AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING 281 



kept fences on a farm, one expects, and is very likely to find, 

 other things on that farm orderly and properly done. A 

 fence often remains in place for many years. If it is crooked, 

 it is an eyesore all those years. If it is straight and well 

 kept, it is a constant source of satisfaction to the owner 

 and to all who see it. 



Comer Posts. — Barbed wire fences have been the cause 

 of so much injury to animals that many farmers are strongly 

 opposed to them. The greatest cause of injury to live stock 

 is slack wires. These are not found where the wires have 

 been properly stretched when the fence was built. In order 

 to stretch wire tight it is necessary to have the corner posts 

 set and braced firmly, so they cannot give and thus allow 

 the wire to slacken. With corner posts set as in Figure 123, 

 it is impossible to keep the wire tight; but, when they are 

 set and braced as in Figure 124, they will always remain 

 firm and keep the wire tight. Observe fences in your 

 neighborhood and note those that have well braced corners. 



Setting Posts. — Posts are usually set by digging holes 

 with a post auger or digger, setting in the posts and tamp- 

 ing the earth firmly about them. It is especially important 

 to tamp the earth very firm about the bottom of the post 

 and just at the surface of the ground, as these are the two 

 places on which the strain comes. Corner posts often need 

 short pieces of plank spiked on them near the bottom, to 

 keep the strain of the wire from pulling them out of the 

 ground. See Figure 125. 



Woven Wire. — Woven wire makes a much more desir- 

 able fence than barbed wire, as there is no danger of animals' 

 being injured in it and it will serve for hogs and sheep as 

 well as for cattle and horses. It is considerably more ex- 

 pensive than barbed wire, especially if only cattle are to 

 be enclosed. 



Stretching Wire. — If corner posts are firmly set, it is 

 comparatively easy to stretch either barbed or woven wire. 

 The wire is fastened firmly to the post at one end of the 

 line, then strung out and stretched. A great deal of time 

 can be saved by arranging to reel out two wires at once. 

 To do this, put two spools of wire side by side on a rod or 

 crowbar in the rear end of the wagon, fasten the two wires 



