116 THE YOUNG FARMEK'S MANUAL. 



138. The chief difficulty, which has been almost invariably 

 the cause of failure in the permanency of a wire fence, is, the 

 snapping of the wires by animals bounding along, and plunging, 

 when in full speed, against them. It is an unusual thing for wires 

 which are destitute of flaws, to be broken by the simple pushing 

 and hooking of an animal. A bullock, or any other animal, will 

 not thrust very powerfully with his nose or neck against a bare 

 wire, consequently a small wire will resist effectually all the force 

 that an animal is disposed to apply to it. But when an animal 

 plunges against a wire with rapid fury, something must give way, 

 or he will be, perhaps, a little harmed by such an unceremonious 

 rencounter. If we stretch up a lot of wires, and animals have 

 nothing to admonish them that they are approaching an obstruc 

 tion, when running at full speed, a wire fence is a dangerous obstruc 

 tion to place in a field. "When a wire fence is built thus, it is very 

 imperfectly constructed ; and if the wires should be snapped 

 asunder, or the fence completely demolished, or animals seriously 

 injured, we need not be filled with wonder, because something of 

 that nature would be only a natural and certain result. When 

 a wire fence is erected in a proper manner, animals will very 

 soon learn where it stands, and they will no sooner plunge against 

 it than they will against a rail or a board fence. When a wire 

 fence is built across a field where the ground is entirely smooth 

 on both sides of it, and also where it stands, if the posts are 

 some ten or twelve feet apart, and nothing but bare wires from 

 post to post, colts and young cattle, when running, unless they 

 have learned that there is an impassable obstruction along the 

 line of posts, will be very liable to attempt to pass between the 

 posts, when running at full speed. But if a ridge of earth, from 

 one to two feet high, be thrown up along the posts, or if a nar 

 row board be nailed on the posts at the top, or even at the bot 

 tom, they will never plunge against it when running. It is 

 always best to have a narrow board at the top of the posts, when 

 it can be obtained readily. But in case boards are not at hand, 

 a ridge of earth along the posts is a consideration of the first 

 importance in building wire fences, because, if animals do not see 



