184 



Fences. — New method of growing Jlsparagus. Vol. VII. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Fences. 



Messrs. Editors, — As materials for fenc- 

 ing are becoming 1 more scarce every year, in 

 this part of the State, our farmers have been 

 turning their attention for some time to the 

 means of lessening the expenses which are 

 continually occurring, to keep their farms 

 in suitable repair. Our fences are either 

 the worm, post-and-rail, or thorn. Unfortu- 

 nately for us, the thorn has been attacked 

 by insects, which have injured it exceed- 

 ingly — in some instances it has been almost 

 destroyed. The post-and-rail fence has now 

 become very expensive, in consequence of 

 the scarcity of white-oak timber — the best 

 of which is purchased to be cut into scant- 

 ling and ship stuff. The plan now coming 

 into use for the worm fence, is to set it upon 

 a good sized stone, elevated at least six 

 inches from the ground, as heretofore. 



The rails are first prepared in the follow- 

 ing manner: — A measure — say of shingling 

 lath, of the length of the rails, is procured, 

 and holes bored about half an inch in diame- 

 ter, and four inches from the ends ; it is laid 

 upon the rails, and holes bored in them 

 corresponding with those in the measure. 

 When a number of rails are so prepared by 

 boring, and ready to be put into fence, an 

 iron rod suitable to the holes so bored, is set 

 upon the stone or block, on which the fence 

 is to stand, and then the rails are to be in- 

 serted on the rod until the panel is com- 

 pleted. The rod is to be bent about one and 

 a half inch at the stone, so that when the 

 fence is completed, it may be clenched or bent 

 over the bottom rail — the panel is secured 

 by making a hitch with a chain or rope, over 

 the joint, and then bending or clenching the 

 iron rod on the top rail — some prefer driving 

 a small wedge at the side of the rod, instead 

 of clenching it, so that the fence might the 

 more easily be removed, if at any time it 

 should be found necessary. The most expe- 

 ditious and convenient way for making such 

 a fence, is for two persons to be engaged at 

 it at the same time — one at each end of the 

 rail boring the same simultaneously, and 

 then assisting each other in placing it in 

 the fence. A man can bore many hundred 

 holes in a day, and the expense in preparing 

 and setting up a panel, including the rod of 

 iron, would not exceed the expense of pre- 

 paring and setting up a panel of post-and- 

 rail fence. A great advantage to the farmer 

 in this method of using the iron rod is, that 

 it holds the rails so completely firm at the 

 joint, that no wind as yet, has been of such 

 violence as to move it from the foundation — 

 such a fence, made of good cedar or chesnut 



rails, will endure until it wears out with old 

 age. 



In the ordinary worm fence, each joint re- 

 quires two stakes, which of cedar or ches- 

 nut, cost with us considerably more than 

 the rod of iron. The oak post undressed, is 

 worth about 15 cents — the two stakes for 

 each joint of the fence, worth 12^ cents. 

 Now counting all the expense of both kind 

 of fences, I am well convinced that the iron 

 rod fence is cheaper by 15 cents a panel than 

 the post fence — besides, the posts rot out, 

 and it will be necessary to obtain a new 

 set every 12 or 15 years — and then there 

 will be a loss of at least 10 per cent., in sup- 

 plying the place of broken rails and resharp- 

 ening them and others. The iron rod will 

 cost about seven cents — for a five-rail fence, 

 it should be cut about four feet nine inches. 

 The lap of the rails need be no more than 

 about four inches, and the worm about four 

 feet — such a fence, with this worm, will 

 stand the heaviest blows that we are accus- 

 tomed to in this climate, especially if the 

 rod be well clenched on the top rail. There 

 may be a saving of one, or even two rails to 

 the panel, in substituting blocks of wood cut 

 short, and bored so as to suit the rod through 

 which it is to be inserted. 



If the above communication may be con- 

 sidered worth inserting in the Cabinet, it is 

 freely at your service. 



An Old Farmer. 



Salem County, N. J., Dec. 22nd, 1842. 



New method of growing Asparagus. — 



The Editor of the Horticultural Magazine, 

 recommends a trial of the following method 

 of growing asparagus, which is practiced at 

 Nice, and of which a high account is given 

 in the London Gardeners' Chronicle. Take 

 a quart wine bottle; invert it over the head 

 of a stalk of asparagus just rising from the 

 ground, and secure it by three sticks so 

 that it cannot be knocked over. If left 

 in this state, the asparagus will grow up 

 into the interior of the bottle, and, being 

 stimulated by the unusual heat and moist- 

 ure it is then exposed to, will speedily rill it. 

 As soon as this has taken place, the bottle 

 must be broken, and the asparagus removed, 

 when it will be found to have formed a thick 

 head of tender delicate shoots, all eatable, 

 and as compact as a cauliflower. 



To Destroy Ants. — Mix an ounce of 

 powdered arsenic with a quart of water, boil 

 it half an hour with some sugar, and place 

 the syrup in small shallow vessels — oyster- 

 shells will do — in places infested by them. 

 The sweetness attracts them, and the conse- 

 quences are speedily fatal. 



