George A. Martin

IRON WICKETS.

iron bow wicket

Fig. 262.—Wicket With Hinge.

iron bow wicket with upright bars

Fig. 263.—Wicket With Upright Bars.

Wickets and stiles are convenient passageways through or over fences crossing foot-paths. The bow wicket has the advantage of providing a gate “always open and always shut,” and not apt to get out of repair. A wrought iron bow wicket, with short vertical bars, is shown in figure 262. Figure 263 has the bars horizontal, and folds in the middle for a wheel-barrow or small animals to pass. To go through it, a person simply steps into the bow, swings the gate away from him, and swings it back in passing out. There is no latch to fasten, and no fear of the entry of livestock. Similar wickets may be constructed of wood for board fences.

Fig. 264.—A Gate For Foot-path.

Figure 264 shows a wicket gate common in England, where it is much used in foot-paths across fields, etc. It is an ordinary small gate, which swings between two posts, set far enough apart to permit the passage of a person. These two posts are the two ends of a V-shaped end in the fence. The engraving shows the construction of the end of the fence, with the two posts, between which the gate swings.

Figure 265 is another form of gate, which consists of a V-shaped panel, filling the opening in the fence—the open ends of the V being fixed to posts equally distant from and in a line with one of the posts in the fence, and at right angles to it. This is improved by using bent wheel-rims, figure 266, instead of the straight pieces forming the V-shaped panel. Kept well painted, the hickory rims will bear the exposure to the weather perfectly. The palings should be of oak, an inch wide and half an inch thick, fastened on with screws. The opening in these stiles must be sufficient to allow a corpulent person to pass easily, even if a frisky bull is in uncomfortable proximity, and for this figure 266 is really the most convenient form. The objection to both of these stiles is, that there is no actual closing of the passage. Calves, sheep and pigs, not to mention dogs, work their way through. To prevent this, the gate-stile, figure 267, was invented. It has a small gate swinging on the middle post, but stopped in its movement by the end-posts of the V. A person can pass by stepping well into the V and moving the gate by him, where he has free exit. This form is efficient, but inconvenient.

A fourth form, the best of all, is the swinging A-stile, figures 268 and 269. In this there are two light gates, made upon the same hinge-post, spreading like the letter A, and braced with a cross-piece between the rails of each side, like the center part of the A. This gate is set to swing on each side of the center-post, as shown. It is so much narrower than the V-stiles, that it is almost impossible for small animals to pass, but it is easily hung so that it will always remain closed, and so offer no temptation to animals on the outside. At night, or when not in use, a wire ring or withe-hoop thrown over the top of the post and the upright part of the gate-frame, will securely fasten it. To make the gate swing shut, all that is necessary is to set the eye of the lower hinge of the gate well out towards the outside. In figure 270 we give a neat A-gate, made of pine or any strong and light wood.

Fig. 271.—Stile For Barb Wire Fence.