Wire Replacing Old-Time Fence

1921

Stone Walls, Split Rails and Hedges Rapidly Being Discarded by Farm Owners

MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS

Essential That Ends and Cornets Be Erected Firm and Solid—Posts Should Be Large Enough to Give Needed Strength.

(Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.)

Of all the changes wrought in the farming industry during the last century none is more noticeable than that in fencing, say specialists of the United States Department of Agriculture. All over the Eastern United States there are hundreds of miles of stonewall fences which are monuments to the patience and thoroughness of earlier generations. Overlapping this territory, and extending west, are found fences of split rails, with their familiar weeds and berry bushes in the angles, while still farther west, where there was neither wood nor stone, are seen osage orange and other hedges. These are natural productions of the time.

The farmer usually finds today that barbed-wire or woven-wire fence will best serve his ends for new construction, and at the same time cost the least. Barbed wire is used on large stock ranges where the loss of one or two animals through wire cutting is not serious, but for the farmer with fine horses, or a selected herd of cattle, large mesh woven-wire fences are coming more into use.

Ends and Corners.

The manner in which the fence is erected has much to do with its service. The ends and corners are by far the most important elements of a fence. It is essential that they remain firm and solid in order to hold the fence rigid. The first thing to consider is placing the corners. The posts used should be large enough to give sufficient strength; they should be set deep enough to prevent heaving by the action of frost; they should be braced from each direction of tension by a stout rail about 12 feet long.

Metal and concrete posts are on the market, but a great many farmers cling to wooden ones. The line posts should be approximately 4 inches in diameter. Various woods are Used, including osage orange, locust, red cedar, mulberry and burr oak. They should be thoroughly seasoned and the bark removed, and to get the longest life should be dipped in creosote at a temperature of about 220 degrees, long enough for the preservative to penetrate the wood. These posts are best set in the spring after the frost is out and when the ground is soft. On level ground they may be driven with a maul, but in depressions should be anchored down by 2 by 4 cross pieces spiked on the bottom of the post before setting. The distance between posts depends on the location of the fence and the numbers and kinds of stock to be turned, the average in field fences being about 20 feet.

To construct a woven-wire fence properly it is necessary to have a woven-wire stretcher, a single-wire stretcher to be used in attaching the fence to the end posts, a pair of wire cutters, a barbed-wire stretcher, a splicing tool, and hammers for stapling and fastening the wire. Barbed and woven wire may be unrolled by attaching the reel to the back of a wagon or by running a bar through the core and drawing it along with a horse.

Stretching the Wire.

After the wire is unrolled it should be drawn up to the line of posts and freed from adhering trash. The stretchers are then attached and the line wires drawn until they are so taut that they can just be pressed together. Some slack may be allowed for uneven ground. In fastening the wire on the posts the line wire should be kept as nearly horizontal as possible and allowed to follow small irregularities in the ground. The staples should permit horizontal movement of the wire, allowing the weight of the fence to come directly on the corner posts, thus taking care of contraction and expansion due to weather conditions. A woven-wire fence is not complete without a strand of barbed wire above it; this prevents the stock from reaching over and crowding it down.