52 



THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



A LIFT-GATE. 



the end of the gate, which you swing around, and the other end 

 should rest on a round stick, as there will be less friction as it 

 pivots around. Two of the boards should project four inches at 

 the end of the gate you open, so as to pass between the stakes 



and hold the gate to its 

 place. In opening this gate 

 you slide it back till clear 

 of the post or stakes, and 

 then carry the end around 

 while the other pivots be- 

 tween the stakes. You will 

 notice that, at the hinge 

 end, the stakes are not set opposite each other, but angling. 

 This is to enable the gate to be swung open without binding. 



There are some places on every farm where good, permanent 

 gates will be needed, and these should be well made, of good 

 material, and well hung to a good post, firmly set. It were 

 better to make a lift-gate than to hang a gate to spindling-posts, 

 so set as to lean out of perpendicular as soon as the ground 

 becomes soft, or to put up a gate made of soft lumber, badly 

 braced, and so put together as to become loose and rickety in a 

 few months. I would recommend that the lumber for a gate be 

 thoroughly seasoned and planed. The cheapest and best way to 

 make it is to bolt it together, using washers with the bolts. Use 

 long strap-hinges, and put an extra strip on the gate where each 

 hinge goes to bolt the hinges to. Before hanging give the gate 

 two good coats of paint. To make a gate in this way no mortises 

 Will be needed, but I would recommend hard wood for the slats, 

 which take the place of the uprights in the framed gate. When 

 the gate is hung, put up a post, or strong stake, for it to swing 

 against when open, and have a strap or hook to fasten it, so that 

 it will not blow against your team or wagon-wheels as you pass 

 through on a windy day. Always arrange a rest for the gate, so 

 that, when open or closed, the weight will not hang on the 

 hinges, but rest on the bottom. This rest may be a smooth stone 

 or a piece of scantling, and should be placed so as to slope a little 

 towards the gate, so that it will gradually receive its weight. 



