THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 99 



we would not be understood that we consider such a fence an 

 economical one, or worthy of adoption as a general rule ; because, 

 for ordinary purposes, all timber that is used in building a fence 

 above four and a half feet high is useless, and the labor of 

 building no better than thrown away. And, again, there is no 

 necessity for having so narrow spaces between the boards. A 

 space of three or four inches wide between the first and second 

 boards at the bottom is narrow enough ; and any small animals, 

 pigs or lambs, that will go under the bottom board when it is three 

 inches above the surface of the ground, or through a space four 

 inches wide, above the bottom board, will seldom do any damage 

 on the other side of the fence. An animal must be very small 

 to be able to pass through horizontal spaces only four inches in 

 width. Allowing, then, a space of three inches below the bottom 

 board, and four inches between the first and second boards, when 

 they are not less than four and a half inches wide, the space be 

 tween the second and third boards may be five inches wide, with 

 out any danger of pigs or lambs passing through it ; for any pig 

 or lamb that can go through a five-inch space, cannot possibly 

 get through such a space when it is seventeen inches above the 

 ground on which the animal is standing, unless it should be a 

 descendant of the illustrious tribe of swine denominated " land 

 pikes" or " alligators," or some mountain ranger of the sheep race. 

 After a fence is built thirty inches high, if the spaces are just 

 narrow enough to prevent cattle and horses from thrusting their 

 heads between the boards, there will be no apprehensions that 

 sheep will be able to get through them. There is no necessity 

 whatever in making any of the spaces, which may be above two 

 feet from the surface of the ground, less than seven inches wide ; 

 for no sheep nor swine can get through a space of seven inches, 

 when it is above two feet from the ground. And there should 

 be no space more than ten inches wide, or eleven, at the most. 

 The upper space is often made one foot wide. But that is too 

 wide ; for horses and horned cattle of many kinds will thrust their 

 heads through the fence in a space of twelve inches. But in a 

 space of ten inches there is not room for the heads of ordinary 



