Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-10-26
agricultural.
Sagging of Posts.

The Country Gentleman thus describe.
what seems to be an easy way of preventing
posts from sagging
Every farmer in the country has witnessed
the inconvenience of a sagging gate New
ones are well constructed and well secured
to firmly set posts by stout hinges, and the
owner promises himself much satisfaction
from these convenient and permanent En-
frances to his yards and fields. All goes
well the first summer But he finds after
the next spring that the latch strikes too
low and will not catch the socket. The soft
earth has given little, and the constant
pressure of the heavy gate has caused the
post to yield, hair breadth at time, till
it has varied a little from the true perpen-
dicular. Being now often left unfastened
it beats against the post, and the latch is
broken. The subsequent hard usage it re-
ceives makes the post settle away still more.
subsequently the gate rests on the ground
over which it is laboriously dragged day
after day and year after year, until the
hinges are broken. Some of our readers
can figure with approximate accuracy what
the damages are likely to be from cattle
breaking through this unshut gate into the
wheat and corn fields. 1t is obvious that a
firm erect post to every gate contributes
greatly to successful and satisfactory farm
ing. commonly recommended mode OF
obviating the difficulty is to cut trench
between the posts directly under the gate.
and place piece of durable timber (such as
white oak rail, locust pole, or a cedar
scantling) in and cOmpactly cover it with
earth. The nearer it is to the surface the
better will be the bracing which it will af-
ford, the deeper it is buried the longer it
will last. 1t is therefore best to procure the
~ 10
surface This mode of bracing accomplishes
the desired purpose partially. Unless the
earth is very hard and firm at the lower part
of the post, it will slowly yield to the out
ward pressure, and in process of time the
bottom will be thrown out, and the gate
will settle on the ground.
A more thorough mode therefore is to die
deep trench and lay in two connecting
pieces The bottom one must be dove tailed
into the bottom of the posts to prevent
spreading, and pin or a few spikes in ad-
dItion will render the connection firmer
This lower timber, being excluded from air
and one only being likely to decay will need
replacing. By this mode, the gate will be
sure to keep its place. Bnt it is attended
with considerable labor, and an easier mode
will answer nearly or quite as we'll. Take
two pieces of durable timber, Short posts.
or chestnut rail sawed in two,) and place the
the ends against the post on opposite sides,
one foot lower than the other, beating the
earth firmly about them. If only three or
four feet long, they can never be moved a
hairs breadth by sliding endwise in the soil,
when firmly placed. Some would prefer to
place them across the post, but this is quite
a mistake, as earth will thus yield by hard
and continued pressure while no practica-
bic force could move them in the slightest
degree endwise: 1t often happens that such
pieces of durable timber are found on every
farm, and a moderate degree of labor will
cut deep short trench on the on the outer
side, and a shallow one one on the inner, and
firmly place them in position.