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Show THE POINTS OF A CULTI- I VATOR. ' George T. Pettit. In order to do effective work a cultivator cul-tivator shovel must be made of steel that is adapted to the kind of soil 111 which it is to be used and must have the proper shape. In many soils such as the sandy formation, cheap crucible steel or even cast iron shovels will scour and do satisfactory work, although al-though it is questionable whether it ever pays to use cast shovels as they cannot be kept sharp and in condition condi-tion for the focst work by drawing on an anvil as can the steel ones. There arc other soils, such as wc have hcr., . in which only a high grade of soft center steel thoroughly hardened and polished can be used. Such shovel will cost about three timics as much as those made of crucible steel, but where there is any difficulty in getting get-ting the latter to scour, it will pay to I buy and use the hardened ones, as they insure better work and greater satisfaction. 1 Were it not for the layer of soft I steel in these shovels they would I break almost like glass. A good many men have lost crucible shovels by attempting at-tempting to have them tempered no they would work in difficult soil. They can be hardened all right, but I arc almost certain to break in use. I While it will hardly pay to have the I cheap crucible shovels rcpointcd, the ! more expensive soft ones should always al-ways be pointed before they arc entirely en-tirely worn out. If this is properly done before the shovel Is worn too thin, the pointed shovel will wear longer andl work as well or better than a new one. The old method of pointing point-ing kft the sides of the shovel so that trash was apt to catch and hang around it instead of passing upward and off thus spoiling its good working work-ing qualities. The newer and better method resembles re-sembles a V-shaped point after being properly welded and drawn. Thij point when put on by a smith who possesses sufficient skill to do it right gives a rounding edge and the shovel will clear itself of trash almost -anywhere. The point being welded on the back gives plenty of metal to draw on when sharpening. These r points are now kept in stock by most western supply houses. They are made in three sizes fo Lie different widths fromi 3 to six inches. It costs about $2.50 to have a set of shovels pointed in this way and thoroughly thor-oughly tempered and polished. Although Al-though somewhat expensive, the pointed shovels are so satisfactory that most farmers have it done when the shovels become worn tso they no longer work right. r, , . t MWM M ! !!! Illlfcfciiart WW Quite a number of flnc-hrtrSe five loolh cultivators arc uscctf for worWing gardens and truck patches and sometimes some-times for going through corn after it is too large for a two-horse implement. imple-ment. These little cultivators come fitted witli double point, rounding crucible shovels that arc neither the right shape nor tempered Jto scour in difficult ground unless it is extremely dry. In the past two or three years some have discarded these cheap shovels and had the smith make flat single point shovels from soft center ,dow steel, forming them like the regulation reg-ulation shovels used on a two-horse cultivator, but much smaller, usually about 2j4 inches wide. These work to perfection. The curve of a new shovel usually forms an arc of an almost al-most perfect circle, but it has been I found! by actual experience that this I form docs not penetrate and shed the I dirt as well as when the lower half of the shovel is made somewhat straightcr than the upper half. |
