16 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
(Drigittai Jlapcrs from Contributors. 
FARM GATES AND IMPLEMENTS. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker—I send you for my 
present contribution, three drawings, with such a descrip¬ 
tion of each as I hope will prove intelligible to all who 
may wish to make any use of them. The first is of a 
farm gate, similar in most respects to that of which I sent 
a sketch to the Farmer’s Register, two or three years 
ago. The difference consists in the latch, and in having 
but one diagonal brace on opposite sides, which I am 
now convinced is sufficient, as I have used a gate of this 
kind for nearly two years, without any brace of the sort, 
and it has not swagged more than the springing of the 
brace edge-wise has caused it to swag. As to the latch, 
it is the cheapest and most simple that I have ever seen, 
at the same time that it is quite as effective as any other 
of which I have any knowledge. The one represented 
in the former drawing was a contrivance of my own, 
but this, which I met with in the county of Loudon, is 
decidedly better. My inducement to send you the pre¬ 
sent drawing is, that among all the numerous representa¬ 
tions of gates which I have seen in the Cultivator, I have 
not examined one that is not liable to some objec¬ 
tions. Having paid much attention to the structure of 
gates, for several years past, I have taken pains to note 
every thing in each which seemed worthy of imitation, 
and in this gate I have endeavored to combine the ad¬ 
vantages of all. There is nothing in it of my contri¬ 
ving but the upper hinge, and simple iron that fastens 
the center-stem to the upper bar. Consequently the only 
merit I claim is that of combining the inventions of 
others in one subject. 
A good gate is a thing which commends itself, highly 
to every farmer, for we may truly say in its praise, that 
next to a good fence, it helps much to keep in our own 
stock, to keep out other people’s, and above all, to keep the 
peace between testy neighbors. I hope, therefore, that my 
brethren will not deem the description which I am about 
to give of the one here presented, unnecessarily minute. 
This drawing, [fig. 1,] represents a gate nine feet 
wide from out to out, and five feet high. The size of the 
hinder stem is four inches by three. The center and front 
stems are three by two and a half inches. All the bars 
are three inches wide, but the upper one is square behind, 
tapered to two and a half inches before. The other bars are 
one inch thick at the hinder end, tapered to five-eighths at 
the front ends. Each tenon has a shoulder three-fourths of 
of an inch deep; but the shoulders of the hinder tenons are 
cut in the lower edge of the bars, and of the front tenons 
in me upper edge, as indicated by the dotted lines across 
the front and hinder stems, at the ends of the second bar 
next to the top. These shoulders thus cut, aid both be¬ 
fore and behind, in counteracting the tendency to swag, 
which is the chief defect of all gates. This tendency is 
still farther counteracted by the diagonal braces, which, 
oeing pinned across every bar, and let into the hinder 
stem near the lower end, as well as into the upper bar 
about the center of gravity, which is behind the middle 
stem, (as the hinder part of the gate is much the heavi¬ 
est,) will almost of itself suffice to prevent swagging. 
But the most effectual counteraction of the whole is the up¬ 
per hinge. This consists of two right angles, one on each 
side the gate but united by the shank of the hinge. The 
opposite parts of this hinge are two inches wide, seven or 
eight inches long, and one-fourth of an inch thick. One- 
half this thickness being let into the wood, and the oppo¬ 
site end of the hinge fastened together by screw-bolts 
passing through the top bar and hinder stem, must effect¬ 
ually prevent all swagging, unless the hinge should break, 
or bend edgewise, which is hardly possible, when fast¬ 
ened as it is, at the ends, and sunk into the wood. The 
iron which fastens the top bar to the center stem is an ad¬ 
ditional security against swagging. It is of the same 
Width and thickness as the upper hinge, and is also sunk 
into the wood. One of the screw-bolts which fasten the 
ends to the wood should pass through the upper end of 
the diagonal braces. The lower hinge is represented by 
the drawing marked a. It has two sides four inches long, 
two wide, and one-quarter of an inch thick. These are 
let into the wood one-eighth of an inch, and fastened by 
a screw-bolt passing through the wood. The shank of 
this hinge should be two inches longer than that of the 
upper hinge; and the hook upon which it hangs being 
driven into the post two inches beyond a perpendicular 
line let fall from the hook of the upper hinge, will cause 
the gate, when opened, to shut of itself, although the 
posts themselves be fixed perpendicularly, instead of the 
unsightly position of leaning inward, which is the com¬ 
mon contrivance for causing a gate to shut of itself. The 
latch, (which I particularly recommend,) should be made 
of hard, well seasoned wood; yellow locust is best. It 
should be about twenty-six by twenty-seven inches long, 
and so fixed as to cross the upper bar and front stem di¬ 
agonally, at eighteen or nineteen inches from their 
junction. A goodsize for it is two inches wide by one- 
fourth thick. This will allow the end which slides into 
the catch to be five-eighths of an inch thick, with a 
shoulder inside to prevent the end from projecting 
too far beyond the outer side of the stem. The up¬ 
per end is of the same thickness as the lower end, with 
a shoulder far enough below the mortice in which it 
slides up and down, to allow the lower end to he drawn 
out of the catch; you may then immediately let go the 
handle of the latch, and pass through the gate, for the 
force with which it shuts of itself is more than sufficient 
to move the latch upwards, when its own weight in¬ 
stantly brings it back into the catch. 
I have made the foregoing description more paricular 
than some perhaps, may deem necessary. But as I 
myself have generally found the common descriptions of 
implements and machines not sufficiently minute for me 
to understand them, I have thought it probable that many 
others might be in my own situation. I therefore deter¬ 
mined, if I erred at all in my explanation, it should be 
my making it so full as to be perfectly intelligible to all, 
even the dullest, who may take the trouble to read it. 
Let me add, in conclusion, that, if any person will make 
a gate exactly after the foregoing directions, and of good, 
well seasoned timber, I will agree, should it ever swag 
while the timber remains sound, that he shall denounce 
me in your paper as one whose recommendation is not 
worth regarding on any subject whatever. 
The second drawing [fig. 2,] represents a single coul¬ 
ter, such as I accidentally met with some years ago, and 
have used ever since,in preference to any other that I have 
ever seen. It is quite as simple and cheap as any yet 
known in my part of the country, and better in two re¬ 
spects. You may use it longer without any repairs, as it 
has two points exactly alike, both of which may be worn 
out before the coulter is sent to the shop. And, secondly, 
the hinder point enables the one in front to run more 
steadily while at work. A single horse will draw it 
easily in most of our lands, after they have been well 
broken up by the plow; and it is particularly useful in 
the culture of corn, and other crops planted in straight 
rows, for the purpose of securing deep tillage, in the 
early stages of their growth, in soils too shallow to ad¬ 
mit of being deeply plowed without great injury. No 
implement that I have ever tried, (and I have used every 
variety yet known to us,) is of such advantage in the early 
culture of corn as the single coulter, especially to guard 
it against drouth. 
The lower part of the one represented, is here made out 
of inch square iron, flattened and well steeled at the points, 
and is twenty-two inches long. The upright part is of bar- 
iron, about three inches wide by five-eighths thick, and 
should be eighteen inches high from the top to the bot¬ 
tom of the square bar. The front and hinder edge of the 
upright should be left square, as it is much easier to 
break, than to cut a root with a coulter. A half inch 
screw-bolt will suffice to fasten the upright in the mor¬ 
tice through the beam, which mortice should have a 
strong iron plate above and below, made so exactly to fit 
that part of the coulter, as to keep it firm in its place. 
The usual pitch for the beam of a two-horse plow should 
be given to the beam of the coulter. 
The third drawing (fig. 3.) represents a very simple 
and cheap implement, (I know not by whom contrived,) 
for cutting up corn, and I venture to commend it as far 
preferable to the hand hoe which is commonly used for that 
purpose. Having never heard any name for it, I propose 
to call it the corn-stalk cutter. The curved iron is two 
inches broad in its whole length, from the point to its in¬ 
sertion into the handle, which is from twenty-one to twen¬ 
ty-four inches long. Its cutting edge is made very sharp, 
and of well tempered steel; the back edge is blunt, and 
about three-eighths of an inch thick. From the point 
to the termination of the curve is seven or eight inches, 
which distance is indicated by the dotted line, a. a. The 
dotted line b, shows the depth of the curve, which should 
be about two and a half inches. 
In using this implement, the laborer cuts up two rows 
of corn-stalks at a time, by taking hold of each with his 
left hand, and cutting with his right. The next man 
to him does the same, and they throw their stalks 
together, in the space between them; depositing the hut- 
ends all the same way, which makes one picker-up to 
serve two cutters, as he can fake an armfull at a single 
grasp; whereas each cutter with the hand-hoe required 
a. picker-up to follow him, as the corn-stalks fell in every 
direction, and must he taken up one or two at a time, 
before enough can be gathered to fill the arms, which re¬ 
tards the stooking much more than the other mode. 
Another advantage in using the corn-stalk cutter is, that 
its stroke rarely ever jars off the ears of corn, which the 
stroke of the hand-hoe frequently does, and thereby 
causes much more picking up. 
mC 4 7 
r-Q 
[Fig. 4.] 
The fourth figure is merely to show the size and 
form of the iron before it is bent,— a is the cutting edge 
b. the blunt edge, three-eighths of an inch thick. 
I remain, gentlemen, yours with regard, 
James M. Garnet. 
Essex county, Va. Nov. 25, 1841. 
BEAUTIFUL CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN 
THEORY AND PRACTICE. 
Liebig’s “Organic Chemistry in its application to Ag¬ 
riculture and Physiology,” has been repeatedly noticed 
in the Cultivator. In that valuable work, the author ob¬ 
serves, (p. 190, of Dr. Webster’s 1st Am. edit.) that,— 
“It is the duty of the chemist to explain the composition 
of a fertile soil, hut the discovery of its proper state or 
condition belongs to the agriculturist.” 
The necessity of potash and lime as ingredients in the 
growth and development of plants has been theoretical¬ 
ly deduced from chemical and physiological facts by Dr. 
Liebig. “It is the greatest possible mistake (he"says, 
p. 196,) to suppose that the temporary diminution of fer¬ 
tility in a soil is owing to the loss of humus; it is the 
mere consequence of the exhaustion of the alkalies.” 
We also read in the same author (p. 198,) as follows:— 
“ Again, how does it happen that wheat does not flourish 
in a sandy soil, and that a calcareous soil is also unsuitable 
for its growth, unless it be mixed with a considerable 
quantity of clay? It is because these soils do not con¬ 
tain alkalies in sufficient quantity, the growth of wheat 
being arrested by this circumstance, even should all other 
substances be presented in abundance.” 
Indulge me, Messrs. Editors, with a few more quo¬ 
tations from a theoretical writer: 
“Wheat'will not grow on a soil which has produced 
wormwood, and vice versa, wormwood does not thrive 
where wheat has grown, because they are naturally preju¬ 
dicial by appropriating the alkalies of the soil.”—(Liebig, 
p. 199.) 
Wormwood is a plant from the ashes of which a large 
quantity of potash may be obtained. It was formerly 
cultivated for the purpose of extracting potash from it. 
and the product was then called salt of wormwood, now 
known under several forms by the names of salseratus, 
salt of tartar, potash, pearlash, &c. 
“ All plants of the grass kind require silicate of potash.” 
(Liebig, p. 200.) 
Silica or flint dissolved by means of potash, forms in 
the soil silicate of potash, which is absorbed by grain and 
grasses, and hardens their stalks, thereby enabling their 
Slender bodies to stand erect. 
Again our author says, (p. 200) that, “Potash is not 
the only substance necessary for the existence of most 
plants; indeed it has been already shown, that the potash 
may be replaced by soda, magnesia or lime; but other 
substances besides alkalies are required to sustain the 
life of plants.” 
By these and other remarks of the learned author in 
the above mentioned work, we find that potash and limes 
are essential ingredients to be applied, as or with ma¬ 
nures, in the cultivation of grains and grasses. Thus far 
we are guided by theory and chemical investigation. 
Now let us see how far facts corroborate theory. 
In the November number of the Cultivator, p. 182, 
there is a valuable communication by J. N. Keeler, on 
the use and application of New-Jersey marl as a manure. 
This article, so rich in fertilizing qualities, and now so 
advantageously employed in the poor and sandy districts 
of New-Jersey, is not like the shell marl of Virginia 
and other southern states., nor like the white calcareous 
marl of Ulster county in the state of New-York, but it is a 
greenish earth, mixed with sand, clay and other ingre¬ 
dients. The applicatio.n of this variety of marl, (if it 
may be so called,) having been found the means of pro¬ 
ducing fertility in one crop, has been successively and 
successfully applied to others, until it is now applied to 
all. The cause of its fertilizing effect was only known 
to the farmer by his experience and practical application. 
The material thus discovered to be a useful manure, was 
sufficient for his purposes, and he did not search into the 
science or philosophy of its action, but used it and profit¬ 
ed thereby. Here, then, we have practice without theory, 
and in the chemical investigations of Prof, Liebig, as 
above quoted, we have theory icithout practice. 
With respect to the New-Jersey marl, Mr. Keeler in¬ 
forms us, that,—“ It is applied to (Indian) corn when 
planted, or in its early growth; to potatoes in the hill or 
row, before planting or after, (but generally covered 
with them;) to winter grain; and in short with those 
farmers who have abundance of it, it is a c panacea,’ good 
for all kinds of crops.” 
Now, what ingredient is' it in this marl, which causes 
fertility ?—Professor Rogers, (State Geologist of New- 
Jersey,) has analyzed it and found that it consists of a pe¬ 
culiar green sand, clay, and quartzy sand. The green 
