Choosing Tools For The Garden

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30157, 14 June 1963, Page 8

Choosing Tools For The Garden

Although it may seem an exaggeration to say that a good tool reduces work by half, iti is true that any task is made easier by the use of a superior tool. A good tool may cost more but the money is well spent, for the tool is made of top quality materials, ensuring long life with correct and careful usage. It is correctly balanced and will hold its edge in applicable cases. Let us now consider the various tools: —

The spade is probably the most essential and useful implement in any garden. It merits careful thought and inspection before purchase. Spades are available in a number of sizes, with long or short handles. The' short-

handled spades are personally recommended where good and, at the same time, easy digging is the aim, if only 'because of easier manipulation.

The handles may be fitted with either a D-shaped, or a T-shaped hand-grip according to personal preference. There is also a choice of a wooden-handled or an all-steel spade. All-steel spades may have the. possible advantage of added strength, but they tend to give under heavy leverage. They always spring back into the original position but this, at times, can be disconcerting. A number one is recommended as the best all-round model.

When digging, use the whole 10 or 12 inches of the

blade; do not just penetrate the soil a few inches. While there are a number of different types of rakes, such as a wire rake for use on turf, and the rubber or wooden tined rake for gathering up leaves and grass, the ordinary rake for use on soil can be used for all these purposes. It is a tool where solid construction enables superior work to be achieved. It is available in various widths and there are various lengths of tines. Where it is intended to purchase just one, a model of at least 12 and 15 inches wide with tines about two inches long should be selected.

When using a rake for gathering up stones and rubbish from the soil, keep the handle upright; if levelling a piece of ground as in the preparation of a seed bed, keep the rake horizontal. When raking, it is a mistake to rake entirely in one direction for this results in a heap of soil at one end of the bed with possible depressions elsewhere. The action should be briskly back and forth while moving backwards.

The rake can also be used for breaking up lumps and for soil consolidation by tamping. There are many diversities in shape and size of the blade in the range of hoes. The swan-neck or draw hoe has a blade which can vary in shape from square to halfmoon. It is used for hoeing between rows and also for dealing with the larger weeds which are often dispersed singly. The torpedo hoe has an elliptically-shaped blade that can be sharpened over its entire circumference. It is effective when either pushed or pulled through the soil. There are several sizes. The Dutch hoe is useful for all but the larger weeds and is eminently suited for the control of seedling weeds and or keeping the ground friable. Attached to the handle by two curved Mays is the rectangular blade which varies in size. It is used by

pushing through the soil, drawing it back and then pushing forward again. The onion hoe has a small half-moon blade on a short handle. It is used mainly for thinning and or weeding between closely-spaced plants. The hand cultivator has gained popularity in the last few years, but one should be wary when purchasing as there are some poor models on the market. The construction should be solid as lightness is a drawback. The tines should be well curved, with reasonably wide tips that finish in a point. The tines should be detachable to enable rowstraddling to take place by removal of one or more of the tines. There are several tools designated as forks. These can be for turning over the soil and are of solid construction; lifting—of bulbs, etc.; potato forks specifically designed for lifting of potatoes. if obtainable, the longhandled ones are best; pitch forks for lifting straw and other long material; and manure forks. Other useful tools are trowels, hand forks, a good sharp knife, a crow bar, and a garden line of about 50 feet with two steel pegs.