FOX-FARMING IN CANADA 35 



ranchman, as a rule, regards such sites as temporary only. They usually 

 contemplate larger ranching operations on better sites when sufEcient 

 capital can be raised. 



Sometimes a small island has been chosen as a site for 

 as°a She ^ ranch. When such is the case, visitors can be kept out 



of the vicinity more easily. Also a fox that has escaped 

 is not apt to swim to the mainland away from the place where he has 

 been fed. Prince Edward Island has an advantage over mainland 

 areas as a ranching centre because a fox that has escaped can usually 

 be traced and captured, whereas on the mainland, he could roam for 

 hundreds of miles and get into uninhabited territory. 



When the site of the ranch is chosen, the bush surround- 

 Fencing ^^^ *^® selected area is cleared for a width of four 



feet and the ground levelled for the erection of an 

 exterior fence. The trees are trimmed or cut so that foxes may not 

 climb over the fence by means of them. Post-holes three to four 

 feet deep, depending on the depth the frost penetrates, are dug from 

 10 to 16 feet apart, cedar posts being used if it is possible to secure 

 them. If cedar, locust or other durable wood cannot be obtained, 

 the ground end of the post may be charred or treated with hot petro- 

 leum or creosote to render it more lasting. Posts from 10 to 15 feet 

 - long are used according to the usual snowfall of the locality and should 

 be sharpened at the end to prevent heaving by the frost. A post four 

 inches in diameter at the small end and 12 feet long will cost from 30 

 cents in some districts, up to 75 cents ia others. 



The corner posts need not be anchored when a purline is used. 

 The latter is made of one-inch boards, five inches wide, or of straight 

 poles. These are nailed to the posts to brace them and support the 

 meshed wire on the upper side. They also support the overhang wire. 

 The overhang wire is usually from 18 to 24 inches wide and is 

 laid on brackets nailed at right angles to the posts and purline and 

 then stapled to them. It is usually made of No. 16 galvanized wire 

 having a two-inch mesh. 



The fence is composed of two-inch diamond meshed wire fas- 

 tened to the purline with staples and hung on the outside of the post. 

 If several rolls of wire are used, the selvedges are laced with a soft 

 No. 16 wire. No. 16 galvanized wire is strong enough for the upper 

 part of the fence and No. 15 for the lower part and No. 14 for the under- 

 ground part of the fence. The wire is stretched at each corner with 

 second class levers passed through the meshes, the post being used 

 as a fulcrum. All corner posts must be perpendicular and when the 



