108 



THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



self-sustaining fence; and those who choose can adopt them in 

 fence building, if they prefer either style, to a post and board fence. 

 There are a number of patents on self-sustaining zigzag board 

 fences, which, when they are new, appear quite substantial and 

 efficient ; but I consider them a poor apology for a fence. If a 

 self-sustaining board fence is needed of a zigzag style, the best 

 way is, to nail the boards to pieces of scantling as long as the 

 height of the fence, having the corner standards, to which one end 

 of two panels is nailed, standing on flat stone. But such a style 

 of fence requires one-third more lumber than a straight fence, 

 although it will be almost equal to a post fence in point of perma 

 nency and durability ; and it will occupy a large space of ground, 

 too much for an ordinary fence. It is poor economy to build a zig 

 zag board fence. All self-sustaining fences that I have ever seen, 

 were very deficient in point of durability for a number of years. 

 But there are several styles of board fence which are not exactly 

 self-sustaining, although they pass under that name. For a per 

 manent fence, let me have a good ,_, 

 post and board fence, even when a 

 self-sustaining fence can be made for 

 about half the expense of it ; and, at 

 the end of twenty-five or thirty 

 years, if the expense is not in favor 

 of the post and board fence, I am no 

 arithmetician. 



127. It is very convenient, many 

 times, to have what is called a surface 

 fence ; and in some localities, where 

 the soil is not deep enough to set 

 fence posts on account of rocks, it is 

 desirable to have some device by 

 means of which the standards of a 

 fence may be kept erect. At Fig. 



35 is a representation of a standard STAND AED FOB SURFACE 



for board fence, which subserves a 

 very good purpose for that object, and many prefer it to posts. 



