The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

15 Basic Ways To Landscape Your Homepage

Of prime importance in all file and oilstone operations is the amount of heat generated when metal is cut. Thin blades will lose their ability ro remain sharp if greatly overheated. Water and oil are the most common cooling lubricants, and should be used in quantity when re-edging your tools.

Lawnmowers that need sharpening can be improved by application of your flat file to the cutter bar. Turn the mower upside down, after placing a pan under the tank of gasoline powered engine. With the cutter bar exposed you can then file the bar's bottom leading edge. File until a sharp edge is created which duplicates the original bevel when the bar was new. However, do not file the inside edge of the cutter bar which is touched or passed over by the rotating reel blades. Not only would the self sharpening feature of the mower be destroyed, but cutter bar life would be reduced. After sharpening is completed adjust the cutter bar to iust shear a piece of paper placed between it and the reel blades.

When a mower becomes so old that re-facing the outside leading edge of the cutter bar fails to improve its usefulness, the mow er should be taken to a reputable repair shop. For a few dollars the mechanic will realign each reel blade, rcface the cutter bar, reset cutting unit and service the operating mechanism.

After tools have been edged, loose handles tightened and inspected, use a cloth to wipe on a thin coat of rust preventing oil. Your investment in time to maintain equip ment is slight and it will make a great differ ence in the pleasure obtained from your own colorful garden.

Fertilizers

TO REALLY PROSPER, all plants need a will conditioned, fertile soil. Classifications of soil are: sandy, sandy loam, loam, light clay and heavy clay. The ideal garden soil is loam.

If you have light sandy soil add liberal amounts of animal manures, peat moss, leaf mold or humus, Humus is a general term referring to all types of decayed plant and vegetable matter. Successful gardening depends on the regular use of humus-forming material which creates and maintains soil fertility for plant growth.