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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



on size and class of building, but the size of posts, rails, and boards for fences and 

 ditches most suitable to this country are standards, and need not be deviated from 

 except in special cases. 



FENCING. 



A legal fence is 4 feet 6 inches high above the ground. (See Appendix for full 

 definition.) The posts should be cut 7 feet inches to 8 feet long if they are to be 

 driven, and about 7 feet 6 inches if set in a dug post-hole. If they are to be driven 

 the pointed end should be tapering, not less than 15 inches long, as they drive 

 much more easily if well pointed. A post to be driven should be about 6x6 inches ; 

 if to be set in a post-hole in clay land, not less than 8x8 inches ; or if in sandy or 

 gravelly land, 10 x 10 inches will make a much more lasting job. In driving posts, 

 always bevel off the edges of the driving end with the axe ; the fibres of the wood 

 are then crushed by the first blow and the post will not be so liable to split. It is 

 a good plan when driving posts, if tjie clay is at all dry or hard, to take out one 

 spading first and put a cup of water in the hole before setting the post ; it will drive 

 very much easier. 



Fences of boards and wires are the most serviceable and look the best, but when 

 a man's means are small and he has lots of cedar, perhaps the best all-round fence 

 is a straight one of posts and rails. As a rule, the posts are set 12 feet centre to 

 centre, but if there is good splitting cedar, make them 16-foot centres, as this will 

 take a 16-foot rail, which can afterwards, if it is replaced with a wire fence, be 

 worked up into two posts. This length of rail, 16 feet, is also the right length for 

 a snake-fence, though the latter should never be used except temporarily, as it takes 

 up a lot of room and harbours all kinds of weeds and rubbish. 



In laying out a post and rail fence, it is a good plan to build it with a very 

 slight zigzag, as the panels are then all braced against one another, which adds to 

 the strength, and being a somewhat top-heavy fence, all the strength which can 

 be got is needed. The way this is done is to set the posts in a straight line; 

 use heavy posts and dig holes (do not use driven posts), then lay the bottom 

 rail so as to be alternately on one side of the post and on the other side of the 

 next one, and so on, the full length of fence. Then take light posts, well sharpened, 

 and drive them on the other side of the rail. (See Fig. 1.) 



pic I PLAN of Povr *MO JT* 



The square posts are those first planted and the round ones are driven. They 

 are not really round and are only shown so in order to distinguish them from the 

 heavy posts set first. This fence is practically straight and looks straight, but is 

 much stronger than if it was really straight. 



The rails should be all exactly the same length with square ends. Lay the 

 rails one above the other parallel, and with butt-joints, with a 4-inch or 6-inch 

 distance piece about 12 inches long wedged between the two posts and between each 

 pair of rails. (See Fig. 2.) This is very much better than the old way of making 



