The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-11-13
Farm, Garden and Household.
How TO Hang Gates.

... HOW TO Hang Gates.
A correspondent of the Cincinnati
Gazette writes "In the spring of 1867
/ hung four large gates. The posts
were six by eight inches square, and
were put in the ground two and one
half feet. The post that I hung the
gate to was put down first and the gate
then hung. I then set the other post
so as to let the gate shut inside the
post, against two pins driven in the
post, one foot from the top and bottom
of the gate. Then put one inch pin
through the head of the gate, putting
the pin through the gate the same way
the gate. shuts, and extending through
four inches, with the point of the pin
elevated one inch. This pin wds thus
arranged so as to slip over the top pin
in the post, with sufficient bearing to
take out the spring of gate. In this
way, when shut, the gate is supported
by both posts. The gate is made of
lumber, bars one inch thick, four or
five inches wide, and eleven feet long.
[ take for the two heel pieces lumber
one inch thick, four inches wide, and
four feet ten inches long. 1 also take
two pieces two inches wide for the head
of the gate, that are set back three feet
from the head of the gate. I then put
brace on both sides, running from the
top of the center upright Stats to the
bottom of the heel pieces, all being
firmly bolted together. The latch or
bolt (three and one-half feet long,, is
placed on the top of the third or fourth
bar. A mortise is cut in the post for
the bolt or latch to slide in. The above
four gates were hung in the spring of
1867. They stand as firm to-day as
they did the day 1 hung them"
MuIching Winter Wheat.
Our winter wheat crop is generally
seriously injured, and sometimes en-
tirely destroyed, by our winter weather.
At the North, where the snow covers
the ground four or five months in the
winter, the crop is much more certain,
for it is protected by the snow; but in
our latitude the wheat has no such pro-
tection-the ground is bare nearly all
winter. Our climate, too, is very change
able, far moro so than more Northern
or Southern one. Alternate thawipg
and freezing is going on most of the
winter. If the sun comes out brightly
upon the earth, even in rather cold
weather, the ground is thawed, and at
night again freezes.
The result of this thawing and freez-
ing is that the wheat plants are heaved
out of the ground and destroyed. Now
if this freezing and thawing could be
prevented, the crop might be saved.
We are going to recommend plan,
which, though it will not be an entire
preventive, yet will aid very much in
preventing the upheaval of the plants.
It is this : When you SOW your wheat,
which should be done pretty early, also
SOW on the same ground oats or buck
wheat to act as mulching during the
winter. The oats or buckwheat will
get up foot or two, and be cut down
by the first frost, and afford an excel
lent protection to the wheat plants all
winter. --RurdJ World.
An Ice House for Five Dollars.
A neighbor of mine, says q CORE.
spondent, has an inclosure about six
feet square in the clear and six feet
high. The walls are formed of old re.
fuse timbers thrown carelessly together
with no regard to form or comeliness
The roof is made of hemlock boards
The entire cost of this building did not
exceed five dollars and, practically
considered, it is success not ambi'
tious Of containing thirty-fve loads Of
ice, but simply five loads. Ten years
this little unpretentious house has
been used for ice, and never yet dis
honored a draft upon its crystal de
posit. About six inches of sawdust
was spread upon the ground floor, and
in packing space of about nine inches
was left between the ice and the walls
OF the building for sawdust, and about
nine inches of sawdust was spread upor
the top of the ice, and the thing was
fixed. The three main principles OBJ
served here will always insure supply
of ice, viz, good ventilation, goot
drainage, and plenty of sawdust. Will
these rules adhered to, corner of any
old open shed will prove quite efficient
in preserving ice.