The Garden Rake
The garden rake is a tool used in agriculture and horticulture which has a toothed bar that is fixed to a handle. The word rake comes from the Old English word “raca”, which is derived from the Dutch word “raak” and the German word “rechen”. All of these derivatives mean to scrape or bring together.
As mentioned, the garden rake is used to gather leaves, grass, hay etc. into piles but in gardening it is also used to loosen up soil, leveling and light weeding.
Todays modern rakes are usually comprised of a steel, bamboo or plastic tines or teeth and the handle is either metal or wood. Historically, the garden rake was normally made from iron and wood. When the teeth on a garden rake are long, they are normally formed into a fan. Some garden rakes that have very long, curved teeth, can be mounted on tires, connected by a bar and pulled by tractors.