HUSBAND R Y. 
495 
to the infertion of the upper thimble into the heel of the 
gate is affirmed of courfe ; upon thefe data I complete the 
triangle, and find that the given line being -j-fths of an 
inch, the line determining the new pofition or the upper 
thimble mult be -j%, and the diagonal line, or line fub- 
tending the right angle, will be -j--| ; thereby adding -jV of 
an inch to the horizontal diflance of two perpendicular 
lines, one falling from each of the hooks, which is not 
material, as many of my readers would be difpofed to fa- 
crifice a little more wear and tear of their gates to in- 
creafe the velocity of a gate’s fall, and in fome meafure 
provide againlt high winds. 
At fig. 6, a fliort poll is reprefented to prevent the gate 
opening beyond the ^th part of the femi-circle lhort of 
the line of equilibrium, which may be placed ftill further 
within that line, as convenient; for if a gate’s line of 
faftening be as ufual, at right angles to the road, the gate 
need hot open.wider than from 22 0 30' to 45 0 beyond the 
quarter-circle, for any occaiion. A left-handed gate will 
admit of the fame explanation, by only reverfing the form 
of the hinges. 
The above obfervations apply alfo to a fwing-gate, as 
fliown at fig. 11, and the lower hinge is more particularly 
reprefented at fig. 12; in the one part of which two hooks 
and an open groove are feen, and the other is placed dia¬ 
gonally to fliow an iron peg, made to fit into the groove,' 
whereby the objection of a fwing-gate being eafiiy taken 
off the lower hinge, when two centres are tiled there, is 
done away. 
Fig. 7, reprefents a pair of hinges by two black fpots, 
in order to fhow, that a hammer, applied in any direction 
of the lines drawn through one of the hooks, will have 
the contrary effefl of a blow given to the other hook in 
the fame direction, as is marked by dotted lines, upon the 
principle with which we fet out; that the two centres of 
a gate’s fufpenfion, and the centre of the lame gate’s gra¬ 
vitation, when in its natural line of relt, will beTound to 
.be in the fame vertical plane. 
Fig. 8, reprefents the lower hook and thimble and 
walher for a gate to open one way ; the hook being fur- 
nilhed with a key-hole and cotter, which for a fwing-gate 
fhould be attached.to the other or upper hook. The up¬ 
per thimble for a common gate is made with a ftrap to 
.pafs through the heel, and fallen to the top rail of a gate 
viith fcrews and a ftaple in the ufual manner. 
Fig. 9, is a catch adapted for the peg-latch and guard, 
as Ihown at fig. 10; but, when ufed with the jointed latch 
reprefented on a reduced fcale in the gate at fig. 4, it 
lhould have a button or liud in the place of the ring. 
Fig. 13, reprefents the double catch for a fwing-gate j 
and the latch in the gate at fig. 4, is equally well calcu¬ 
lated for a fwing-gate, as for a gate to open one way only.. 
Fig. 14, is a hal'p with a peg attached to itlelf; the peg 
palfes through the lower hole to fallen with a ltaple, and 
moves freely in the upper hole ; but a hud prevents the 
peg being drawn quite out, or feparated from the hafp. 
The faftenings for gates which are here recommended, 
are very readily opened either on foot or on horfeback, 
particularly with the jointed latches ; at the fame time 
that it is barely pohible for cattle to open them ; for pri¬ 
vate fields, where there are neither roads .nor paths, it 
cannot be very material what kinds of gates or iron-work 
may be adopted, fo that a good fence isfecuretl ; never- 
thelefs, in regard to road-gates, any means of counteract¬ 
ing the carelefihefs of paffengers becomes very deferving 
of attention.—We deem this the bell and melt convenient 
of all the gates for general life. Oak is the befc of all 
timber for gates; but, as it is very dear, we lhould, on the 
fcore of durability, advife that they be painted over with 
fome' cheap pigment. 
With regard to the old arid long-coiiteffed queftion, 
“ Whether large or fmall farms are moll advantageous to 
the community, the experience of modern times has com¬ 
pletely decided in favour,of the former. It has been 
very properly luggelled, that if the introduction of im¬ 
provements in cultivation, and the breeds of the different 
fpecies of live Hock, are objects of importance to the pro¬ 
prietors of, the kingdom a's individuals, large farms mult 
be conlidered by them as beneficial. As individuals, alio, 
they mull experience other advantages from large farms. 
The extent of capital employed in flocking and cultivat¬ 
ing thefe farms, infures a regular and conliant fupply of 
the neceffimes of life in a double or triple proportion to 
what could be done by the fame land being divided be¬ 
tween feveral poor farmers. It is from large farms that 
the towns are principally fupplied with the great articles 
of grain, fat cattle, and Iheep of the bell quality. And 
as large farins are generally kept in the highelt Hate of 
cultivation of which the lands are .fufceptible, and ma¬ 
naged with the fewell number of hands, the. greafeft 
quantity of produce that can be fpared from the like ex¬ 
tent,of land necaffarily goes to market. To the occupiers 
of large farms it is alfo chiefly owing that the fupply of 
the towns in thefe indilpenfable articles is.l’o regularly 
maintained. If thefe farmers could not afford to keep 
their grain and fat cattle on hand, till rhofe of the poorer 
tenants were difpofed or and coniumed, the markets would 
either be over-ltocked at particular leafons, and entirely 
empty in others'; or, what is equally bad, the articles 
would get into the hands of a few dealers, who, by mu¬ 
tual content, might raife the price to any extent they 
pleafed, to the great injury of the community. 
The ingenious author of the corrected “Report of the 
County of Chelter,” conte'nds for the fuperior advantage 
of large farms on the following grounds. “Twenty or 
thirty acres of land cannot, (lays he,) in the nature of 
things, furnifh full employment to a farmer ; nor is the' 
profit which they afford by any means adequate to the 
comfortable fubfiflenceof a family 5 a man, therefore, who 
enters upon a farm of this’defeription, mull either have 
fome other occupation, to which he direfts a great lliare 
of his attention, or mull unavoidably be lubjefled to po¬ 
verty, and all its concomitant dillrels. In either of thefe 
cafes, the difpofition of the land cannot but be regarded 
as unfavourable to the general intereffs of agriculture; in 
the former, farming being made an objeft of lecondary 
confideration, and frequently being very imperfe< 5 lly un- 
derllqod, the cultivation of the land is feldom carried to 
its practicable length, and, confequently, a certain pro¬ 
portion of produce is virtually loll to the community: in 
the latter cafe, the evils refulting from a farm of this de¬ 
feription are llill more decided in their nature ; fince it 
will be generally admitted, that no fpecies of occupation 
can be beneficial in its conlequences to the- country at 
large, which is not fo to the individual immediately con¬ 
cerned in it. The fame reafoning wiii apply equally to 
farms of forty or fifty acres ; .wherever the extent of land 
is not fufficient to furnifh full employment to the farmer, 
and a comfortable fubfiflence to his family, a certain por¬ 
tion of perfonal exertion mult 1 neceffarily be loll, and the 
confequences mull be unfavourable, whether confidered 
individually, or in a national point of view. 
“ Another ferious objection to fmall farms may be 
grounded on the difficulties they oppofe to general im¬ 
provements in agriculture. A farmer, entering upon 
thirty or forty acres, very frequently .with a high rent, 
and little or no capital, cannot be expeCted to make any 
material improvement on his land, or to attempt experi¬ 
ments' in cultivation, which are probably -expenfive in 
the firlt inftance, and uncertain in the refults they may 
afford. Ail that he can do is to purfue' the old beaten, 
track; to force out of the ground the payment of hi^ rent, 
and a bare fubfiftence'for his family; and fortunate may 
he eheem himfelf if he fucceeds fo far as to do this, On 
the other hand, the man who farms a confiderable extent 
of land, can purfue with vigour any new modes of agri¬ 
culture that appear likfely to be 'attended with beneficial 
effects ; the pofiefiion of a competent capital enables him 
to undertake, and put into execution, any improvements 
of which his farm is fufceptible, till by thefe means his 
land*-. 
