908 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of a woven wire fence, or by stapling it tiglitly to the fence post so 

 as to bring it into close metallic connection with each barbed or smooth 

 wire of the fence. This can be done by driving a staple over both wires 

 and thus bringing them into close metallic connection. This need not 

 be done with every post but say with every fifth or sixth post, and in this 

 way the danger of loss of life stock from lightning is partially removed. 

 The wire fence against which cattle are likely to congregate then be- 

 comes the safest place in the field during the time of a thunder storm. 



"We have often referred to this before and speak of it at this partic- 

 ular time because at this season of the year farmers are repairing their 

 fences and the work of grounding the wires is a very simple matter, 

 involing nothing but a little time and expense. Bear in mind, however, 

 that in order that this protection may be effective, the wire must 

 go down into moist earth, and the farther it goes down the better. In 

 some soils ti^ree or four feet is sufficient; in other soils it should go down 

 seven or eight feet. 



Notice how a lightning rod man grounds his wires. He does not dig 

 down six or eight feet, but six or eight inches, then pours a bucketful 

 of water into this hole, then runs his rod down as far as he can, takes 

 it out, fills this hole up with water, and in a few minutes has his rod 

 down eight feet if necessary. The farmer can very easily adopt his 

 methods. 



We are quite earnest in urging this matter upon our readers. Next 

 January when the mutual insurance companies present their annual 

 reports it will be found, as it has been found in years past that the 

 largest sums have been paid out for stock killed by lightning and by far 

 the largest per cent of this money has been paid for stock killed by un- 

 ground wire fences. Surely it is an easy matter, even if worK be rush- 

 ing, to ground every fence on the place before the lightning season is 

 upon us. We do not pretend to say that a grounded fence will protect the 

 live stock in the whole field. The danger of loss of stock by lightning can 

 not be entirely eliminated, but we do say that a property grounded wire 

 fence is the safest place for stock in the field, and it is where they are 

 most likely to go during a heavy storm. 



We assume in all this that our readers vmderstand the philosophy 

 of the lightning rod. As the cloud charged with positive electricity 

 passes over the field or farm, negative electricity is developed in that 

 field or farm. The more heavily charged the cloud is with electricity, 

 the more heavily charged will be the farm underneath. A stroke, which 

 is simply the passage of electricity up or down between the cloud and the 

 earth, is therefore almost inevitable, thus equalizing the electricity be- 

 tween the cloud and the farm. Strokes are quite as frequently up as down. 

 They are also aware that electricity will pass off a sharp point silently 

 and quitely. If, therefore, there is positive electricity in the cloud above 

 and negative electricity being developed in the field below, the barbed 

 wire being used, with good ground connection, this negative electricity 

 passes off into the air as it develops, thus relieving the soil beneath 

 and preventing the possibility of a stroke. This is the philosophy of the 

 lightning rod, and the same principles apply to the barbed wire fence. 



