6 04 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 20, 
one on either side, do two things—they keep the posts 
upright and make a place for the top of the gate to 
turn in; a block is nailed between the two sticks about 
a foot from the post. The gate opens both ways, so 
that a horse can be driven close to the gate and gate 
swung the opposite side. When gate is opened wide 
on cither side the top of gate slides a little out of 
center, and keeps the gate open without bracing. The 
long sliding latch can be operated from either end of 
gate. It is attractive in appearance. We have one 
gate made on this plan that has been in use 17 years, 
another nearly as long. Both arc in good working 
order to-day, and just as well as when new, never 
have sagged. Most of the peculiar features of the 
gate are original. Our gates arc 12 feet long, dis¬ 
tance between posts 13 feet, height 14 feet. It is 
well to have the gate set about 18 inches above the 
ground, so that it will swing above ordinary snow¬ 
falls. GEO. F. PLATT. 
New Haven, Conn. 
R. N.-Y.—The model was put together as Mr. Platt 
suggested, and the drawing shown at Fig. 191 was 
made. From the model this gate seems to till the bill. 
.We also show the picture of another sort of gate, 
made of pipe with wire fencing stretched over it. No 
matter what the gate is made of, the children soon 
learn how to ride it. 
DOG DAMAGE IN NEW JERSEY. 
On Easter Sunday morning, dogs came into ray chicken 
yards and killed eight high-grade chickens and five 
Indian Runner ducks, and bit and mangled five more, so 
that since then one more died and the rest are useless 
for breeding this year, even if they live. I made out a 
bill, had them appraised by competent men and sworn to 
before a justice and presented this hill to the borough 
clerk. I followed advice given by you in The It. N.-Y. 
some time ago. Since that time the borough council 
has met and the borough solicitors informed me that I 
shall have to wait until January 1, 1014,, when all bills 
of a similar nature will be bunched together and if the 
revenue derived from taxation or. dogs be enough they 
will be paid pro rata and if not we will each get our 
share. Must I wait until January 1? Secondly, has 
the borough council any right to cut my hill down? I 
consider that I have charged them about one-third value 
I positively would not have sold one bird for the full 
amount of the bill which I submitted to council This 
bill was signed by myself and two appraisers and sworn 
to before notary public. A. A. H. 
New Jersey. 
Under the laws of New Jersey a person may recover ' 
damages from the township for injury caused to his 
A PIPE AND WIRE GATE. Fig. 192. 
poultry by stray dogs by presenting a verified certifi¬ 
cate of each of two respectable freeholders of the 
township, not of kin, stating the amount of damage 
done, together with the verified certificate of the 
person suffering the damage, giving the full facts 
of the case with his estimate of damage sustained. 
This bill will be paid by the township at the end of 
the year, after all claims for similar damages are in, 
insofar as the moneys collected from the dog tax in 
that township will pay them; if there is not sufficient, 
then the bills are paid, practically, pro rata. These 
bills should he presented before February 1st of each 
year. The total of the bills allowed at this date shall 
he the amount to be assessed against the dogs in that 
township for the year. 
Accordingly A. A. 11. will have to wait at least until 
February 1st of next year (unless there is a different 
date for adjusting the loss in his township) before 
his claim can be paid, but it will, in all probability, 
he paid in full when it is paid, as the township com¬ 
mittee ought to have adjusted all the bills of the 
preceding year before assessing the dog tax. He has 
proceeded properly, but if lie thinks his hills will not 
he paid in full he should ask the borough solicitor 
what is the meaning of Sec. 6 of P. L., 1901, p. 332 
(copy below), if it does not mean that the township 
committee can collect the full amount of all bills pre¬ 
sented before they assess the dog tax and could, 
therefore, collect the full amount necessary. 
“8S. Disposition of moneys collected under this act. 
Sec. 4. The sums of money collected by virtue of this 
act shall be appropriated to make good any loss which 
may be sustained by any person or persons by the de¬ 
struction or wounding of his sheep, lambs, domestic ani¬ 
mals or poultry within the township where the said tax 
shall he collected, and shall be kept as a fund by the 
township committee for that purpose; they shall pay 
all such damages so sustained within the year, in case 
the money so raised by said tax shall be sufficient to 
pay the same, and if not, then in such equitable propor¬ 
tions to the individuals injured, according to their re¬ 
spective losses, as the said fund will enable them to do. 
THE COMMUNITY SILO. Fig. UB. 
to he adjusted at the annual settlement of the accounts 
of said township by the township committee; and in case 
there shall remain in the hands of the township committee 
a surplus of money after paying all the damages sustained 
as aforesaid, such surplus shall remain in the hands of 
the township committee to answer any damages as afore¬ 
said which may he sustained in the next ensuing year, 
and so on from year to year. (P. L. 1901, p. 331.) 
81). Damages, how ascertained and paid; investigation 
of claims. Sec. 5. When any person shall sustain damage 
or injury as aforesaid, it shall be lawful for such person 
to take two respectable freeholders of the township 
wherein such damage was done, who are in uo wise of 
kin to the party so calling them, to view the sheep, lambs, 
domestic animals or poultry so killed or wounded; and 
if it shall appear to their satisfaction that the said sheep, 
lambs, domestic animals or poultry were killed or wounded 
b ya dog or dogs, the freeholders shall make a return or 
certificate thereof in writing, properly verified, stating 
the amount of damages such person may have sustained; 
each said certificate, together with the properly verified 
certificate of the person suffering such damage, setting 
forth in full the facts of the case and the estimate of 
damages sustained, shall entitle the person so injured 
to the sum stated therein as the damage sustained, to he 
paid by the township committee in conformity with this 
act; and in case the damage so certified shall appear to 
the township committee to be excessive, it shall and may 
be lawful for said committee to require the facts stated 
and claimed and exhibited to be investigated before them 
upon oath or affirmation and shall award payment accord¬ 
ingly. (I*. L. 1901, p. 332.) 
00. Damages to be appraised and certified to township 
commit lee, and amount thereof to be assessed as tax on 
dogs. Sec. 0. Any person having sustained any damage 
by dog or dogs in said townships, shall proceed to have the 
damages appraised according to this act and shall present 
certificates thereof to the township committee before the 
first day of February in each and every year, and the 
amounts of bills allowed by said committee for damages 
up to that day shall be the amount of damage done for 
the preceding year and shall he the amount to he assessed 
on the number of dogs in said township as returned by 
said assessor. (P. L. 1901, p. 332.) 
PLANS FOR A PACKING SHED. 
Would you give me the size and floor plan of a practical 
packing house for packing peaches into crates for ship 
ment? Same is to he large enough for six packers, and 
to store from 7.000 to 10,000 crates (knocked down). I 
have at present 100 acres in peach trees; varieties bear 
ing from the middle of August to the middle of September. 
Long Island. a. m. t. 
We built a house with the plans shown at Figs. 194 
and 195 three years ago, and I find that about the only 
PLAN OF PACKING SHED. Fig. 194- 
A, Door: 15, Elevator: 0, Space for Packed Fruit; D. Lavatory; 
E, Chimney. 
criticism I can make is that it is n’ot large enough. It 
is only a question of time when we shall be obliged 
to enlarge this or erect another. We have about 
11,000 peach trees. Of these about 2,500 are eight 
years old. 7,000 seven years old. 1,000 five years old 
and 500 four years old. I speak of this because A. 
M. T. says that lie wants room for six packers. If his 
hundred acres of peach trees produce an average crop 
and lie packs in carriers he will need two or three 
times that number when his trees are as old as ours, 
or older. Our peach season runs from about August 
10 to October 15, while his varieties, according to his 
letter, will crowd his business into a month. The 
elevator adds 50 per cent, to the efficiency of the build¬ 
ing for ease and speed of handling fruit. It should 
extend from cellar to loft, and should be first class. 
The cellar, frost-proof in Winter, approaches cold 
storage in Summer. On more than one occasion, when 
caught with a lot of peaches which could not be 
shipped promptly for one reason or another, I have 
put a ton or two of ice in the cellar with the peaches, 
and held the temperature down to 40 or 50 degrees for 
48 hours. This building with shed attached cost in 
round numbers $3,000. including excavation and grad¬ 
ing, cellar, elevator, plumbing, etc. All the mason and 
carpenter work was done hv our own men, except 
that I had a boss carpenter to superintend the erection 
of the building above the foundation. His wages were 
$3 per day of 10 hours, and the men received 20 cents 
per hour. We have a fully equipped carpenter and 
blacksmith shop, and we do our own repairing. If 
we want anything we make it. I purchased three 
ELEVATION OF PACKING SHED. Fig. 195. 
years ago a low-wheeled, broad-tired wagon, tank, 
engine and jack, and built our power sprayer at a 
saving of $60 to $75 from what a complete sprayer of 
same capacity would have cost purchased from manu¬ 
facturers. d. H. AVERS. 
New York. _ 
During March the Philadelphia Post Office handled 
1,294,954 parcel post packages. 
A correspondent of the Florists’ Exchange reports that 
moth balls will drive away snails. Where these creatures 
Infested greenhouses the moth balls were put on the soil 
about 12 inches apart, and there has been no trouble from 
snails since. 
