186 THE YOUNG FAEMER'S MANUAL. 



forked or branching. For ordinary purposes the forks should be 

 about four or five inches apart from centre to centre. When the 

 forks are six inches apart, the gate will close itself so rapidly, 

 from a right angle, as to break the latch, or to split the latch 

 stile when it closes. The true way to hang a gate on such 

 hinges is, to put the hinges in the gate stile first, and then set the 

 heel post perpendicularly on the inside, and strike a line on the 



FIG. 86 



FIG. 87. 



A FORKED GATE-HINGE. A STAPLE FOR J'OKKED GATE-HINGES. 



inside of the post, from top to bottom ; and having driven the upper 

 hook in the post, in the line, hang on the gate, and drive in the 

 staples at an equal distance from the plumb line on the post. A 

 gate hung in this manner may be made to swing open both ways 

 of itself, by leaning the heel post from the gateway far enough to 

 raise the latch end of the gate four or five inches above a hori 

 zontal line, 



248. The advantages of the forked hinge over hooks and eyes, 

 or hooks and straps, are : the latch end of the gate, in opening 

 either way a quarter of a circle, rises from eight to twelve inches, 

 more or less, according to the length of the gate and the width 

 of the forked hinge, and the distance the hinges are apart. This 

 is a matter of convenience when snow obstructs the gateway, or 

 when the ground on one side of a gate would not allow a gate 

 to bo opened horizontally. When a fence runs down a slope, 

 having a gate in it, if the heel or hinge post is set on the upper 

 side of the gateway, the latch end of a gate will rise on being 



