THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



177 



iron, or of both these materials, and is so adjusted on hinges or 

 rollers that the force of a child can open and close it at pleasure. 



FIG. 82. 



A 



A SUBSTANTIAL FARM GATE. 



237. The essential and very important parts of a gate are, 

 a heel-post or stile a (Fig. 82, inserted at the head of this arti 

 cle) ; the head or latch stile 1} ; the top bar or arm c ; the lower 

 arm d ; the slats or the filling, which extend from the heel stile 

 to the head stile ; the stay or stays, or those pieces which extend 

 across the middle of the gate vertically ; and the struts, or those 

 pieces which extend diagonally in the direction from the bottom 

 of the heel stile towards the top of the head stile. Ties extend 

 from the upper end of the heel stile to the lower end of the head 

 stile, or in that direction. The struts operate as supports to the 

 gate to keep it in an unchangeable position and shape. The 

 strut of the gate operates as a pillar, and the force applied to it 

 is a compressive force. The ties operate in an opposite direction, 

 and sustain the gate by suspension. Struts are more effectual in 

 keeping a gate in position and shape when they are made of 

 wood than when made of iron, unless they are made of a bar 

 heavy enough not to be bent by the weight of the gate. Ties 

 are more frequently made of wood, in wooden gates, but large 

 wire, with a nut and screw on one end, and a head on the other, 

 makes a tie which will keep a gate in shape and position as long 

 as the wood remains sound. Stays are very important in a gate ; 

 and every gate that is long enough to allow a load of grain or of 



