SIMPLE FARM TOOLS, USES AND MAINTENANCE

Subject:

Agricultural Science

Class:

SS 1

Term:

Second Term / 2nd Term

Week:

Week 7

Topic:

SIMPLE FARM TOOLS, USES AND MAINTENANCE

Previous Knowledge: The pupils have previous knowledge of

TYPES, COMPOSITION AND PROPERTIES OF SOIL

that was taught in their previous lesson.

Behavioural  Objectives : At the end of the lesson, learners will be able to

• Define simple machine
• Give examples of simple machines
• Say the types of simple machines
• Describe common popular uses of some farm tools
• Explain their general uses
• Maintenance of simple farm tools

Instructional Materials 

• Wall charts
• Online Resource
• Textbooks
• Laptop
• Soil samples
• Flash cards
• www.edudelighttutors.com

Methods of Teaching 

• Role modelling
• Questions and Answers
• Explanation
• Discussion
• Recitation
• Imitation
• Story Telling
• Dramatization

Content: 

Meaning of Simple Farm Tools

Simple farm tools are simple, handy tools made up of metals and wooden handles where applicable and used mainly by peasant farmers. They are designed to help the hands to apply force in farm operations. They make the work easier, faster and safer.Types of Farm Tools

These tools can be classified into the following:

Farm and horticultural tools

Workshop or accessory tools.

Farm and Horticultural Tools

These are simple tools used for cultivation of arable crops, fruit, vegetable and flowers.

Example include cutlasses, hoes, rakes, hand forks, garden fork , shears, pick axe, spades, hand

trowel, shovel, secateurs, watering can, harvesting sickle, head pan, wheel barrow, axe, pruning

saw, budding knife, budizzor castrator, etc.

Workshop or Accessory Tools

These are tools used in workshop to repair or maintain farm implement and farmmachines.

They include hammer, spanner, screw driver, pliers, nut and bolt, chisel, hack saw, file, punches

etc.

EVALUATION

Differentiate between farm tools and accessory tools. Give five examples of each.

Identification and Description of Each of the Farm Tools

Simple Farm Tools

Simple Farm ToolsThey are the tools commonly used by peasant farmers for simple farm operations. (a) Cutlass

It has a short wooden handle and flat metal blade. Two main types exist – one has a straight blade while the other has curved blade.

Uses of Cutlass Clearing of bush and farmland. Digging holes Transplanting of seedlings. Planting operation Weeding Harvesting some crops e.g yam. Cutting sticks in the farm Breaking and cracking of pods and shells.

(b) Spade It has a D-shaped rectangular metal blade and a long wooden handle.

Uses of Spade Lifting the soil from one place to another. Turning of the soil Digging holes Transplanting of seedling Filling of holes in the farm

For levelling loose soils For mixing concrete For weeding.

(c) Hoe

It has curved metal blade and wooden handle. There are two types, the West Indian hoe and West Africa hoe. The West African hoe has a short wooden handle while the West Indian hoe has a long wooden handle.

Uses of Hoe Making of heaps Preparing ridges Turning of the soil Transplanting of seedling Loosening of the soil surface Uprooting stumps Digging holes Harvesting of crops like yam, cassava, etc. Differences between West African Hoe and West Indian Hoe S/N West African Hoe West Indian Hoe 1.

It has a short handle It has a long handle 2. 3.

It has a round metal blade It has a rectangular metal blade Blade is attached to wooden

handle with a prong Blade is attached to handle by a loop round the handle

(d) Garden Fork It has four to eight long-pronged metal forks, with a long wooden or metal handle.

Uses of Garden Fork Turning manure during compost preparations Loosening of the soil surface For spreading manure.

(e) Hand Trowel It has a shot, curved metal blade with a short wooden handle.

Uses of Hand Trowel Transplanting seedling from the nursery to the bed. Spreading manure or mixing fertilizer with oil in the farm Digging holes on beds.

(f) Axe It has a short heavy metal head with a sharp edge and a long wooden or metal handle.

Uses of Axe Falling trees in the farm Cutting logs. Uprooting stumps

Splitting fire wood at home.

(g) Rake It has eight to twelve short pronged forks fitted to a long wooden or metal handle.

Uses of Rake Removing rubbish from the farm. Covering vegetable seeds beds. Weeds are also removed from seed beds. Levelling of soil surface.

(h) Hand Fork Has four-pronged metal forks with a short wooden handle.

Uses of Hand Fork For loosening surface soil around seedlings Transplanting from the nursery to the seed beds. Essential for weeding seed beds.

(i) Watering Can

It is made up of metal or aluminium tank with a stem covered by perforated metal sheet covering from which water is sprayed. The perforated sheet is called a rose.

Uses of Watering Can Supplying water to young seedlings in the seed beds and nursery Irrigating flowers Sprinkling of foliar fertilizers. Spraying chemicals e.g disinfectants. It is used for watering cement blocks used for constructing farm house

(j) Shears It works like scissors, operated with two hands and has sharp blades.

Uses of Shears Trimming hedges Cutting of flowers to shape For removal of dead parts or excessive branches (pruning) For cutting long grasses.

(k) Secateurs

It is a scissors-like in shape but small in size. It possesses two short wooden or metal handles. It usually has a spring between the handles. They operate like shears but have shorter frocked blade and are operated with one hand.

Uses of Secateurs For pruning bushes, shrubs, ornamental plants and for weeding Cutting of side branches of shrubs For taking hardwood cuttings.

(l) Sickle

It has a round wooden handle with a sharp curved metal blade. The inner edge of the blade is sharp while the outer edge is blunt.

Uses of Sickle Harvesting of cereals like wheat, rice, millet, etc. Harvesting of oil palm fruits. In pasture, it can be used to cut grass for animals. For harvesting fruits.

(m) Mattock

This has a cylindrical wooden handle attached to the middle of a blade made of a thick block of iron. At one end the blade is long and pointed, at the other, broad and sharp

Uses of Mattock Uprooting small stumps Use for digging. It is used for loosening stones, roots and hard plants in the soil It is used in clearing bush and weeding farms

(n) Mallet

This is an entirely wooden tool, with a heavy cylindrical head and thick short wooden handle. It is not very common among farmers these days.

Uses of Mallet Pushing off logs from the farm Splitting logs.

(o) Head Pan It is bowl-like, slightly spherical with two small handles. It is made of metal

Uses of Head Pan Collection of harvested crops. Mixing of fertilizers Transporting soil in the farm Transporting compost from the reservoir to where necessary in the farm Packing weeds and stones out of the farm.

(p) Shovel It is like a spade, but has a curved or V-shaped metal blade with a long wooden handle.

Uses of Shovel Transferring soil from one place to another. Harvesting and planting of crops. Light weeding in the farm. Excavation or digging of the soil during ridge and bed preparation.

(q) Tapping Knife This has a short wooden handle with a slightly curved sharp metal blade.

Uses of Tapping Knife Tapping of the latex out of rubber trees.

(r) Dibber This is a long bar made up of iron metal with a broad head.

Uses of Dibber Harvesting of root crops like yam, cassava, potatoes. Planting of maize locally Digging of the soil during staking of yams.

(s) Pliers

It has an adapted mouth made up of metal, and iron handle often covered with rubber or plastic coatings.

Uses of Pliers Used for gripping or holding small objects. For bending and cutting wires. Pulling out nails from wood. Essential for electrical work in the farm.

(t) Spanner It is made of metal with rectangular curved end. Each end is approximated into different sizes.

Uses of Spanner Used for tightening and loosening of nuts and bolts. Used for changing of tyres in the wheel barrow and machines.

(u) Screw Driver It has a sharp pointed and narrow edge with a metal handle often covers with rubber or plastic.

Uses of Screw Driver Used for electrical work in the farm Turning of screws Tightening of screws into wood or metals in the farm.

(v) Wheel Barrow This has a big deep bucket mounted on tyres. The bucket is made of metal.

Uses of Wheel Barrow For transporting harvested crops. Carrying of manure from one place to another. For carrying tools in the farm.

(w) Pick Axe or Digger

This is a tool that has a long wooden handle and metal head with double blades. One is short and narrow, the other is shaped into a small narrow axe-like blade.

Uses of Pick Axe or Digger It is used to remove trees and roots Digging of hand soil It can be used for making ridges.

(x) Harvesting Knife or Go-to-hell

It is made up of two parts, a long wooden handle that is inserted into a small curved metal blade. It also has a short strong blade.

Uses of Harvesting Knife or Go-to-hell It is used for harvesting permanent crops e.g cocoa, orange, kola, oil palm, etc. For pruning.

(y) File

It has a straight steel blade with a sharp cutting edge. It is about 20-30cm long with a wooden handle. Files can come in different shapes and grades according to the requirement of the job. E.g

Flat file: for general use Triangular file: for saw tooth sharpening Cylindrical file: for widening holes.

Uses of File To sharpen the blunt blades of farm tools It is used for smoothening of rough surface of farm implements.

EVALUATION

Identify specimens A, B, C, etc. State the uses of each of the specimens.

Identification of Various Accessory Tools and their Uses These accessory or workshop tools include:

(a) Hammer (b) Pliers (c) Screw drivers (d) Chisels (e) File (f) Hacksaws (g) Pinches (h) Spanners.

Accessories or Workshop Tools

These are the right tools used in workshop for various carpentry or mechanical jobs on the farm e.g. files, hammers, spanners, punches, chisel, hacksaws, screw drivers, etc.

Simple Farm Tools – Accessories or Workshop Tools

(a) Hammer

This is made of a heavy metal head attached to a wooden handle. The reverse side of the head may be a claw. The various hammers found in the workshop are cross-pein, pin, and wooden shafted claw. Hammers may be used for the following:

Straightening damaged or bent components of farm implements. For driving nails into the wooden parts of farm structures/equipment. The pronged end is used for removing nails from wood. (b) Pliers

These are mouthed tooth-metal instruments whose handles are fitted with rubber. They are designed for gripping or holding, cutting and bending wire. The various pliers used are engineer’s combination, slip-joint and snipe nose pliers.

(c) Screwdrivers

These consist of a long steel rod with a flattened end which can be fitted into the head of a screw. The two types of screwdrivers that can be found in a workshop are flat screwdrivers and star screwdrivers. The type of screwdrivers to be used will depend on the screw to be loosened or tightened. Their uses involve either for tightening or driving in screws, or for loosening of screws.

(d) Chisels

These have a hardened steel blade which tapers into a very sharp edge and they are used for cutting wood.

(e) Hacksaw These consist of a frame into which a saw blade is fitted. It is used for cutting metals.

(f) Punch

The punch has a pointed end and is used with a hammer for making metal or making hole in a sheet of metal. Punches with flat end are used for knocking out pins.

(g) Spanners

These are made of a chrome or steel alloy. Spanners are used to tighten or loosen nuts and bolts of farm implements. The two common types are ring spanner and open ended spanner. Others are box spanner and the socket spanner.

General Maintenance of Simple Farm Tools

The following maintenance practices or precautions are to be adopted in order to prolong the usefulness of the tools.

Tools should be washed and dried. Cleaned after use. Sharpen the blunt cutting edges or blades. Oil/grease or lubricate movable joints to reduce. Store in a dry and cool place. Handle tools with care and use for intended purposes only. Rub metal blades with grease or paint them so as to prevent rusting. Worn out parts should be replaced without delay. Tighten all bolts or nuts in the tool. Keep the wooden part away from termite and fire.

The topic is presented step by step

Step 1: The class teacher revises the old topic

Step 2: The class teacher introduces the new topic

Step 3: The class teacher allows the pupils to give their own contributions and gives room for pupils” participation

Class Teacher and Pupils Activities. Interaction or Participation 

This involves class teacher and pupils’ interaction, conversation, imitation or modeling through discussion, play method or just by recitation or asking and answering questions that are related to the topic that has just been taught.

EVALUATION QUESTIONS

1. How do you prevent termites from attacking the tools with wooden handle?

2. How do you prevent rusting of the metal parts of the tools?

3.Enumerate five general maintenance practices of agricultural tools.

4. (i) Make a list of five simple tools that can be used for pruning or trimming

(ii) State two (2) methods of maintaining each of them.

5. (i) Enumerate five harvesting tools (ii) Mention a crop that each toll can be used to harvest. (iii) state two (2) methods of maintaining each of the tools

Conclusion : 

The class teacher concludes the lesson by giving the pupils some notes on the topic that has just been taught. He goes round to mark and he does the necessary corrections.