138 THE YOUNG FAEMER'S MANUAL. 



off, and they will soon make no effort to fly. The pickets for 

 such a fence should be sawed tapering, as shown in the cut, 

 about two and a half inches wide at the lower end, and not more 

 than half an inch wide at the upper end ; the space board should 

 be (see 172) about two inches wide at the lower end, as a space 

 of two inches is narrow enough, and the upper end must be 

 enough wider than the lower end to correspond with the taper of 

 the pickets. The space board need not be as long as the pickets. 

 The object of sawing them tapering is, to save lumber, as the 

 spaces can be much wider at the top than at the bottom of the 

 pickets. It is always best, when it is not inconvenient, to nail 

 on the pickets on the inside of the yard, so that fowls cannot fly 

 on the top rail, and then fly over, or get through between the 

 pickets. 



THE FIELD, WIRE AND PICKET FENCE 



176. Is usually made of pickets turned round and pointed. 

 although square ones are frequently used instead of round ones ; 

 but they are not as neat, especially if the fence is to be painted, 

 because the loops of wire, in straining, cut into the corners of the 

 pickets much deeper than they do in round pickets. The pickets 

 are cut out in a lathe in the same manner that broom handles 

 and rakestales are cut out, and the ends are thrust into an instru 

 ment called a "pointer," holding cutters, which will sharpen the 

 end of a picket in a second or two. They are from four to five 

 feet long, and an inch or more in diameter. One inch in diameter 

 is rather too small for a fence where cattle and horses run. In 

 stead of wooden rails for holding the pickets, two wires are used, 

 bent into loops, like Fig. 54, which represents a wire about the 

 size of No. 10 or 11, ready for the pickets. It is very important 



FIG. 54. 



MANNER OP BENDING THE WIRE RAILS FOR A PICKET FENCE. 



that the loops be bent with as much uniformity as possible ; be 

 cause, if both the upper and lower wires are not bent into loops 



