sharp at the edges, and 

 set close together; and it is used for 

 Fig. 35. Daisy and grass rakes. tearing off the heads or flowers of daisies, 

 plantains, dandelions, and other broad-leaved plants, which appear in grass 

 lawns, in the early part of the season ; and thus it renders the necessity of 

 mowing less frequent. The short grass rake, fig, 85, &, is formed of a thin 

 piece of sheet-iron, cut along the edge so as to form a sort of comb, and 

 riveted between two strips of wood, as shown in the figure. It serves for 

 raking off cut grass, and also, to a certain extent, as a daisy-rake. 



404. Besoms are used in horticulture for sweeping up mown grass, fallen 

 leaves, and for a variety of purposes. The head or sweeping part is formed 

 of a bundle of the spray of birch, broom, or heath, and lately the suckers of 

 the snow-berry have come into use for this purpose. The handle is formed 

 of any light wood, such as willow, poplar, or deal. One or more besoms are 

 essential to every garden, and they require to be frequently renewed. For 

 lifting matters collected together by the broom or grass rake, two pieces of 

 board are used by the operator, one in each hand, by which the smallest 

 heap of leaves or grass can be quickly and neatly lifted up, and dropped into 

 a basket or wheel-barrow. The pieces of board may be about 18 in. long, 

 from 6 in. to 9 in. broad, and f in. thick. 



40.'). Beetles and Rammers^ fig, 87, are useful tools even in small gardens, 

 for beating down newly-laid turf edgings ; for ramming and consolidating the 

 soil about posts and foundations, and for a va- 

 riety of other purposes. For example, where 

 part of a gravel walk is taken up and relaid, 

 unless the newly moved soil and gravel are 

 consolidated, or rammed down, to the same 

 degree as the old part, there will be a depres- 

 sion in that part of the walk, which will in- 

 crease after the sinking in of rain, and thus 

 Fig. 37- Beetles and rammers, require continual additions. In fig. 87, a is 

 the common turf beater or beetle, the head or beating part of which is 

 commonly made of a block of wood, though it would be much better 

 of a plate of cast iron, because that would be heavier ; h is the common 

 wooden beater, which is also used as a rammer, the whole of which is 

 formed of wood ; c and d are two rammers, in which the heads are formed 

 of cast iron, and which are very superior tools, invented by Anthony 



