1819. 



THE CJENHNKE FAIIMEK. 



39 



had not been plashed fol 40 or 50 years ; straightened 

 his zig-zag fences ; cut bis water courses straight, 

 and gained a great deal of land by doing so ; made 



drains and sluices, and irrigated all the lands be 

 could : he grubbed up many of his hedges and borders 

 covered with bushes, in some places from 10 to 14 

 yards in width — and threw 3 and more closes into one. 

 He found out that instead of growing white-thorn 

 hedges and haws to feed foreign birds in winter, he 

 could grow food for man instead of birds. 



" After all this improvement, he grew more and 

 made move of -it) acres than he did from 1000 ; at 

 the same time he found out that half of England, at 

 that time, was not cultivated, from the want of means 

 to cultivate it with. 1 let him rams, and sold him Long 

 Horned bulls,'' said Mr. Bakkwell, "and told him 

 the real value of labor both indoors and out, and what 

 ought to be done with a certain number of men, oxen 

 and horses within a given time. I taught him to sow 

 less and plow better ; that there were limits and 

 measures to all things ; and that the husbandman 

 ought to be stronger than the farmer. I told him 

 how to make hot land colder and cold land hotter, 

 light land stiffer and stiff land lighter. I soon caused 

 him to shake off his old prejudices, and I grafted new 

 ideas in their places. I told him not to breed inferior 

 cattle, sheep, or horses, but the best of each kind, for 

 the best consume no more than the worst. My friend 

 became a new man in hi6 old age, and died rich." 



Is it not true that, " Labor well applied is produc- 

 tive of profit V 



WIRE FENCE.-HOW TO MAKE, CHEAPNESS, &c. 

 BY T. C. PETERS. 



The experiment of Mr. Adams with wire fence, as 

 detailed in the last number, is worthy of notice. The 

 fence was more costly than it need to have been, and 

 upon the whole would not be the thing for a long line. 



I can not do better than to ask you to copy an arti- 

 cle on the subject, in the January number of the 

 American Agriculturist — premising, however, that 

 I do not think it best to heat the wire, as I notice by 

 an- article in a late number of the Prairie Farmer, 

 that when the wire has been heated it is apt to get 

 bent, and gets out of shape. Perhaps Mr. Adams' 

 suggestion as to the alternate use of a larger and 

 smaller strand is worthy of adoption. It would 

 enhance the price but slightly. A further improve- 

 ment might be made by training the Prairie Rose, or 

 any other climbing rose, among the wires. 



" I am glad to see the attention of farmers turned 

 to this subject, as I believe at no distant day wire 

 fence must become the leading kind generally over 

 the Union. It is true that there is a difficulty in 

 fencing against hogs, but even that can be overcome 

 without much trouble as is hereafter suggested. 



" I have never yet had any made, but intend to 

 make a sample next spring. I have given the 

 subject, however, a good deal of thought, and made 

 inquiries and figures thereupon. From some small 

 experiments I have made, there can be no doubt but 

 my figures are mainly correct. I shall use No. 1 1 

 wire, cedar posts, as they are the most durable, and 

 shall set them six rods npart, making the fence five 

 strands high. The post being set, I should begin by 

 boring an inch hole through each, at eighteen inches 

 from the ground ; then another hole eight inches 

 from that, the next ten inches, then twelve inches, 

 then fourteen inches; making the fence five feet, two 



inches high. After the wive- have been drawn 

 through and strained tight) drive plugs into the holes 

 at each side to hold them in their place-. Between 

 each post, and one rod apart, drive down a stake, saw 

 into it opposite each wire, perhaps an inch, lay in 

 the wire, and drive in a Bhingle nail to keep ;1 in its 

 place. It would be less trouble to drive a small sp : ke 

 into the post and wind the wire round it by one turn, 

 vat her than to bore the holes: though the expense 

 would even be more. 



"The wire ought to be prepared in the same man- 

 ner that it is for bridges, boiled in linseed oil for a 

 quarter of an hour, and then dried, and the same pro- 

 cess repeated three times. This anneals and at the 

 same time coats the wire, and saves painting it. If, 

 however, there be but a small quantity to put up. it 

 would be better to heat the wire, and afterwards paint 

 it. Coal tar would also be an excellent substance 

 for that purpose. Now for the expense: 

 A strand of No. 11 wire, 80 rods Ion?, weighs 25 lbs. 



80 rods of fence would weigh 12-3 lbs., at 7 bents, $10.75 



14 red-cedar posts. tl~> cents each. 3.50 



85 stakes, 1 cent each, 0.85 



Preparing wire and painting, ! .00 



Setting posts and stakes, 0.50 



Putting up fence, including spikes, or boring posts,. 1.00 

 Contingences, 1.00 



Outside cost for 80 rods of wire fence, ~ $17.60 



This would be 22 cents per rod ; but the actual cost 

 to the farmer would not be 20 cents. 



" On most farms, where there is plenty of timber 

 for posts, it would not cost but about 16 cents per 

 rod. But allowing for all contingencies, and that it 

 costs 25 cents per rod, it is then by far the cheapest 

 fence that can be built. 



u In order to fence against hogs, I would drive 

 down short posts and put on boards about two feet, 

 and put the wires above, but nearer together. I 

 think that no hog that ought to go at large would 

 ever get through. For all other kinds of stock, it 

 would be impenetrable. A neighbor of mine, who is 

 compelled to fence against a whole village of street 

 cows, pat but two strands across a stream, where his 

 fence was washed away, and it has proved a perfect 

 protection. I have seen the cows walk up to it, but 

 have never yet known one to attempt to get through, 

 although the temptation between a fresh pasture and 

 dry streets was very great, I have no doubt. T. C. P. 

 Darien, J\\ Y., November. 1848. 



Towers' Hay Cutter. — This machine, like Ste- 

 vens' and Hovey's, is constructed with a cylinder of 

 knives cutting against a hide roller, with this differ- 

 ence, — the knives are straight, but placed diagonally 

 upon the cylinder, and confined by movable cast iron 

 heads, which receive the 

 ends of the the knives, 

 and when these heads are 

 confined, all is held firm. 

 This is a comparatively 

 late invention and prom- 

 ises to work well. The 

 manufacturers hold that 

 this form of knife is best, 

 as, being straight, it is 

 more easily ground by farmers in general. 



Want of light to plants makes them pale, want 

 of air makes them draw up long and slender; plants 

 orrown in the dark would be quite white. 



