THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 69 



73. Rails of one kind of timber should always be left to 

 gether, and rails of another kind of timber, unless they are 

 equally durable, should be kept by themselves, because, when oak 

 and basswood are laid together, the basswood will decay long 

 before the oak, and the result will be, the entire fence must be 

 repaired ; whereas, if the oak had been kept together, and the 

 basswood together, no part would need repairing but the basswood. 

 For the same reason, new rails should always be kept together, 

 when repairing fence ; and take old ones to supply the place of 

 those which have decayed. When one is hauling rails which 

 are to be laid in a fence immediately, it is much quicker to take 

 the rails from the wagon and lay them in the fence, than to throw 

 them on the ground and then pick them up again and lay them 

 in the fence. 



74. When the stakes are to be hauled let them be placed 

 near each joint of the fence, with one on each side of it ; because 

 it will save the time of picking them up. When the foundation 

 is not laid, if we know how many panels there will be in a given 

 distance, it is easy to calculate that two stakes will be required 

 for each panel, whether the fence is to be zigzag or straight. 



PENCE BLOCKS. 



75. These are a very important item in building fence. It is 

 very poor policy to place rails on the ground or on perishable 

 materials which will soon let the fence down to the ground. 

 Bowlders, from ten to twenty-five inches in diameter, make the 

 best blocks. When one is a little too large, let a hole be dug a 

 foot or so deep, and roll it in. When one is a little too small, 

 put it on the top of a flat stone. A small pile of small bowlders, 

 or little stones of any kind, will make a very good block for a 

 corner to rest on. When wood is used for blocks, always place 

 the bark side down, if possible, because they will last many years 

 longer than if the bark side is up. When a round stick is 

 used for a block, let it be peeled, if practicable ; but, if not, cut 

 off a strip of bark, three or four inches wide, on one side, and 



