FENCING 67 



FENCrNG. 



A sound, durable fence is one of the most im- 

 portant of all the items that go to make a well- 

 appointed ranch, whether large or small, and for 

 this reason forethought and due care in its con- 

 struction is never wasted. 



It is generally reckoned, at a rough calculation, 

 that a line of three-strand fencing one mile long, 

 including the purchase of posts (placed 20 to 25 feet 

 apart) and barbed wire, with the cost of labour, 

 would work out at about $100. It would, of course, 

 involve considerably less outlay if you could set to 

 work upon it yourself, with the help of a competent 

 man, buying the wire (by the 100 pounds, the spools 

 should cost about $4 each), and procuring the posts 

 from the banks of some creek where a good supply 

 of wiUows grows. These make the best posts (bar 

 cedar ones) you can find, as they resist both dry 

 and wet rot longer than any other wood obtainable 

 on the prairie. A good willow post, say, 6 inches 

 in diameter at the butt, will last five years with- 

 out any tar being used. Tarring any sort of post 

 is never resorted to in the West, as it induces 

 dry rot, quite apart from the prohibitive price 

 of tar. 



