Homesteading 



be remembered that it is not easy to drive oxen 

 straight, and that the important thing in break- 

 ing is to lay the sods flat and even. 



Leaving Tom to do his best, I took the axe 

 and went to some neighbouring bluffs in search 

 of fence-posts for our pasture and corral. 



I was fortunate in finding some willow-trees, 

 whose wood is more lasting than poplar, and 

 was soon busy cutting them into lengths of some 

 seven to eight feet. 



They are often rough and a bit crooked, but 

 after being pointed and driven into a hole made 

 with a bar, they answer the purpose very well 

 for a time. 



They are placed some six yards apart, and 

 generally driven by standing in the wagon, and 

 if the ground happens to be hard, the work is 

 made easier by pouring water into the holes. 



Once the posts are in, it is a simple matter 

 to stretch lines of barbed or other wire along 

 them. 



With some help from Tom and the team, the 

 pasture was completed in three days, one oart 

 touching a bit of marshy ground where there 

 was water, while one corner was narrowed and 

 the fence strengthened to form a corral, into 

 which the animals could be driven if necessary. 



Tom was making a pretty good show with the 



74 



