PASTURES AND GRAZING THEM BY SHEEP 177 



or ridge made by turning two, four or six furrows toward 

 a center, the number of the furrows being dependent to 

 some extent on the kind of plow used. These furrows 

 should be smoothed nicely so as to make a fence bottom 

 without cavities in it. The posts should be set at one 

 rod distant, or if set at two rods, a stake should be driven 

 down firmly equidistant between the posts and coming up 

 as high as the top of the woven wire, which when 

 stretched should be stapled to it. It should be unneces- 

 sary to add that these stakes should be made of some 

 kind of wood that lasts well. The woven wire, of which 

 there are many kinds on the market, several of which are 

 good, should not be less than 30 inches. It should be 

 stretched along the posts near the ground. Above the 

 woven wire should be at least one barbed wire, approx- 

 imately 8 or 9 inches above the woven wire. Such a fence 

 will ordinarily restrain sheep, but it may not be wise to 

 have it thus low if horses graze on the other side, and if 

 dogs or wolves are to be kept out it must be higher. It 

 would seem safe to say, however, that a dog or a wolf 

 will seldom try to clear a barb wire fence higher than say 

 4 or 5 feet. To fence securely against dogs and wolves 

 see page 372. 



Fencing in sheep by means of hedges may still be 

 regarded in the experimental stage. In the northern 

 states no hedge plant has been found hitherto that is in 

 all respects completely satisfactory. That which has 

 proved most satisfactory is the osage orange. Possibly 

 when our busy American farmers can find more time to 

 properly care for osage orange hedges, they will prove 

 more satisfactory. The southern states have a promising 

 hedge plant for southern latitudes in the Citrus trifoliata, 

 but it does not seem to have been much used for that pur- 

 pose, owing probably to the comparative cheapness of 

 wood in furnishing fencing material. 



The closeness of the grazing by sheep that should 

 be sought or avoided is influenced by the kind of grazing, 



