1881.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
17 
A “Self-Opening” Gate. 
A large number of “ self-opening ” gates 
have been invented; some are operated by 
a cord, which can' be reached from the car¬ 
riage ; others 
have an iron 
lever placed 
in the road¬ 
way, where it 
may be struck 
by the wheel 
of the vehicle, 
and there are 
other devices 
by which the 
driver may 
open the gate 
without leav¬ 
ing the ve¬ 
hicle. These 
various con- 
trivances 
seem to be 
defective in 
point of dura- 
a “self-opening” gate. bility. Some 
are rendered 
useless by snow and ice ; others do not endure 
the continuous blows of the wheel that are 
necessary to open them, and it is rarely that 
such a gate is met with in working order. 
In all such contrivances the simplest is the 
best, and the gate of which “C. A.,” Brad¬ 
ford Co., Pa., sends a sketch and description, 
has but few parts to get out of order, and on 
that account seems preferable to the more 
complicated patented “ self-opening ” gates. 
The gate is a light one, hung by ropes 
which pass over pulleys near the top of long 
posts, and counterpoised by weights upon 
the other ends of the ropes. Small wheels are 
placed in the ends of the gate to move along the 
inside of the posts and thus reduce the fric¬ 
tion. The gate is raised by means of ropes 
attached to the center of the upper side of 
the gate, from which they pass up to pulleys 
in the center of the archway, and then out 
along horizontal arms, at right angles to the 
bars which connect the tops of the posts. The 
construction of the gate is easily understood 
from the accompanying engraving. By 
pulling on the rope, the gate, which is but a 
trifle heavier than the balancing weights, is 
raised, and after the vehicle has passed, the 
gate falls of itself. In passing in the op¬ 
posite direction another rope is pulled, when 
the gate is raised as before. Mr. A. has had 
one of these gates in constant use for a num¬ 
ber of years, and finds it so satisfactory that 
he describes it for the benefit of others. 
The Water we Need and How we Get It. 
The human body is often spoken of as 
“dust” and as “clay,” but there is a large 
amount of water required to moisten this 
clay and to hold the dust in shape. It is a 
well-ascertained fact that a man weighing 
154 pounds has of solid parts only 42 to 50 
pounds, all the rest, 104 to 112 pounds, being 
water, or, to put it roughly in percentage, we 
may say that the human body is 30 per cent 
solids and 70 per cent water. This water is 
constantly passing off from our bodies, not 
only in the various liquid forms that we no¬ 
tice, but in the exhalations from the skin, and 
even in our breath, as any one can see on a 
cool day. It is well known that a man of the 
average weight (154 pounds) gets rid of, in 
one way and another, 5 J / a pounds of water 
during each 24 hours. For him to keep in 
perfect health, this loss of water must be 
daily replaced. How is this water restored ? 
Some may say by drinking ; but it cannot all 
be taken into the system in this way, for few 
persons drink, including tea and coffee, and 
all such liquids, 5 1 /, pounds, or over two 
quarts of water daily. Whence comes this 
supply of water ? If not taken in as drink, it 
must be as food ; and such is the case. The 
articles commonly used as food contain a 
much larger proportion of water than is gen¬ 
erally supposed. That 100 pounds of turnips 
contain 91 pounds of water has been so often 
repeated that it is generally known. Lettuce 
is even more watery than turnips, as 100 
parts of it have only 5 pounds of solid mat¬ 
ter ; but these are not usually regarded as 
solid food. That om bread is half water, 
that lean meat is about three-fourths water, 
and that our mixed food, taken on the aver¬ 
age, contains over four-fifths its weight of 
water is not so evident; yet such is the case. 
Human Gener'l Cow’s Pota- Lean Bread. Gloster 
Body. Food. • Milk. toes. Meat. Cheese. 
12 3 4 5 6-7 
We can readily see that milk is largely—often 
too largely—composed of water, but that dry 
bread should contain so much is not so obvi¬ 
ous. The fact is that our food, that which 
seems driest—even hard, crystalline sugars— 
consists largely of water, and that wonderful 
chemical laboratory — 
the stomach, is able to 
separate the water from 
its compounds that it 
may supply the needs of 
the body. The propor¬ 
tion of water and solids 
in the human body, and 
that in some of the chief 
articles of food, are pre¬ 
sented in the accom¬ 
panying diagram. The 
horizontal squares give 
the various foods, the 
perpendicular squares,of 
which there are ten, give the proportion (per¬ 
centage) of both water (in fight squares) and 
the solid parts (in dark squai’es), thus allow¬ 
ing the eye to take in the whole story at a 
glance. This graphic method of presenting 
important facts is largely employed in that 
most instructive of museums at South Ken¬ 
sington, near London (where we obtained 
this table), and was used to some extent by 
Mr. J. R. Dodge in showing our agricultural 
statistics in the government building at the 
Centennial Exhibition. It is commended to 
teachers and lecturers as an effective and 
striking method of presenting proportions. 
The Snow Push.— This implement is very 
convenient for cleaning paths after a fight 
fall of snow. It is made by inserting a han¬ 
dle five or six feet long in a hard-wood 
board twelve or fifteen inches long and six 
inches wide. To make the handle perfectly 
secure, it should be braced by strips of wood, 
as shown above, where the handle is not 
given at full length. Such a push or scraper, 
but made smaller, will be found very con¬ 
venient in the horse stable, for cleaning the 
barn floor of fine fitter, moving grain, etc. 
A “Buck-Board” Wagon. 
Among the many queries recently received 
are some as to “Buck-boards,” their import¬ 
ance, construction, etc. The accompanying 
engraving gives a veiy clear idea of the 
nature of this kind of wagon. The two axles 
are connected by a platform of hard-wood 
boards,which does the threefold duty of reach, 
a body, and as springs to the vehicle. This 
platform should not be more than three feet 
wide, and if narrower the “ Buck-board ” can 
turn much shorter comers. The seat is placed 
about midway between the axles and should 
be wide enough for two persons, unless made 
for some special purpose, as for a country 
physician. There may be springs under the 
seat, but usually they are not thought neces¬ 
sary. With the running gear of an old bug¬ 
gy, a wagon of this kind can be quickly made 
by any one handy with ordinary tools, and at 
very little expense. Having had a “ Buck- 
board” in use for the past few years we 
can commend it as a most convenient vehicle 
for use in the country. Its lightness makes 
it convenient to use when the roads are bad, 
and it allows the loading up of various ar¬ 
ticles that can not well be put in the wagon. 
In training a colt the “ Buck-board ” is a most 
A HOME-MADE BUCK-BOARD WAGON. 
