'A2 LIVESTOCK OS THE EAK.M 



in small areas in which they confine their stock. This, how- 

 ever, is a mistake and defeats the farmers' purpose. The 

 stock does not have sufficient exercise, or the necessary varietj^ 

 or abundance of feeds. The result is the animals cannot do 

 well and may become a source of loss. 



Manner of Fencing. — Farm fences should be built to pro- 

 mote the entire business of the farm — pastures, crop rotation, 

 economy in doing the farm work, etc. The fence rows should 

 be laid out where the fences are intended to remain for all 

 time. Then these should be well constructed and be made as 

 nearly permanent as econoni}^ of construction will permit. A 

 poor fence should not be tolerated because when least expected 

 and when the possibility of producing damage is the greatest 

 the stock may break out and spoil a year's profit in one night. 

 The loss may be in damage to the crops or in damage to the 

 stock itself. Overeating may kill the animals, and, it may be, 

 the best ones will die first. 



It is not only the immediate damage to the crops and to the 

 stock that should be considered. If animals get out a few 

 times they get the habit of going through fences and then it 

 is practically impossible to keep them back with any kind of 

 a fence. Thus the habit of fence creeping or fence jumping 

 and the habit of remaining in the pasture may be largely 

 developed and one is as bad as the other is good. 



Animals' Fence Habits. — An 8-acre area of . timber with 

 fields on two sides was fenced by the author with two strands 

 of ordinary barbed wire. At the time the acorns began to 

 fall, a bunch of shotes that had been fed and grazed in an 

 arable pasture were put into this woods pasture. They re- 

 mained there till snow fell in the late fall when they were ready 

 for market. Never did any of the hogs ever get out of the 

 pasture. It was difficult to drive them out finally with both 

 wires laid down on the ground. The pigs had been trained 

 to remain within their enclosure and they had enough to eat 

 where they were expected to stay. 



Kind of Fence. — Fences may be built for different kinds of 

 stock, but a fence that is built to turn all kinds of stock is the 

 most satisfactory. Such a fence can be constructed with 

 a strand of woven wire about 30 inches wide at the bottom 



