GAS 



fiAT 



a growing crop. Its cliicf value is 

 as a poison to insects, and for tiieir 

 extermination it may be applied to a 

 short fallow at the rate of ten bush- 

 els or more. A solution would be 

 very serviceable to destroy caterpil- 

 lars in the garden. It acts on plants 

 in the same way as plaster of Paris, 

 and is best adapted to turnips, cab- 

 bages, and leguminous crops. The 

 quantities added in England are oft- 

 en as great as twelve cart-loads to 

 the acre ; but this is monstrous, and 

 the persons applying it are obliged to 

 wait some time before they plough 

 the land, lest it should destroy the 

 next crop. This refuse answers well 

 in composts. 



GASOMETER. A vessel to col- 

 lect eas. 



GAS TAR, or COAL TAR. This 

 is a good black paint for rough work, 

 especially if mixed with oils or grease 

 by healing ; it protects wood very ef- 

 ficiently from wet, and very nearly 

 resembles common tar. It has been 

 imperfectly used as a manure : the 

 results are uncertain. 



GASTR.EU.M (from yaaTtip, the 

 belly). In zoology, the whole under 

 surface of an animal. 



GASTRIC JUICE. The secretion 

 of the stomach, which, by dissolving 

 fibrin, albumen, casein, and nutri- , 

 tious matters, has the power of pro- 

 ducing the chijle, which repairs the 

 waste of the body. It contains pep- 

 sin, and is sometimes acid, at others 

 alkaline. 



GASTRITIS. Inflammation of the 

 internal or mucous membrane of the 

 stomach. _ ; 



I GATE. The most common de- 

 fects of gates are, 



I " 1st. Insufficient height, so that 

 horses and large cattle, when push- 

 ing against the gate, break it, how- 

 ever strong it is, as the top thereof 

 comes in contact with that part of 

 j the chest of a horse where the collar 

 'goes, and without inconvenience he 

 leans his weight against the opposing 

 bar, which, if a few inches higher, 

 presses against his neck and wind- 

 pipe, and he makes no impressioa 

 upon it. 



" 2d. They are generally hinge- 

 bound, so that, in attempting to lift 

 up the head, which is often required 

 to be done, the ledges and braces are 

 either pulled from the back head or 

 broken therein ; the person lifting the 

 head having a nine feet leverage, 

 which enables him to do this mischief. 



" 3d. The places of contact between 

 the brace and the uprights and the 

 ledges are broad, and it being impos- 

 sible to keep those places of contact 

 dry, the parts become prematurely 

 decayed." 



The great points to be attained in 

 a gate are strength, with sufficient 

 lightness, and for these purposes no- 

 thing is better than iron. The figure 

 represents a field and private gate of 

 a light structure and considerable 

 strength : it is of iron. 



As iron is the best material for the 

 gate, so hewn stone forms the best 

 posts ; when well grouted into the soil 

 with cement, it lasts indefinitely long, 

 and is firm and unyielding. The 

 fastening is a subject for the invent- 

 ive power of the farmer, and must 



