CHAPTER XII 



FENCING 



PRIMARY CONSIDERATIONS 



It has been said that agriculture is as old as the world, 

 and from what can be learned from early writings fences 

 are as old as agriculture. The fence of ancient times was 

 usually constructed of stone or sun-dried brick. The modern 

 fence has gradually developed from walls, hedges, and other 

 more or less crude forms, until it has reached its present- 

 day degree of perfection. In this development a large 

 amount of time and money has been spent in improving 

 old and inventing new types. 



Various considerations make it advisable and necessary 

 to have a strong, lasting, and well-appearing fence between 

 the fields of rotation and along the farm boundaries which 

 will give satisfactory service and be economical in con- 

 struction. To give good service it must turn stock without 

 injuring them, and to be economical it must be built as 

 cheaply as is consistent with durability and a proper per- 

 formance of the desired service. A fence which has a low 

 first cost is not necessarily economical, for its life may be 

 such that it will be expensive in the end. 



It is impossible to specify one fence that will fit all needs 

 on all kinds of farms. The special type adapted to the use 

 of any farmer depends upon the kind of stock kept, the 

 permanency desired, and the materials, labor, and money 

 available. A fence for hogs need not be so high as one for 

 cattle, but a cattle fence does not need to be so tight near 

 the ground. A fence on a horse-breeding farm, where no 

 other stock are kept, does not need to be close at the bot- 

 tom, but must be high and made of material which will not 

 injure a horse. Personal judgment and preference vary 



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