144 THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



hole bored in the lower ends of the acorns, and tenons made no 

 the upper ends of the pickets. When this mode is adopted, the 

 acorns should be put on tight with good paint. The tenons can 

 be cut with a tenon auger fitted to the mandrel of a lathe, and 

 the acorns bored in a lathe, so that the expense of fitting them 

 up in this manner would be quite small. The ends of round 

 pickets are many times cut off square, or a little rounding, or 

 pointed in a conical form, like those shown at Fig. 56. Fig. 61 

 represents one of the plainest styles of tops for square or flat 

 pickets, with the corners saw.ed off. Fig. 67 is particularly 

 adapted to inclosing buildings of gothic order of architecture. 

 When buildings are of the very plainest order of architecture, 

 Figs. 63 and 64 would correspond quite as well with the work 

 on the buildings as any other style. Figs. 62 and 68 would be 

 in good keeping with the architecture of a country villa, where 

 the balconies and verandahs are encompassed with a balustrade 

 of turned balusters. When buildings are finished with a heavy 

 box cornice, with roof rather flat, and square columns with 

 bevelled mouldings, instead of a bead, or ogee, or ovals, Figs. 65 

 and 66 would be in good keeping with the workmanship of them. 

 185. The most expeditious manner of rounding the tops like 

 Fig. 63 is, to put fifty pickets or so in a gripe, with the top ends 

 all even, flat sides together, and set them up by the side of a 

 work-bench, letting them stand on the lower ends, and shave the 

 corners nearly round with a drawing-knife, and then a few strokes 

 with a joiner's hollow plane will make them all true. When all 

 the corners are to be cut off, like Fig. 64, a lot of them may be 

 put in a gripe, or they may be cornered with a drawing-knife 

 while they are held in a vise, or they may all be nailed on the 

 rails of the fence, and cornered with drawing-knife and bench 

 plane. Figs. 62, 65, 66, 67, and 68, are usually put in a gripe? 

 with top ends even, and laid on the work-bench, and some parts 

 cut with a back-saw and rabbet-plane, or a joiner's dado, or with 

 planes called hollows and rounds. A joiner's dado, for such 

 work, is a very useful tool. There are many other forms for 

 picket tops, but these must suffice for a work of this character. 



