Shovels
a shovel’s right use
is to wear out in the hole
–or sooner on stone
What do you call a stick with a load of dirt on one end and an idiot on the other? Shovel, of course. Spade, if it is a longer, narrower version. Just so you know, “spade,” derives fro, “espada,” –sword. “Garden,” of course, derives from older English, meaning a guarded place. Gives a whole different perspective on that compost cavalier, the gardener, doesn’t it? “Shovel,” is derived from, “shove,” and lacks ambiance. Vita Sackville-Baggins, I mean Sackville-West, called it “wrestling with the clay, “ and went on to say she enjoyed gardening immensely more after being relieved of the responsibility. But there are those (men, mostly) who rather fancy a good dig, who elevate the experience to ritual. J. Jeavons, author of, “Square Foot Gardening,” feels a good deal can be told about a person from the way he handles a shovel–a new field, which is called ortho-agronomic psychometrics.
Shovels come in different styles, for different purposes. It is well to establish here that the commonest purpose is to dig holes in the ground. One up-scale catalog offers a shovel of surgical stainless steel, the kind of thing one might well use to put manure on one’s strawberries– or cream and sugar, for that matter. Though the material is more durable, price is its outstanding feature. I met a fellow once, who wore one of those out, but he was something special. He went on the lecture circuit. Should you contemplate buying one of those, do call, maybe I will come over and dig the hole for you, half-price.
A long handle on a shovel is best. When you pull back, after stamping it into the ground, the increased leverage is a great advantage. Short, D-grip handles, as commonly found on digging forks, look more intriguing than they are. Fiberglass and steel-handled shovels are made, but the cost seems out of keeping with the advantage. A broken wooden handle can be replaced economically, but often the hickory out-lasts the steel. I have a friend, who broke a shovel-handle once. Big guy. But I never have. I have made two inches of iron into a micro-nutrient soil amendment with my present utensil.
But the blade, not to put too fine a point on it, is the cutting edge. There are things to watch for. In general use, a rounded point is desirable. It penetrates better and slips under the edges of buried stones more easily. A straight edge is helpful in transplanting and edging beds, but it makes digging a hole difficult. The top of the blade should have a flange, turned over toward the front, for the foot to step on. Sometimes jumping up and down on a shovel is called for in stiff earth; those blades with no such wide stepping-place wreak about equal havoc on the instep and on the earth. Some shovels, designed by those weak in shovel-theory, have the stepping flange turned toward the back of the shovel. Thee it catches on the earth at every attempt to slide the blade under a pile or to dig with it. The result is small loads. The breaking point of any shovel-blade is right in the middle, just below the strengthening ridge at the end of the handle. There are tools available with welded re-enforcing there. But wear on the cutting edge will eventually so consume a blade, shortening it by inches, that the Parson’s-One-Horse-Shay Effect seems most appropriate–everything to wear out at once. A steel-handled, shovel with welded reinforcing plate is, I believe, what Paul Bunyan used.
Not all rich men are kings, but all kings are rich. Just so, not all men with strong backs are gardeners; but gardeners certainly tend to have strong backs. Remember, a gardener’s greatest asset is a strong back, not a weak mind. A shovel will do that for you.
the old shovel
–two inches of steel
added to the earth
appeared April, 2001
is to wear out in the hole
–or sooner on stone
What do you call a stick with a load of dirt on one end and an idiot on the other? Shovel, of course. Spade, if it is a longer, narrower version. Just so you know, “spade,” derives fro, “espada,” –sword. “Garden,” of course, derives from older English, meaning a guarded place. Gives a whole different perspective on that compost cavalier, the gardener, doesn’t it? “Shovel,” is derived from, “shove,” and lacks ambiance. Vita Sackville-Baggins, I mean Sackville-West, called it “wrestling with the clay, “ and went on to say she enjoyed gardening immensely more after being relieved of the responsibility. But there are those (men, mostly) who rather fancy a good dig, who elevate the experience to ritual. J. Jeavons, author of, “Square Foot Gardening,” feels a good deal can be told about a person from the way he handles a shovel–a new field, which is called ortho-agronomic psychometrics.
Shovels come in different styles, for different purposes. It is well to establish here that the commonest purpose is to dig holes in the ground. One up-scale catalog offers a shovel of surgical stainless steel, the kind of thing one might well use to put manure on one’s strawberries– or cream and sugar, for that matter. Though the material is more durable, price is its outstanding feature. I met a fellow once, who wore one of those out, but he was something special. He went on the lecture circuit. Should you contemplate buying one of those, do call, maybe I will come over and dig the hole for you, half-price.
A long handle on a shovel is best. When you pull back, after stamping it into the ground, the increased leverage is a great advantage. Short, D-grip handles, as commonly found on digging forks, look more intriguing than they are. Fiberglass and steel-handled shovels are made, but the cost seems out of keeping with the advantage. A broken wooden handle can be replaced economically, but often the hickory out-lasts the steel. I have a friend, who broke a shovel-handle once. Big guy. But I never have. I have made two inches of iron into a micro-nutrient soil amendment with my present utensil.
But the blade, not to put too fine a point on it, is the cutting edge. There are things to watch for. In general use, a rounded point is desirable. It penetrates better and slips under the edges of buried stones more easily. A straight edge is helpful in transplanting and edging beds, but it makes digging a hole difficult. The top of the blade should have a flange, turned over toward the front, for the foot to step on. Sometimes jumping up and down on a shovel is called for in stiff earth; those blades with no such wide stepping-place wreak about equal havoc on the instep and on the earth. Some shovels, designed by those weak in shovel-theory, have the stepping flange turned toward the back of the shovel. Thee it catches on the earth at every attempt to slide the blade under a pile or to dig with it. The result is small loads. The breaking point of any shovel-blade is right in the middle, just below the strengthening ridge at the end of the handle. There are tools available with welded re-enforcing there. But wear on the cutting edge will eventually so consume a blade, shortening it by inches, that the Parson’s-One-Horse-Shay Effect seems most appropriate–everything to wear out at once. A steel-handled, shovel with welded reinforcing plate is, I believe, what Paul Bunyan used.
Not all rich men are kings, but all kings are rich. Just so, not all men with strong backs are gardeners; but gardeners certainly tend to have strong backs. Remember, a gardener’s greatest asset is a strong back, not a weak mind. A shovel will do that for you.
the old shovel
–two inches of steel
added to the earth
appeared April, 2001