172 



THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



Gates and Gateways. 



No fence is complete without an entrance, and therefore without a gate, 

 for slip-rails at the best are only makeshifts, and are a source of loss both of 

 time and temper. It is surprising that slip-rails are as common as they are, 

 for excellent and serviceable light gates can now be purchased very cheaply, 

 and even where the lack of cash is an obstacle to this being done, a handy* 

 man can, with the aid of an auger and a tomahawk, build and hang a strong 

 useful bush gate, with no other outlay than the expenditure of a few hours' 

 labour, and certainly in less time than is required for continual putting 

 down and up of the slip-rails. 



There are some who prefer something a little neater than the bush gate, 

 but who wish the outlay to be as small as possible; for such, the batten-gate 

 is admirably suited. The cost of the material required is not great, the gate 



Fig. 12. —Gateway and round untrimmed posts. 



is easily and quickly constructed, and if by accident it is injured, it is 

 easily repaired. 



It is the more common practice to make these gates of hardwood; but an 

 objection to hardwood is its heaviness — for a heavy gate is generally the 

 principal cause of its own inefficiency and final destruction. For this reason 

 the gates at Cowra Farm (which are similar to those illustrated in Figs. 

 12 and 13) have been made of Oregon pine, which is light. It may be 

 .thought that Oregon pine is not strong enough for the purpose; but that 

 supposition is not borne out by actual results, for on, at least, one dairy- 

 farm in the State, Oregon batten gates have been in daily use for nine or 

 ten years, and are still in excellent condition. They have never been broken 

 or out of order during the whole time. It will be admitted that this material 

 is strong enough for ordinary conditions of service, and that if it be broken 

 it will be by some unusual act of violence, which, in most cases, would 

 have been sufficient to have broken one constructed of hardwood. 



