THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



247 



strap c passes ; d is a buckle in one end of the strap. The ears 

 are a part of the sole iron, turned up, from two to three inches 

 long, according to the size of the boot. The flange e is turned 

 downwards, like a hook, to prevent the shoulder of the spade 

 from slipping off it. The iron is placed in the hollow of the 

 boot, with the flange e against the forward side of the heel of the 

 boot, and the strap c is passed behind the heel, and through mor 

 tises in each ear, as shown in the figure, and buckled around the 

 instep. An ingenious blacksmith will make the iron for ten or 

 twelve cents, and the strap and buckle will cost eight or ten more. 

 This is a very useful article in using the spade, and will save the 

 wear of boots very much more than its cost. 



THE RAIL FENCE JACK. 



327. In repairing rail fence it is often necessary and desirable 

 to put in a good rail near the bottom of a fence, where a rail is 

 broken or rotten, without taking down the corners. When there 

 are heavy riders on a fence, and the stakes are firmly set, it is no 

 little task to take off the riders and loosen the stakes and let 



FIG. 113. 



A BAIL FJSNCB JACK. 



down the corners, in order to take out old pieces of a rail, and 

 place a good one there. But by having a fence jack like Fig. 

 113, a man or boy can raise the corners of a fence, when it is 

 staked and ridered with heavy rails, and take out the pieces and 

 put in a good rail much quicker than he would be able to do it 

 by taking the fence down and putting it up again. It is so plain 

 11 



