The RURAL NEW.YORKER 
39 
Farm Gates 
On page 1378 S. F. suggests a discus¬ 
sion on farm gates. The style of gate 
one should build should correspond, in 
general outline, with the fence, as nearly 
as possible. A good 1.2-ft. gate may be 
made of 2x4 in. spruce, halved together 
at the intersections and well nailed or 
screwed together. Braces of same ma¬ 
terial should be cut in and well nailed, as 
in sketch. This frame may be covered 
Double Gate for 12-foot Space 
with wire or 1x6 in. fence boards. The 
advantages are it is light, it will not sag. 
it is easily made. 
A good gate, for a 12-ft. opening, which 
is frequently used, may be made in two 
parts, of 2x3 in. or 2x4 in. spruce. This 
gate i- easily and quickly operated, which 
is an advantage over the single gate in 
many cases. g. e. n. 
Westwood. Mass. 
First, let me suggest that a farm ought 
to be planned so that there are few gates 
as possible. This can be done in a lot 
of cases. I have been on my own farm 
for four years, and have about eliminated 
the gate problem. At home I can think 
of just 1.7 different gates around the farm 
buildings. It was a job to keep them all 
in shape, and the outlay for hinges would 
pay a week’s grocery hill—if you were a 
light eater ! However, in the hand gate 
line, I think we have one there that is 
easy to make, easy to unlatch and au 
automatic latcher. which saves a lot of 
time. This gate is whatever width one 
wshes. though probably 42 in. is average. 
Make the frame of one four boards with 
a brace front the bottom hinge diagonally 
to the opposite corner. Then cover that 
frame with wire fence, and if the fence 
is wire or slats, or lath if the fence is 
wooden. Next put a loose bar of iron or 
wood on the gate. Make this about 15 
in. long. Bore hole through end so it 
will swing easily. Make a slot for it to 
work on at end of gate. Then make a 
hook of wood or iron For the gate jamb 
or post. The gate latches itself, doesn't 
blow open, and can be opened by the 
finger from either side. I always in¬ 
tended to invent an extension for these 
latches that could be worked with the 
foot, hut never got to it. I'm only 33 ; 
w'll get it done before I'm 50, sure. 
Hooks of any sort are a nuisance on a 
farm gate, to my notion. A T button is 
usable in some places. It cannot lie 
opened except in one position. E. r. 
lVmberville, <>. 
In determining the best gate, or other 
farm equipment, it is well to consider 
these facts about wood and steel. Hood 
sound wood will resist a greater strain 
without breaking or benaiug than an 
equal weight and length of steel. When 
pressure is removed wood resumes normal 
position, hut steel remains bent. Where 
great strength is required in a small 
space, ns at the hinge of a gate, steel is 
incomparably superior to wood. Thus an 
nil-iron gale, strong enough to be sub¬ 
stantial, would be very heavy, ami pro¬ 
hibitive in price, while all-wood gates 
soon decay where cleats and bars lap, sag 
and heroine rickety. My ideal gate makes 
use of both wood and steel where eaeh is 
better fitted to its particular purpose. 
The bars only of a gate should lie of 
inch hoards. Wide cleats are objection¬ 
able, because they create a condition fav¬ 
orable to decay, and us strength is ne sled 
there in a small space, they should be 
angle steel. t'se holts, instead of nails, 
making the removal of a broken bar and 
the insertion .if a new board an easy 
matter. Braces should bo steel trusses. 
There is less strain oil a long brace than 
a short one, because the weight of the 
gate has less leverage on the long brace. 
Hang gate to something solid—a large 
post, building or tree, and well up. so it 
will swing freely. Then'your little boy 
or girl will like to open and close the 
gate for papa and the team. 
Personally. I like a Ifi-ft. gate. This 
takes a hinder off truck or any other farm 
tool. I am not interested in the sale of 
any gale, lint speak from satisfactory ex¬ 
perience. Finally, remember that good 
oil paint preserves as well as beautifies 
both wood and steel. w. a. l. 
Wayland. X. Y. 
Inoculating Bacteria Seeding 
I am interested in growing Alfalfa and 
would like to know how to inoculate it. 
Northampton, Pa. k. b. 
There are two general method of inocu¬ 
lation. One is to use soil from a field 
where Alfalfa makes a strong growth, and 
where the little warts or nodules are 
found on the roots. Soil from the upper 
part is used for this purpose, and about 
400 lhs. of the gifted soil are scattered 
over the new seeding and harrowed in. 
This in;reduces the bacteria, which work 
on the Alfalfa roots. This plan is good, 
tlm disadvantage being that it may in¬ 
troduce new weed seeds or germs of dis¬ 
ease in the soil. The other plan is to 
use some of the “commercial bacteria.’* 
This may he likt ned somewhat to the use 
of yeast in bread making. The bacteria 
are cultivated or bred in the laboratory 
and put ui> in bottles or packages so that 
they retain their life. When ready for 
seeding, the contents of these bottles may 
lie put on the seed. Then, when it is put 
in the ground, the bacteria, like the yeast, 
begin their work. Your experiment sta¬ 
tion at State College PostofTiCe will send 
you a bulletin fully describing this mat¬ 
ter. 
CONTENTS 
'* ■ ~ ... . - 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. JAN. 14. 1922 
FARM TOPICS 
Farm Barn Frames. Past and Present. 36 
Planting Potatoes in Hills. . 36 
The Ailies from Burning Corn... 36 
Benefit from Leached Ashes . 36 
A New York Farmer’s Income .*.. 40 
Growing a Large Crop of Carrots. 42 
Fertilizer for Sweet Potatoes . 43 
Hope Farm Notes. ..... . 46, 47 
The Agricultural Crop Situation. 49 
A Farm Lease on an Equal Sliare Basis. ... 49 
Distribution of Picric Acid to Farmers. 49 
LIVE STOCK AND DAIRY 
Come-back in the Horse-Breeding Business. . 35 
Cream Substitutes . 52 
Hard Churning: Strong Butter. 52 
Size of Henhouse: Feeding a Goat. 52 
Profitable Pig Feeding... 54 
Change in Dairy Feeding . 54 
Rations for Broo I Sow and Family Cow,... 54 
Grain with Silage and Alfalfa. 56 
Biti'ding an Underground Silo.... . 56 
Feeding Shoo n . 56 
Feeding Jersey Cow......... . 56 
Buckwheat and Corn for Cows. 66 
Calves Gnaw Boards. 56 
Wintering Idle Horses. 56 
THE HENYARD 
Handling Leghorns on Limited Range—Part 
II. .37, 33 
Egg-laying Contest . 59 
Gourds for Nest Eggs. 59 
HORTICULTURE 
The Burbank Tomato. 
A Tree on the Border Line... 
Propagating Mulberries . 
"Oaselpe” for Spreading Spray. 
Notes from a Maryland Garden. 
When to Use Wood Aslies. 
The Nsnilcoke Blackberry. 
A Discussion of the .T. H. Hale Peach 
Greenhouse White Flv. 
Murker for the Farm Garden.. 
33 
38 
38 
38 
41 
41 
42 
43 
43 
47 I 
WOMAN AND HOME 
From Day to Dnv,. 50 
The One-Eee Cake. 50 
The Rural Patterns . 50 
More About Patchwork. 50 
Notes from Oklahoma.50. 51 
For the School Lunch. 51 
Winter in Vermont. 51 
Porous Molasses Candy. 51 
MISCELLANEOUS 
0 -i.a si r or'r r'f the Honey Bee. 35 
Naming Things .. 40 
The Responsibility of Eve. 40 
Woman and Her'Rights. . . 40 
v, tat of Oil of Sumac. 42 
Dispute Over Witter. 45 
Inheritance of I"sane Person. 45 
Right of Wav Over Form. 45 
Snlltting Rocks with Cold Water. 47 
Editorials . 48 
Direct Sab* of Woolen Goods. 49 
Property Owner’s Ri>»bt to the Road. 49 
Some New Angumen’s for the Sma’l School. 49 
The Ahio Hunting Law ... 49 
Removing Supers from Hives . 52 
Water Connection fo- Henhouse. 55 
Hammering Circular Saw. 55 
Publisher’s Desk . 62 
Burpee’s Annual 
The Leading American Seed Catalog 
Burpee’s Annual is a complete guide 
to the vegetable and flower garden. It 
is a handsome book of 180 pages with 
more than a hundred of the finest vege¬ 
tables and flowers illustrated in the 
colors of nature. 
Burpee’s Annual tells the plain truth 
about The Best Seeds That Grow. If you 
are interested in gardening or farming, 
Burpee s Annual will be mailed to you 
Free. 
Write for your copy of Burpee s An¬ 
nual today. Just tear off the coupon and 
fill in the space below. 
TEAR HERE 
W. ATLEE BURPEE CO. 
Seed Growers, Philadelphia. 
Gentlemen:» Please send me a free copy of Burpee’s Annual. 
29-1 
Name . _ __ 
R. D, ok Street______ 
Postoffice __State_ 
