608 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



two rods apart across each half for the support of the portable fence ; 

 owing to the distance between the posts they will not interfere seri- 

 ously with cultivation. (Mich. B. 223.) 



A good permanent fence for a pig lot can be made as follows: 

 Place posts 4 inches by 7 feet one rod apart. Staple a string of 

 barb wire two inches from the bottom. Two inches above it place 

 a ribbon of 26-inch woven wire and six inches above it another string 

 of barb wire. The post will project one and one-half feet above 

 the height of the fence. Short posts can be used, but the long posts 

 may be used some time later in case it is desired to place more wires 

 on the fence to keep in cattle or horses. A good movable fence can 

 be made in practically the same way. Use smaller posts, sharpen 

 them and drive them into the ground two rods apart. On the bot- 

 tom string a barb wire. Stretch the woven wire on the post and 

 staple it tightly to the post so that it can be readily removed and 

 rolled up when you wish to move it. A fence of this kind can be 

 readily moved from place to place, and set up without a great deal 

 of labor. The panel portable fence is a very convenient type of 

 fence. The cost of it makes it almost prohibitive, however, on the 

 average farm. In Bulletin 104 of the Minnesota Experiment Sta- 

 tion, the cost of the material for a temporary fence and placing it, 

 is given as 37.7 cents per rod. The temporary fence here, judging 

 from the comparative cost of similar fences, would be about 45 to 

 60 cents a rod. (N. D. Bui. 83.) 



No man should attempt to raise hogs without adequate fencing 

 of yards and pastures. An animal of any kind, but especially a hog, 

 can make himself an intolerable nuisance if not confined within 

 proper bounds. For pastures woven wire is the best fencing mate- 

 rial, all things considered. Such a fence may bo purchased ready- 

 made or may be made on the farm by machines, of which there are 

 several good kinds on the market. From motives of economy it 

 may be desirable to run a fence of woven wire around a field to a 

 height of 30 to 36 inches, and above this to stretch two or three 

 strands of ordinary barb wire. This will make a hog-tight fence, 

 and if horses are necessarily placed in the field the fence will be 

 much safer than the ordinary one made entirely of barb wire. Mid- 

 way between the posts the lower strand in the fence should be se- 

 curely stapled to a small post or stake ; this will prevent hogs from 

 working their way under the fence. A further precaution against 

 this may be secured by plowing a furrow against the lower strand, 

 or, better still, by digging a trench 5 or 6 inches deep along the 

 fence line and nailing 2 by 12 inch planks or cedar or locust poles to 

 the posts and fastening the lower strand to these. In building any 

 kind of wire fence, ground wires may be put down to moisture at 

 frequent intervals to give stock protection from lightning. 



A board fence makes, perhaps, the most secure inclosure for 

 hogs, but its expense precludes its use generally except for yards 

 and pens. 



Barb wire is a very poor material for a hog fence. It can 

 hardlv be made close enough or strong enough to .prevent a shoat 



