Farm and Garden

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 248, 6 April 1910, Page 3

Farm and Garden

AN INGENIOUS FIELD GATE. Those who live, move, and have their being upon the land are fully cognisant of the drawbacks, of the present type of gate. In a short time after it has been hung, the weight of the swinging section causes the gate to droop at the shutting end, so that it will not readily close, and indeed may require lifting in order to engage with the catch. Under these circumstances the gate becomes an endles-s source of worry and expense. Recently, however, these inherent disadvantages have been ingeniously overcome by a simple invention. In this device there is a top-rail which runs right through, and on the under side of the shutting-post is a small roller which runs on to a bracket on the ihutting-post itself, thus taking up the whole weight of the gate when it is closed. The gate is secured by a spring-catch which passes through a slot in the rail and drops into a notch in the lower arm of the same bracket or staple. In the usual type of moreover, the wet, penetrating the mortices, rots the woodwork, thereby accentuating the drooping tendency of the gate. In this new device there are no mortices or joints, so that when it is coated with some preservative such as solignum, decomposition of the wood is impossible, and it will last for years. In a hunting district or upon a large farm there is the additional advantage that it can be operated by a person on horseback. The lever of the spring-catch projects upwards sufficiently to enable the rider to lean over and open or shut the gate with ease, this avoidance of dismounting being a feature that cannot fail to be appreciated. On those farms abutting on a railway track, cattle losses through the stock straying on to the line and being cut up by passing trains, owing to a gate being difficult to shut and thus left unfastened, can be obviated. PASTEURISATION OF LIQUIDS. Within the past few years pasteurisation of bottled liquids of all descripto keep them in perfect condition for long periods, has come more extensively into vogue. Several devices to this end have been introduced, one specially proving very efficient. This is the Gasquet system, which possesses many ingenious features and excellent advantages. In this process the requisite preservation is carried out in such a manner that the treatment i 3 uniform, and each bottle is bound to be exposed to the same degree of heat for tbe same length of time, two most important points in successful pasteurisation. The instrument is of simple design, and is most economical in its operation, as experience in breweries in the treatment of bottled beers has sufficiently shown. The heat of the water around the bottles is gradually raised until it finally attains 158 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point it is maintained for a certain length of time, and there are certain warning devices attached which enables the work to be accomplished with mathematical accuracy. The heat is then slowly reduced to a prescribed point, when the bottles may be safely removed from the machine. This gradual heating and cooling operation not only protects the bottles against breakages, but also preserves the flavour of the liquid contents, which is a vital consideration. The

wear and tear of the apparatus is very small, being limited to the suction and delivery pipes. The same water is u-?ed over and over again, and two or three men are quite capable of tending a machine treating 4000 bottles or so per hour Steam consumption also is very low. The apparatus can be made to meet any dimensions or to suit any convenient corner without impairing its efficiency. There are, no doubt, plenty of cows offered for sale at a low price, but even this price is often very much above their value. As a rule, the prices for dairy products vary less from year to year than those of any other commodity produced on the farm. Good milk, good cheese, and good butter always bring profitable prices —at least, that has been the experience of the last few years. Where feed is abundant and rich, and the cows have not far to travel to obtain their food, large-framed cattle may be kept with advantage.