FENCING MATERIAL 



163 



and one-half feet deep, and considerably larger than the diameter 

 of the posts to allow some movement for alignment, and to allow 

 of tamping the soil thoroughly when the holes are being filled. If 

 wooden posts are used, it is very desirable to fill the bottom of the 

 hole with crushed stone, cinders, or coarse gravel, to give better 

 drainage, thus increasing the life of the post by drawing the moist- 

 ure away from it. When filling the post hole, the post should be 

 held in line and the dirt tamped securely from the very bottom of 

 the hole to the top to insure permanence and rigidity from the start. 

 When long stretches of wire are used it is necessary to securely 

 brace the corner posts and all points where the greatest pull occurs. 



Fiu. 109. Manner of bracing a corner fence post (a). The pull is in the direction of the 

 arrow. The cleats on the bottom of the corner post prevent its turning or twisting. 



They should be braced below ground to prevent twisting, and above 

 ground to prevent leaning. Figure 109 shows this construction. 



Fencing Material. The most common material used for poul- 

 try fences is wire netting with hexagonal or octagonal meshes of 

 different widths. It is sold under various trade names. In pur- 

 chasing poultry netting be sure that it is properly galvanized; 

 preferably the wire should be galvanized before and after weaving, 

 so it will not rust out at the joints so quickly. This netting comes 

 hi .various sizes of mesh from three-quarters of an inch up to three 

 inches. The two-inch mesh is desirable for adult birds and the 

 three-quarter inch for baby chicks. 



