PREPARING THE PLANTING AREA 99 



erection from any of the leading firms, but an estate 

 blacksmith can buy the bar and plate iron and make tha 

 •training pillars much cheaper than they can be bought. 

 The standards and winding ratchets may be bought 

 »eady-made. All iron before erection should either be 

 dipped in boiling tar or given a coat of black varnish. 



WTiere the soil is too stony or too shallow for driving 

 in standards, it is necessary to use the fence with the iron 

 posts and standards batted into stcne. 



Holes must be dug or blasted out for the posts large 

 enough to accommodate the blocks of stone. 



To batt the iron into the stone, a hole is first drilled in 

 the latter sHghtly larger than the width of the standard 

 or post. Ordinary rock drills are used for this work. 



The iron is placed in position and fixed by pouring in 

 either molten lead or sulphur, which when set will hold 

 the iron firmly in place. It is long, tedious, and expensive 

 work, and should never be attempted unless no other 

 fence can be erected. 



A lighter and cheaper fence is made by placing the 

 standards farther apart, 9 to 12 yards, and fixing droppers 

 to the wire every 6 or 8 feet, to hold the wires at proper 

 distances apart. The droppers are fixed by means of 

 clips or wedges. 



A fence of this sort requires more attention than those 

 with closer standards, as more stress is put upon the latter, 

 and the droppers, which are not fixed in the ground, are 

 apt to work loose and cattle push them out of place, 

 leaving slack places in the fence through which sheep 

 can get. 



