382 • Western Live-stock Managevient 



FENCES 



For inside fences or partitions, heavy woven wire with 

 a close mesh has been tried out and found fairly satis- 

 factory. It admits the light freely, permits the hogs to 

 see each other and the attendant, and it is easily cleaned 

 and kept sanitary. Wooden partitions must be tight, 

 otherwise the pigs will gnaw through them or try to climb 

 over them. They would better be made movable, so that, 

 if desired, two or more pens may be combined. This may 

 be done by means of two cleats nailed to the underside 

 of a two by four placed at the height which the partition 

 should be. One of these cleats is nailed in temporarily 

 after the ends of the boards have been set up against 

 the opposite cleat, and when the partition is to be removed, 

 the nails are drawn from the temporary cleat and as many 

 boards as desired taken out. Worn-out boards may be 

 replaced in the same manner. Concrete fences have been 

 suggested and used to a slight extent, but more as a base 

 for iron fences : that is, a wall of concrete a foot or eighteen 

 inches in height is used on which to set the iron fence. 

 This prevents the manure passing from one pen to another 

 and makes quarantine more easily possible. As an entire 

 fence, concrete takes up too much space and is too ex- 

 pensive. For outside fences, no material is more service- 

 lable or convenient than woven wire. The material of 

 which the fence is made should be as heavy as can be 

 secured, since the very heaviest and closest mesh fence 

 obtainable will be none too good. The regulation hog 

 fence is made of No. 9 wire throughout. Very little of this 

 fence is sold in the West, but its extra durability will jus- 

 tify securing it even with the additional expense involved. 

 The stays should be six inches apart instead of twelve as 



