THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 117 



the wire they will see the ridge of earth, and will quickly learn 

 that wires are above it. 



WIRE. 



139. "Wire is obtained at the manufactory or at hardware 

 stores in large coils ; and sometimes the wire of a large coil will 

 be several hundred feet in length, and sometimes there will be a 

 score or more of pieces in one coil. In purchasing wire for fences, 

 the builder should see to it that the coils are not all pieces of wire, 

 because it is much more convenient to make fences of long wire 

 than it is of a lot of pieces, the ends of which must be firmly 

 united before they can be used. 



140. Wire for fences is usually annealed at the manufactory ; but 

 when it is not annealed before it is to be used, a whole coil or more 

 may be thrown on a brush heap when it is burning, or a small 

 fire may be kindled of wood for the purpose of heating it. "Wire 

 should not be thrown into a fire where it will become heated to a 

 white heat, lest it become materially injured. All that is neces 

 sary is, to place it in a gentle fire that will heat it all to redness ; 

 and then, by allowing it to remain in the fire until it has all 

 burned down, and the wire has become cool, it will be as pliable 

 almost as lead, and very tenacious ; and the ends may be twisted 

 together without danger of breaking them. 



141. The different sizes of fence wire are usually distinguished 

 by numbers. The following, Fig. 40, will give a very correct 



Fia. 40. 



SIZES OF FBNOB WIBB. 



idea of the diameter of the various sizes, from three to thirteen, 

 which diminish regularly in size. No. 3 wire is exactly one- 

 fourth of an inch in diameter ; No. 6 is about three-sixteenths in 

 diameter ; and No. 11 is about one-eighth in diameter. 



142. Fig. 41 represents the most common mode of uniting the 

 ends of wires. In uniting the ends of large wires, it is advisable 

 to have a small fire at hand in order to heat the ends when they 



