118 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



LABOR. 



I see the man who scorns honest labor. Who 

 clothes him vitli fine Hnen, and bids him fare sump- 

 tuously every day ? On his back is the fleece of the 

 peasant's sheep, sheared by the i^easant's strong 

 hand, ■whitened in the clear flow of the mountain 

 stream, and spun by hands, if not as white, more 

 true and stainless than the crowned queen's ! Not a 

 rag of all that curiously wrought, colored, and fash- 

 ioned gear, which defends him from the keen frost, 

 and scorch of summer, and gives him a grace in the 

 rye of beauty — not a single rag is there, but rises 

 up in judgment, and gives him back scorn for scorn. 

 Foal and drone ! He has mistaken the true attitude 

 of man — the heart of the great universe itself. An- 

 nul that labor which he scorns, and he stands amid 

 the elements of nature nude as when born. The 

 polished hide which has felt the busj' touch of many 

 hands, over which eyes have cried and hearts grown 

 faint, crumbles from his shiftless feet — the bright, fair 

 cloth, in its thousand forms, vanishes from his shrink- 

 ing limbs — and the great inheritance of brick and 

 mortar, the broad, fruitful lands sprung from the 

 brain of genius and the hand of toil, and bequeathed 

 to that miserable heir of humanity by hard, honest 

 thrift, fly back into their wilderness l3cing, and the 

 proud foot occupant stands possessionless and alone. 

 Who now will minister to his wants ? who kindle even 

 on the rudest cabin hearth a fire to stay the pitiless 

 finger of the storm ? All-charitable Nature moulds 

 not herself into palaces and ingots, and slaves rise 

 not at the beck of imperious will. Ah, thou man, 

 who scornest labor, look around and see that there is 

 yet some dignity and beauty in toil ; that she has 

 compassed some oceans, bridged rivers, delved in 

 mines, and founded empires and practical religion in 

 defiance of the taunt. Her giant will is busied with 

 kifticr thou^ht than scorning thee as thou dcservcst ! 

 Let her reproof and thy scourge be that thou art con- 

 demned by God and man ; by God, who scorns not 

 to build for himself a universe, clothe himself about 

 with angels and hovering glories — by man, proud of 

 his power to exalt the image and imitate the example 

 of God. — Nineteenth Century. 



WIRE FENCE. 



At request, I send you a description of a wire 

 fence we have been building, and the cost of the 

 various items used in its construction. 



The wire used was No. 9, weighing one pound per 

 rod. The posts are cast iron, three feet six inches 

 high, besides a dowel of two and one half inches in 

 length and one and one quarter inches in diameter, 

 inserted in stone, and weighing about eleven pounds 

 each. We first built a wall, three feet Avide and 

 eighteen inches high, placing large stones for receiv- 

 ing posts, at the distance of twelve and one half feet. 

 This will guard against geese and swine, and attract 

 the notice of larger animals, that they may not run 

 against it. Had not the stone been on the ground, 

 we should not have made it quite so heavy. 



As the fence separates a permanent meadow from 

 the highway, avc set our posts about six inches from 

 the front of the wall. The form of post is tapering 

 to the top, flattened at the sides, and thinnest at the 

 middle — designed to obtain the greatest strength of 

 the iron used. (?) The distance of the first wire from 

 the stone is four inches ; then a space of six inches, 

 then seven inches, then nine, and, finally, of twelve 

 inches ; the posts rising four inches above the top 

 wire. The holes in the posts were not cast in, but 

 drilled. Every other post Ave braced with round, 

 half-inch iron, one end clasping the post oigyiteen 

 inches from the bottom, the other entering the same 

 stone as the post, eighteen inches from it. Midway 



between the posts, we placed others, of oval iron 

 three quarters of an inch in breadth, drilled, like the 

 others, but not fastened to the stone. 



We purchased unannealed wire, but were under the 

 necessity of annealing it before we could use it. 

 This Ave did in a fire in the open air ; and one side 

 of each coil became more pliable than the other, 

 Avhich made it troublesome in putting in. We intro- 

 duced our Avircs, five in number, Avithout much 

 trouble, except from our moA-able posts ; one person 

 holding the coil and turning it in his hands. I think 

 the better way Avould be, to have a reel for this pur- 

 pose, as the Avire Avould come off more easily, and get 

 loss ci-ooked. At each end we had strong, Avell 

 braced, Avooden posts ; and fastening the Avire to one 

 of them, Ave strained it tight at the other, by passing 

 it through the post, and then through a cylinder of 

 Avhite oak, about tAvo inches in diameter, and 

 tAvelve inches in length, Avhich Ave turn by a carriage 

 AA-rcnch, fitted to one end, and an iron rod put 

 through a hole in the other; the rod, being close to 

 the side of the post, Avas made fast bj"- a nail, to keep 

 the Avire straight. 



In order to straighten the wire the Avhole length, 

 •wo found it ncccssary, at the same time Ave strained 

 at the end, to draw on it in various places, as the 

 friction of the posts, and catching in some, would 

 break one end before the other Avould be straight- 

 ened. This we effected, by putting sticks through 

 the joinings of the Avire, and draAving by hand. 

 After the horizontal wires Avere drawn tight, Ave put 

 in No. 1-5 wire, passing diagonally from the top to the 

 bottom of every post, and crossing in the centre. It 

 may be AvoA^en in any desirable form. The Avholo is 

 painted Avhito, to protect it from the rust, improA'e its 

 aj^pearance, and attract the attention of cattle. 



We have another short piece, Avhich has no Avail at 

 the bottom, and is painted broAA'n, av hich the cattle 

 do not see, and they run into it, much to its injury. 

 The length of this fence is thirty-five rods. The cost 

 Avas as folloAvs : — 



180 lbs. No. 9 wire, at 6 cts $10 80 



20 lbs. No. 15 Avire, at 8 cts 1 60 



46 cast ii-on posts, 529 lbs., at 3 cts. 15 87 



36 lbs. American iron for braces and small 



posts, at 5 cts 1 90 



Blacksmith's bill for drilling posts, &c., 3 83 



Paint, 1 00 



Labor at wall, &c., 30 davs 30 00 



$05 00 

 being .f 1 85 per rod. 



0\ir experience alone Avould enable us to construct 

 another at less cost ; and by bracing each post, they 

 might be farther apart, Avithout any loss of strength. 

 Many of the processes adopted bj^ us Avere not origi- 

 nal; but as the building of Avire fence is j'et in its 

 infancy, many parts of our plan may be Avorthy of 

 adoption. 



If any one Avishes the fence invisible, let him set 

 the stone for the posts in the ground, and paint the 

 Avhole green or brown. A short piece of Avire fence 

 does not look Avell, but in our case, it has added so 

 much to the beauty of the field enclosed by it, as to 

 be noticed by every one who sees it. 



T. S. GOLD. 



West Coexaa'All, Ct., Jan. 25, 1850. 

 — Am. AffricuUurist. 



Oregon Wheat. — We have seen some sami>lcs of 

 Avhcat groAvn in Oregon, Avhich, from its quality, 

 deserves a passing comment. The grain is extremely 

 fine, being very round and full, and, compared with 

 that produced in Illinois, or other grain-groAving 

 states, has an evident superiority. — N. O. Pic. 



