ESTABLISHED IN 1S50. We recommend the following dimensions and 
-—— manner of construction:—The frame work to 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, be made of good, straight-grained oak, 3 by 4 
A* original wisely scantUng, as long as a 13-foot stick will make it, 
T>rT>»r titti? a T!v \"vn 'PAAfTTY NEWSPAPER. or not less than 11 leet at any rate. The lingo 
RURAL, LITERARY AM) IA MII.Y NEWSPAPER. pQgt or gtn ^ - fcet ]on ^ 3 by 4 ; the latch stile, 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
an original weekly 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With a Corps of Able Assistant* and Contributors. 
HENRY S. RANDALL, LL, D., 
Editor of the Department of Sheep Husbandry, 
For Terms and other particulars see last page. 
ABOUT FARM GATES-No. I. 
In the last volume of the Rural we gave an 
article, with an illustration, on the Farm Work¬ 
shop. We hope that many ol our readers have 
profited by the suggestions therein contained. 
With snob a shop and tools it is easy work for 
any fanner to make, during the winter, his gates, 
and posts and bars. He need call on the me¬ 
chanic for nothings for he has ample conven¬ 
iences for doing both the wood and iron work. 
Gates are required near the buildings, and in 
the yards, and all places where the passage-ways 
arc often used. They save time and ore there¬ 
fore cheap, though they cost three times as much 
as a set of bars. They should be made strong 
and durable, with the heaviest timber in the end 
hinged to the post. Their durability depends 
much on the solidity of the posts, and in hanging 
them true and plumb. A poor gate is a nuis¬ 
ance, a good set of bars being preferable to It in 
any place. The fastening should be secure and 
solid. 
In former volumes of the Rural we have 
published many illustrations and descriptions of 
Farm Gates, and purpose to give in this and 
subsequent articles, the best of these, together 
4 feet fi inches, 3 by 3, and the center stile the 
required length, 3 by 4. 
The sluts, or bars of seasoned pine—the two 
lower ones 5 inches wide, and the three upper 
ones 4 inches. They are framed through the 
stiles, with A nice and tight fit, at the following 
distances apart; the lower ones 33>£ inches, and 
so on, 4, 5, 6 and 7 inches. It is important that 
all the bars fit the mortice tightly on the edges, 
a great part of the strength of the gate depend¬ 
ing upon it. * 
The top rail is tapered from the center stile to 
the latch stile on the under side, to 3 inches 
square, and is framed into the hinge stile with a 
dove-tail of one inch gain, (see dotted lines.) 
The mortice must" be laid out 1 inch higher, to 
allow the drop, and the space left iu the mortice 
filled with along, slim iron wedge, with ft head 
turned, and fitted with holes, and spiked to the 
rail. There is a brace on each side of the gate, 
toed in at the foot, and shouldered at the top, and 
u large wrought nail put through alternately, 
both ways, and cliuehcd. 
There are various ways of hanging this gate — 
costing from three dollars to ten cents. The 
cheapest method, and ail-sutlicient for field use, 
is to take 13 inches of % round bolt iron; cut off 
4 inches for the bottom, leaving 8 for the top — 
bore in with a % auger, and drive in the pins, 
leaving out inches at the bottom, and 5 
inches at the top. The ends of the stile may 
be banded if thought best. The bottom of the 
hinge stile is sometimes brought to a point, and 
the top rounded to 3 inches, and let through the 
cap for a hanging. 
The great secret of keeping gates In position is, 
to have a large post set very deep and firm into 
the ground; or it will lean and sag the gate; in- 
f) 
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with some original designs,—and hereby invite q ce d, it- cannot be set too firmly, and, as a fur- 
readers having anything new and valuable (not ther security, fill the hole half way with stone 
patented, but l¥ee to the public,) to famish the anc i the rest with leached ashes, 
same with a view of publication. At the proper height for the bottom of the 
The following plan of the Ne Hus Ultra Gate, gate, mortice in a piece of three inch oak scant- 
was given in the first volume of the Rural; ling, and on the top spike firmly a piece of 
and has been several times re-published in this two-inch plank as a cap of a height to allow the 
and other journals — being considered good gate lifted up, and out ol its place, wine is 
enough to be repeated annually: sometimes convenient in deep snows. 
For fastening, a long iron latch may be used, 
or a round wood bolt, with ft spiral spring, and 
I ^7? an iron pin through to keep it, which springs 
into a mortice in the post, with the sides beveled 
off, to cause the gate to shut with a push. There 
should always be a strong pin bored into the post 
to slam against when not opening both ways. 
This plan and description of “My Style of 
Farm Gate” was contributed to the Rural by a 
Turin, N. Y., correspondent : 
• The materials of my gate are inch boards, 
(pine, spruce, or hemlock,) planed or not, which¬ 
ever you choose. The diagram represents one- 
half of a large gate, 13 feet wide between posts. 
_ _ , ^. , 1 If yon wish u smaller gate this half of the large 
] IT"! 1 ^ *T ' one will answer. This is superior to the Common 
>*jj j gate in several points. First, it is cheaper ; sec- 
| . ond, it is hung so that it will never sag; third, 
«—1—J nQ 0 f snow will ever clog it; and fourth, 
farm gate — the ne plus ultra. children cannot swing upon it. 
The above cut exhibits a Farm Gate combining _ *L_ 
all the qualities required — simplicity, strength 71111 ~ 
and durability. A is a catch for a gate opening B H 
both ways; B is a wedge to drive over the dove- 3 ^ibtitlliwirt aniMHH , 'iii’i l ,ir'Mi«n .iI'.iucki.". 1 . r.iv,.: ,aj ~Iffll 
tail of the top rail. To suit our column the _ y // __ 
drawing is shortened a little In length, in pro- —*~~/ ~o ~o 
portion to its height, but fairly represents all the —^ — 
peculiarities of the article we wish to present /'a // 
and describe. . / ' 1 1 
JSS in rx aid £LS£, TSt fniimmmimmmk 
every want in this desirable and much neglected “mV style of farm gate.’’ 
article; and, as we think, cannot be improved, Directions for Making. —E is the bed piece 
for our opinion is based upon a twelve years’ use 6 inches square and 18 feet long, which should 
of this plan, as a gang-way gate for cattle aud be set in level with the surface. B, B, B, B, are 
teams, to the ham and wood-yard. One in par- the poa's, 1 inch or 1}£ inch thick, 6 inches wide, 
ticular, has been tested in the most searching 5 feet high; 8 of them (in a large gate) fastened 
manner, by the swinging of boys and the slam- to each side of the bed piece. The posts should 
ming of winds, and it never has changed half an be dove-tailed into the bed piece, E, so as to be 
inch. Every addition of braces, or at a different 3 % inches apart on the inside. F’s are the cross 
angle, is a positive detriment to the gate; it is pieces 9 feet long, 4 inches wide, and 1 inch thick, 
unique; and so thoroughly are we convinced of D, D, are the brackets which are 8 feet long, 8 
these facts, and so earnestly in favor of intro- inches wide, and 1 inch thick, to be nailed one 
ducing gates, in the place of those devifn warp- on each side at each end of the cross pieces. 
ktgban in common use, as they have been called. There should be a piece, II, 8 inches wide, nailed 
that we intend getting our cut stereotyped, for on top of the cross pieces. A, A, are the braces 
the gratuitous use of all agricultural publishers on which the gate swings; there are 8 of them, 
who appreciate its importance and construction, and they should he of hard wood, 3 inches wide 
THE WILD TTTRKTtlY 
“my style of farm gate.” 
Directions for Making.—E Is the bed piece 
6 inches square and 18 feet long, which should 
be set in level with the surface. B, B, B, B, are 
the por.<-<, 1 inch or 1}/ inch thick, 6 inches wide, 
5 feet high; 8 of them (in a large gate) fastened 
to each side of the bed piece. The posts should 
be dovo-tailed into the bed piece, E, so as to be 
3)g inches apart on the inside. F’3 are the cross 
pieces 9 feet long, 4 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. 
D, D, are the brackets which are 8 feet ions', 8 
inches wide, and 1 inch thick, to be nailed one 
on each side at each end of the cross pieces. 
There should be a piece, 11, 3 inches wide, nailed 
on top of the cross pieces. A, A, are the braces 
on which the gate swings; there are 8 of them, 
and they should he of hard wood, 3 inches wide 
Herewith we present our readers a spirited 
engraving of. the wild turkey. As a game bird 
the turkey ranks indisputably higher than any 
other in the world. He is a native oi North 
America, and was probably first introduced into 
Europe by the Spaniards. It is said the first one 
served up at a banquet, in France, was at the 
wedding of Charles the Ninth, in 1570. Wil¬ 
liam Strickland, the lieutenant to Sebastian 
Cabot, in a voyage he performed under the 
patronage of Henry VII., carried them from this 
country to England. Since that, period they have 
spread with great rapidity, and they arc now- 
found throughout the whole civilized world. 
In its domesticated state the turkey has, un¬ 
doubtedly, degenerated,—the wild birds attain¬ 
ing to larger size, and showing more beautiful 
plumage. This is probably owing to unskillful 
or careless breeding; but of late we believe, 
under better management, tn e size and beauty of 
and 1 inch thick. 0, cap to the posts, which 
should be 0 % feet long, 9 inches wide and 1}4 
inch thick. G. is the block on which the gates 
rest when both am shut. The posts should be 
placed 3 feet apart when the gate is 9 feet long, 
and the braces 3 feet from each end. The braces 
are to be bolted to the top cross pieces with a 3 
inch bolt, and to the bottom of the inside of the 
posts with a 0 inch holt. I think these direc¬ 
tions are sufficiently plain, accompanied with the 
diagram, to enable any one to make his own gate. 
VARIOUS TOPICS DISCUSSED. 
Farm Bars. 
It is somewhat the fashion to decry bars, but 
we think they hair their place, and are likely to 
keep it, on the farm. They are much cheaper 
than gates, more easily constructed, less liable to 
be broken, and more readily repaired, in case 
of accident. They are. stronger barriers, too, 
against stock. In places where it is not neces¬ 
sary for a wagon to pass through oftener than 
once or twice a month, on an average, or where 
a passage-way for stock is ouly required, they are 
better than gates. The latter swing in the wind, 
and are liable to be jammed off their hinges by 
our domestic turkey is gradually improving. 
The wild turkey was formerly abundant in the 
Middle, Southern, and Western States, hut we 
believe never have been found west of the Rocky 
Mountains. They are now found only in thinly 
settled regions. In their wild state they congre¬ 
gate, at certain seasons, in docks ot many 
hundreds, frequenting the woods by day and 
feeding on acorns, all kinds ol grains, buds, ber¬ 
ries, nuts, grass, insects, and even young frogs. 
They cross the largest rivers by mounting to the 
tops of the trees, and then flying across. 
Benjamin Franklin thought the wild turkey 
should have been the emblem of the United 
States, being a truly indigenous and National 
bird; in his time the log cabin of the pioneer 
was surrounded by these birds, saluting each 
other in early morning from the tops of adja¬ 
cent forest trees, as is the farm house now-a- 
days by chanticleer. 
cattle or wagon3 crowding against them. A 
good bar-post must he a large one of some dura¬ 
ble wood. Then-set it deep iu the ground. 
Have the lower bars so close together, that a 
small pig cannot pass- between. Above the 
ground the posts should be hewn down to a 
thickness of six or eight inches. From the hot- 
torn of one part to the top, the mortises should 
successively be made longer, to allow the har free 
play when the other end drops to the ground. 
The top mortise should obviously be the longest 
Corn for Fuel. 
During the past four years -we have heard 
little of burning this great staple for fuel. The 
practice now seems to he reviving. There is a 
moral side to this subject, whiqji, however, we 
will not. discuss — only remarking, that with corn 
from fifteen to twenty ceuts per bushel where it 
is burnt, and from niuety cents to one dollar in 
New York, with railroad and water transporta¬ 
tion all the way, the burden of this moral respon¬ 
sibility must lie on the carriers and not on the 
producers. 
The Whiteside Sentinel, an Illinois journal, 
states that persona iu some of the market towns 
in that county, and the farmers themselves, are 
using corn for fuel. A tun of com is worth, in 
round numbers, six dollars. A tun of coal at the 
stations costs tun dollars. If the farmer takes 
hie corn in ami draws out the coal, the cost of 
the latter will, on an average, ba enhanced two 
dollars. Then a tun of coal will cost twice what 
a tun of corn will fetch, and it is estimated that 
two tuns of corn will bum longer, and make as 
good a fire, as one tun of coal. We lately heard 
an Illinois farmer say that some of his neighbors 
planted two or three acres oi coru on pur/xmc for 
fuel. 
Tobacco Raising. 
A correspondent desires information re¬ 
garding the raising of tobacco, its profit com¬ 
pared with other crops, and asks whether it will 
pay to grow it instead of com and wheat, etc. 
In the last, three volumes of the Rural we 
have published several long and valuable articles 
on tobacco growing and curing. At present, we 
refer our correspondent, to these, or published 
works on the subject, for minute. Information. 
The profit of growing tobacco, as compared with 
other crops, depends too much on various cir¬ 
cumstances, to bo estimated with any degree of 
certainty. It requires considerable capital to 
begin, and the crop demands much labor. A 
whole year goes round, from the time of making 
the seed bed, until money is received for the pro¬ 
duct. But those who follow the business with 
presistonoe generally make money at It. 
“ Will it pay to raise it instead of corn, wheat, 
&c. ?” Emphatically, no! Do not cease grow¬ 
ing your other crops to raise tobacco. As it re¬ 
turns but little fertilizing matter to the soil, 
special manures should he purchased and qsed 
on this crop, so as not to deplete tlio rest of uic 
farm, if you cannot grow it iu rotation with 
other crops, and keep your land Increasing in 
productiveness meantime, it is poor economy to 
meddle with it, Growing the “weed” exclu¬ 
sively lias exhausted the Southern tobacco fields, 
aud we should heed the lesson. 
Poultry. 
An agent-friend and occasional correspond¬ 
ent furnishes the Rural this interertlng item:— 
The greatest, number of eggs laid in one day by 
my thirty-two bens, during the month of Feb¬ 
ruary, was twenty-seven; the average cost of the 
food of the heirs was seven cents. A hen with 
the best care, will not commence laying until sjie 
has entirely recovered from the effects of moult¬ 
ing, which is not "often until February-, while 
pallets begin when they are seven or eight 
months old; consequently the earlier in the 
spring you can get chickens, the earlier next fall 
you will have eggs. My brother’s chickens, 
hatched in February, madu their nests iu Octo¬ 
ber, and his March pullets furnished him two or 
three dozen eggs weekly in the middle of the 
next winter. Never keep a hen after she begins 
to moult unless she has some peculiarly good 
qualities. _ 
Shelter the Tools. 
Our esteemed correspondent, S. W. A., 
of Illinois, in a communication intended for 
the benefit of all Rural readers, pertinently 
says:—Are your tools and machinery all shel¬ 
tered from Uic show and raiu ? This is very 
important. Western farmers suffer more loss 
from the decay of machinery by exposure, than 
from the wear of it; ten times more. Every¬ 
where we see reapers and mowers, threshers, 
fanning mills, drills, wagons, and all kinds of 
farm machinery, lying Just where last used—and 
there many of them will be till wanted. But our 
soil is so fertile that Western farmers, as a gene¬ 
ral thing, arc prosperous in spite of all this bad 
management. Yet “ a penny saved is as good as 
a penny earned,” says “poor Richard,” and I 
think it would be well to begin the saving pro¬ 
cess by housing the tools. 
I Cows Losing their Cud. 
A friend writes us that he has seen two 
cases where it. was said the cows had “lost their 
cud.” In both instances the animals were nearly 
doctored to death before the character of the dis¬ 
ease was ascertained. The remedy then applied 
was to administer a “cud,” composed as fol¬ 
lows Salt, pork chopped fine, mixed w r ith 
dough, a little chimney soot, aud an egg. A 
hall as large as a gooso egg was given for a dose. 
The cattle recovered. 
We do not believe “loss of cud” to be a dis¬ 
ease of Itself, but the result of disease or de¬ 
bility. The medicine administered in this case, 
proved an alterative; and that, together with 
cessation of “dosing,” recovered the animals. 
TERMS, $3.00 PER YEAR.] 
“PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
[SINGLE INTO. TEN CENTS 
VOL. XVII. NO. 
ROCHESTER. N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1866. 
I WHOLE NO. 834. 
