FENCES 361 



Woven wire fences are manufactured by many firms 

 and sold through their local dealers in large rolls of 20, 

 30 and 40 rods. Smooth, and also barbed, wire fences 

 may be made up for cattle or horses alone, in which 

 case the lower wire is a foot or more from the ground ; 

 while fences reaching to the ground are suitable for 

 restraining hogs and sheep as well as the larger animals. 

 Barbed and smooth wires may be combined, and in many 

 cases this is an economical arrangement, especially in 

 making fences which are to restrain both large and small 

 animals. With barbed wire, smooth wire, or even with 

 smooth and barbed combined, fences may be woven at 

 the time it is tacked on to the posts by machinery devised 

 for that purpose. 



The three-wire barbed fence (Figure 248) is one of 

 the large factors in American cattle raising. It costs 

 about ten cents per rod for iron, ten cents for posts and 

 a few cents for labor. The wires last more than a 



No.7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 



Figure 246. Actual size of wires by numbers, 7 to 20. 



quarter of a century, and good posts more than ten 

 years. The annual expense for repairs is very light. 

 The interest account and the maintenance account are 

 very small, and if occasionally inspected and repaired, 

 this fence is very secure for the larger animals. The 

 posts are usually sharpened and driven with a heavy 

 sledge in the hands of a man standing on a sledge stool. 

 Wooden fences. Board fences were very much in use 

 a few decades ago, but are now very rapidly giving way 

 to wire. Fences made of 6-inch pine boards are very 

 satisfactory when new, but the boards become brittle 

 and are not safe. Tight board fences are entirely too 



