230 



ENGINEERING ON THE FARM 



efficiency of the wire will not be secured when it is necessary to 

 restretch it on the posts. The size of the posts and the dis- 

 tance apart which they should be set are determined by soil 

 conditions, the nature of the fence, and the judgment of the 

 individual constructing the fence. For a temporary barbed- 

 wire fence, 3 -inch posts 2 rods apart give satisfaction. For 

 a permanent fence the customary distance between posts is 

 usually a rod. A post 4 inches in diameter at the smaller 

 end is considered of minimum size, but many landowners 

 use posts as large as 5 and 6 inches at the smaller end. 

 The length of the post will depend upon the height of the 

 fence and the depth the posts are set in the ground. The 

 length should be such that the top of the post will be approxi- 

 mately 6 inches above the top wire of the fence. 



Posts are usually set 2% feet into the ground. When 

 the ground is full of moisture, the post may be sharpened 



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fel 



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Fig. 193. Method of bracing corner or end posts 



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and driven, and by this method a line of posts may be set 

 very rapidly. The posts are sharpened and laid in a wagon 



