34 



THE FARM. 



The rails are 9 1-2 feet long, and 5 to 6 inches wide by 2 to 3 inches thick on 

 the bark edge, and a quarter to a half inch thick on the other edge. 



In building the fence the bark edge is placed down, as the thin edge 

 sheds rain or snow more readily, which prevents rotting so rapidly. The 

 rails lap in the holes about five or six inches, as shown in the section, Fig. 4. 



In making the posts the 

 timber is cut into proper 

 lengths, and then split in 

 proper size and hewn, leav- 

 ing the ground end for two 

 feet rough and unhewn, 

 giving a stout base. This 

 part of the work is done in 

 the forest, after which they 

 are hauled home, and put 

 in piles ready for boring. 

 The mode of making the 

 oblong holes in the post is 

 shown in the cut (Fig. 1), 

 a representing the post, 

 thin edge up. Two holea 

 are bored with a two-and- 

 a-quarter-inch anger at the 

 points shown by the holen 

 in the post on the trestle at 

 a. The auger holes are sin 

 inches apart /?"om outside to 

 outside. The trestle frame 

 is made of stout timber and 

 planks, as shown in the fig- 

 ure. The planks are pui; 

 on the benches edgewise, 

 and fastened with stout 

 pins. A plank is placed 

 from one bench to the 

 other for the post to rest 

 on, and these benches are 

 eleven and a half feet 

 apart. In the two planks 

 it wUl be seen that notches 

 are sawed at points to cor- 

 respond with the holes to 

 be made by the auger. 

 These notched planks are 

 placed thirteen or fourteen 

 inches apart, to enable the round or square wheel (see Figs. 1 and 5) to run 

 easily in between them. The post is held on the plank firmly by stout 

 wooden pins and wedges. The bottom hole in the post is made two inches 

 above the ground level. The next liole is three inches from the top of the 

 bottom hole; the next four inches above that; the next is five above that; 

 and the toji hole is six inches above the one below it. In boring the holes 

 the a\iger, which is firmly fastened in the wheel, must be moved (wheel and 

 all, cf courac) into the proper notches, and in this way everj- post i<j bore^ 



