WIRE FENCES. 



Wire fences have this advantage over hedges and other 

 fences : they take up but little space, with no exhaustion of 

 the soil, are not blown about by the wind; are durable, 

 economical, and make a good protection against cattle, 

 sheep, and other animals. For enclosing lawns and gar- 

 dens, many of the designs offered in market are very desir- 

 able and ornamental. For a farm fence, such as any farmer 

 can put up, annealed wire of the size No. 6 or 8* is pre- 

 ferable ; for the protection of cattle five wires are sufficient ; 

 for sheep and lambs, seven should be used. 



In building the fence a post six inches square or larger 

 should be set at each end, and securely braced, from which 

 to stretch the wire; the intervening posts should be set 

 from eight to ten feet apart. Through these holes should 

 be bored with a ^-inch brace-bit, and at appropriate dis- 

 tances apart, according to the protection required. Instead 

 of putting the wires through the posts, they are often fas- 

 tened by means of staples made of the same material. In 

 putting up the wires they should be stretched as tightly as 

 possible, care being taken in splicing that they be well 

 secured, which can be best done by means of narrow black- 

 smith's tongs. 



Suitable wire can be bought for 8 or 10 cents per pound, 

 making a fence of six wires cost about 40 cents per rod ; 

 this does not include posts and labor of setting. 



* The size of wire is graded from No. 1, and upwards. No. 9 is the com- 

 mon telegraph wire. 



