Care Necessary in Choice of Tools And Equipment

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31112, 15 July 1966, Page 6

Care Necessary in Choice of Tools And Equipment

You may’ be one of those who, as I do, enjoys going into a hardware store to examine or just simply look at the tools and sundry equipment on display. This habit is not to be decried, for not only can you learn something but. if you go to the right retailers who deal in greater ranges of the various tools, you may often come across a gadget which will accomplish just the very task you had in mind but didn’t quite know how to tackle. There are no rules and ! regulations on what should or should not, be included in the j garden toolshed. Much I depends on the size and type of garden: an all important point is Ibe size of one’s pocket. From the latter angle ' especially, careful consideration should always be given to what one buys, particularly if completely equipping oneself for the first time. : Although it may seem an i exaggeration to say that a good tool reduces work by half, it is true that any task .is made considerably’ easier by the use of a superior tool. i A good tool usually costs much more, but in most cir- ' cumstances it is money well spent; though of course; i expensive articles are not necessarily the best just; because they cost more. Top ■ quality materials ensure long life, hold an edge for a long i time, have the correct i balance, and will last a life ' time with correct and careful usage. Balance Important Balance is an important , factor for it can make work iso much easier. This applies I particularly to things like spades or forks, and different , makes and types should be 1 compared in just the same’ way as you would if purchas- ' ' ing a set of golf clubs. Weight must be taken into ! consideration too. Whilst/ choice must lie in an article/ appropriate to one’s strength,; experience generally proves 1 that light or flimsy tools usually do not give satisfac-/ tory service. This applies i ! mainly to cultivation equip-u ' ment such as rakes, cultiva- I tors and spades. In most 1 cases, such as trowels, it will if be found that the saving in> weight (and cost) usually / results in an article which T bends under average duress, if ! Handles are rarely given alt thought when buying and yetis lihow often are complaints ■ heard of blistered hands or it 'broken handles? For wooden 1.

handles for digging and cut-; ting tools hickory is the best for satisfactory wear. The, grain of the wood should run straight. It should not be left : exposed to the elements. \ Always wipe clean after use. apply raw linseed oil; occasionally and don’t throw them around. Novelty Tools There are many novelty tools available now. I refer to those capable by conversion to a number of uses. LJnless the various individual chores claimed as being within their capabilities can be accomplished by separate components, which are either; on the reverse side or are attachable, most of the “flick the jigger this way” types should be considered with’ care. As a rule each tool is best 1 for one specific job. There is however an imported brand of ' very high class (but little! more expensive) tools cover-H ing a very wide range of/ multi-purposes, and specific/ jobs too, which from the/ comments of users and from/ personal examination, are/ hard to fault. They can be ' obtained in Christchuch. I Items that one could con- j : sider indispensable for an / average-sized garden, with/ lawns, vegetable plot and, ‘ borders, and containing some, 1 paths, are a spade, fork, cultivator, rake, hoe, edging iron!; and trowel. i Spade Essential / The spade is probably the £ most essential and useful tool;, to have as it can be used not/ only for digging but for,/ breaking tip lumps, digging!, holes, slicing and laying! t turves amongst other jobs./ The short-handled one with a s good wooden handle and’ s either a D or T-shaped grip c depending on personal prefer- j ences are preferable l to the/ long-handled round-mouthed 1 shovel so popular nowdays. ! s All steel, spades may have s the possible advantage of/ durability but many have a v disconcerting habit of bend- e ing under heavy leverage. !s although they always spring/ back into their original posi/r lion. Choose a long bladed il spade, which is sufficiently/ wide to take the foot com-ia fortably. A piece of longi-lt tudinally split rubber hose! fitted over the foot support! will save indenting the shoe ! sole when digging. t There are several tools; 0 which bear the description | h “fork,” such as pitch forks 'a

I for lifting light material, ! manure forks, potato forks I and so on. A well constructed four or five pronged digging fork can be used for many purposes, especially if it is a long handled one. Bakes The rake could be deemed as second only in importance to the spade and again a model of superior construction can be found to be a versatile acquisition. There are many types on the niarket of different width and designed for various jobs but a well-made one of about 14in wide used for raking soil, fitted with straight teeth not less than 2in long, will initially serve for many purposes. This is a tool which is most frequently wrongly used, as attempts to level off and or remove rubbish usually end with a series of undulations and a great pile of soil and unwanted accumulations all at one end. By tamping the rake up and down when the handle is held in an upright l position clods can be quickly, crushed: correct levelling is not easily explained but is achieved by brisk manipulation back and forth whilst' proceeding backwards this task not being performed ■ directly in one direction but at various angles. Cultivatorg The hand cultivator is another tool which, through incorrect usage, often fails to come up to expectations.; There are many different! designs and makes to be had, some of them very poor: indeed. Others again, particularly those produced by the manufacturer previously referred to. are ideal, practical tools for tilling the soil and weeding. Preference should be given to a large detachable and adjustable type, of reasonable weight which is important for good results.' Cultivators give scope for different work, straddling crops or working between variable width rows with equal facility simply by either spreading or removing some of the tines. Some bearing down on the handle is necessary, particularly in heavier soils or weedy conditions, whilst a back and forth action also assists operations under some conditions. Many Hoes Available •There are many diversities in shape and size of blade in the range of hoes. Swan neck or chop hoes for work between rows, earthing up and dealing with individual

.'weeds; torpedo hoes, which ■ have an elliptically shaped blade which can be sharpened ; over the entire circumference, are effective for pushpull work; onion hoes are fitted with short handles and main use is for thinning or weeding between closely spaced plants: and the pre- ' ferential selection, the Dutch hoe. The Dutch hoe. a push hoe. 1 can be bought with a straight ■ or wavy edge. Solid construction and correct set have great bearing on satisfactory manipulation and good steel is necessary to 1 keep an edge. An edging iron could be dispensed with and the spade used instead but the result is not the same especially if the lawn edge requires trimming as well. There is the older type with the D-shaped blade and there is an assortment of others including the; serrated-edge knife and wheel, types, and wheel types with ! cutting and soil battening devices. Most are quite ; serviceable and perhaps choice in the end rests on price. A hand trowel may receive much, use but work is seldom so severe that wear is rapid. With good handling and care this is one item of garden 1 equipment which could literally last a life-time. There- 1 fore buy the very best, fitted : (with a good handle and < pointed, well dished, medium : 1 length blade. I: