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Time and labor saving 
in your 
How long is a shovel? 
The choice of a digging tool is a 
matter of personal preference, but 
those who have not used the long- 
handled, round pointed shovel 
should try this tool. Because of 
its long handle, it gives greater 
leverage, which means less work 
for the back and arms of the 
digger. While it is called a shovel 
and can be used for shoveling 
loose soil, it is equally good for 
spading and turning over the soil. 
Many professional gardeners use 
it as a cultivating tool for work- 
ing under shrubs because they 
can shove it under like a scuffle 
hoe and cut off tall weeds that 
cannot be cut easily with a regu- 
lar hoe. 

For breaking up heavy clay soils, 
many gardeners like a spading 
fork. The tines go in easier and 
the clods tend to break easily 
when pried out, 
Consider the “‘onion” hoe 
Every gardener needs a good hoe, 
and preferably two. While the 
regular field or garden hoe has 
millions of friends, the square top 
onion hoe will do more types of 
work, weighs less and still do 
everything the field hoe will. This 
onion ,hoe has a blade less than 
two inches high, hence it does 
not move a mass of soil. Soil flows 
over it easily, reducing the effort 
needed to use it. Because of its 
narrow width, the end can: be 
used to thin plants in the row. 
The steel scuffle hoe is a tool pre- 
ferred by professional gardeners 
for weeding and mulching. With 
it, they can work backwards, so 
it is not necessary to walk over 
the soil already prepared. Because 
the blade lies flat on the soil and 
the dirt flows over it, much less 
force is needed than with even 
the onion hoe. 

A matter of necessity 
For deeper cultivation, the five- 
pronged garden cultivator with 
long handle will do practically 
everything a wheel hoe cultivator 
will, though not as rapidly. It is 
the logical tool for the smaller 
garden 
garden. It should not be used too 
late in the season, however, after 
plant roots have begun to spread 
out between the rows. 

Two trowels are better 
than one! 
A good trowel is an essential tool. 
A cheap trowel is money wasted: 
it will bend and break at just 
the crucial moment. Buy the best 
trowel you can afford: it will give 
you pleasure in use for many 
many years. If you have only one 
trowel, it should be the wide type, 
big enough to dig a good sized 
hole for a tomato seedling. If 
much transplanting is to be done, 
the narrow bladed trowel is use- 
ful. 
Flat-head vs. bow end rakes 
With end of the war, bow end 
rakes are coming back. While 
more costly to make than the flat- 
head rake, they are so much more 
efficient that the latter should 
only be used when low cost is a 
factor. The bow-end rake has the 
weight balanced better, so is 
easier to use. Also, the bow adds 
flexibility and gives “spring” to 
the pull of the teeth. 

Planks come in handy! 
A garden “tool” not ordinarily 
thought of is a good solid board or 
plank. When working on soft soil, 
a 2” x 12” plank several feet long 
can be used to stand on, and will 
avoid compacting the soil. During 
hot summer weather, when late 
vegetable seeds are sown, lighter 
boards are useful to cover the 
row. These keep in moisture, keep 
out heat and speed up germina- 
tion. (Examine the row every day 
and remove at the first sign of 
growth.) 
See Our Expert—He Knows! 
Space does not permit us to cover 
all of the tools and equipment, we 
have, which you will find helpful. 
Before selecting a garden cart, a 
wheelbarrow, a sprinkler, spreader 
or plant setter, ete., consult our 
experienced gardner. He will ad- 
vise you on the type best suited to 
your needs. 

REPORT on the 
supply situation 
To customers who inquire about the 
garden supply situation for this 
spring, we can report, 
“Things are looking up, thank you!”’ 
In many lines of garden equipment, 
supplies are just about normal. In 
other lines, there are still shortages, 
but only a few of them are serious. 
You'll still encounter a few dis- 
appointments when you do your 
garden shopping this spring. But 
they won’t be many. And you may 
be sure we're doing our best to 
eliminate them. 
“PRICES 
subject to change’”’ 
As is usual in seed catalogs, we 
must notify you that prices are sub- 
ject to change without notice. 
This year, however, we must put 
special emphasis on this statement. 
The price situation is uncertain on 
many items. We shall, of course, 
make every effort to maintain our 
listed prices. But we cannot promise 
to do it completely. 
WHY folks like to buy 
Garden Supplies HERE 
‘We don't have any monopoly on the 
Garden Supplies we sell. Quite a few — 
of them can be bought in many other 
stores. 
But good gardeners still prefer to 
buy here, because this is a real garden 
store. Here every transaction is a 
friendly deal between gardeners. 
Here we try our best to deliver 
something more than just merchan- 
dise. 
That’s because we’re SEEDSMEN— 
and proud of it! 
FOR GARDEN SUPPLIES, 
SEE THE SEEDSMAN! 


