176 THE YOUNG FABMER'S MANUAL. 



which is, smearing the parts of posts near the top of the ground, 

 for a few inches above the ground and several inches below it, 

 with melted pitch or coal tar, or anything else which will exclude 

 the moisture. A mixture of equal parts of pitch and coal tar, 

 applied hot to posts, is far more effectual in rendering fence posts 

 durable, in my own estimation, than any chemical antiseptic 

 liquor that has been used for that purpose. A good coat of such 

 materials will protect posts much longer than we are wont to 

 suppose, until we have tested it in a practical manner. 



THE TOP END OF TIMBER UP, AGAINST TOP END DOWN. 



235. Almost every man who has ever set fence posts, and 

 many who have never set a post, will recommend setting them 

 with the top end of the wood in the ground, affirming that they 

 will last many years longer than if the butt end was set in the 

 ground. But we have never seen nor heard of a philosophical 

 reason why they will last longer when the top is in the ground ; 

 and we never had one atom of confidence in the theory, and we 

 never expect to have, until it has been fairly and honestly shown 

 that the theory is a correct one. It is a most palpable absurdity 

 to affirm that a post will last longer when placed in a reversed 

 position from that in which it grew. This is not the place to 

 show, by extended argument, that the theory is a false one, but 

 those who are anxious to investigate the matter may find an arti 

 cle on this subject from the pen of the author, in the Country 

 Gentleman for 1858, page 323. It is sufficient to say, in this 

 place, that posts well seasoned before they are set in the ground 

 will tell infinitely more on their durability than the position in 

 which they may be placed. 



SECTION 7. GATES. 



" Opes the gate that hung for ages, 

 Rusting in its old repose, 

 Which, once swung upon its hinges, 

 There's no giant hand can close." READ'S NEW PASTORAL. 



236. A gate closes a passage or opens a way to an enclosure, 

 and consists, usually, of a rectangular frame, made of wood or of 



