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CHAPTER IV. 



FENCING. 



THE fences in use for surrounding plantations are 

 either wire fences (post and wire strands), turf dykes, 

 stone dykes, or wooden pailings. In erecting 



WIRE FENCES, 



the straining-posts should be of the very best quality 

 of larch, oak, sweet chestnut, gean-tree, or matured 

 old Scots pine, which latter is as durable as any other 

 description of wood when old and fully matured. The 

 straining-posts for ordinary purposes should be 7J 

 feet long, 7 inches square, or if round, about 8 inches 

 diameter. The intermediate posts should be of the 

 same description of wood, 5J to 6 feet long, 3J inches 

 square, or if round, 4 inches diameter. They should 

 either be sharpened for driving into the ground with 

 a well -drawn wedge-shaped point from 15 to 18 

 inches in length, or pitted 2J feet deep. 



The tops of the straining-posts should stand about 

 6 inches above the top wire, and the tops of the in- 

 termediate posts about 2 inches above it, and should 

 all be rounded and smoothed for the water to run off. 

 The division between the two upper wires should be 



