96 THE FARMER'S AND 



her is split or sawed, at an expense of one shilling per 

 rod. 



Good substantial fence may be seen on the farm of 

 Hezekiah Giflbrd, at Elgin, made from locust timber, 

 which he has grown from seed planted seven years ago 

 last May. 



O^T" Mr. Gifford wishes us to state, what he failed to 

 do, in relation to the size of the timber necessary to make 

 the fence of which he treats in this number, that a locust 

 pole, about five inches through, will make two rails be- 

 ing split through the centre. His object is to convince 

 farmers that it will not be necessary for to wait fifteen or 

 twenty years for rail stuff to grow. Locust timber is 

 easy to work and split, while green ; but when seasoned 

 is little less hard than iron, and will split but a little 

 easier hence it is very valuable for fence, when it is 

 desirable to save timber. Mr. Gifford proposes to make 

 the lengths of his fence about six or eight feet. From the 

 Prairie Farmer. 



IMPROVED MODE OF FENCING. 



While the cultivation of timber land will be hastened 

 by the new method, heretofore described, of making pot 

 and pearl ashes, where the preservation of wood is not an 

 object of interest, an improved mode of fencing the prai- 

 ries gives great facilities for converting what has been 

 hitherto deemed almost waste land to immediate use ; and 

 when it is considered that, as appears by an estimate made 

 at the land-office, there are in four States and two Ter- 

 ritories, 39,000,000 of acres of prairie lands, viz: in Illi- 

 nois 11,000,000 acres, in Indiana 5,000,000, in Missouri 

 9,000,000, in Arkansas 4,000,000, in Wisconsin and Iowa, 

 restricted to surveyed lands alone, each, 5,000,000 acres, 

 some of which are quite remote from timber, it must be 



