216 
WIRE FENCES.-SUPERIORITY OF WOOL MATTRESSES, ETC. 
WIRE FENCES. 
The superiority of wire fences consists in their 
strength and durability, lightness and appearance; 
adaptation to almost every situation and purpose, 
for which fencing is required; the facility with 
which they can he erected or removed; and their 
perfect efficiency as a barrier against cattle, horses, 
sheep, &c. The economy, a^so, of their erection, 
in many cases, even in the first cost, together with 
their durability, recommends them to general use in 
all situations where other fencing materials cannot 
conveniently be obtained; and when made of 
wooden, instead of iron pillars, or posts, they can 
often be built at about the same expense as those 
made entirely of wood. 
Cattle or Sheep Fence.—Fig. 55. 
One important property connected with these 
fences, and which constitutes their peculiar charac¬ 
ter, is their elasticity. They yield but little to pres¬ 
sure ; yet, as soon as it is removed, they resume 
their former position without sustaining the least 
injury therefrom. The principle of tension renders 
them strong and sufficient for every pressure, or or¬ 
dinary purpose, for which any fence for horses, cat¬ 
tle, and sheep is required. It must he some extra¬ 
ordinary force to injure them, to which fences are 
not usually liable, and even when thus accidentally 
broken, they can quickly and easily he repaired at 
a trifling cost. 
Fig. 55, denotes a section of common cattle and 
sheep fence, with wooden uprights, or posts. Price, 
$1 per rod. Cost of the same, with iron posts and 
Uprights, from $1.50 to $2 per rod. 
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Rabbit Fence.—Fig. 56 . 
Fig. 56, shows two sections of rabbit fence, with 
a gate, constructed entirely of iron. It will also 
serve the purpose of guarding against the encroach¬ 
ments of ducks, geese, small pigs, sheep, goats, and 
calves, and of confining them within proper bounds. 
Prices, from 75 cents to $1.50 per running foot. 
An Egg Fact. —It has been stated on high 
authority, that clear, or unfecundated eggs (that is 
those produced without any connection with the 
cock), will keep sound longer than those that | 
would be productive. ] 
SUPERIORITY OF WOOL MATTRESSES. 
The object of this communication is, to show that 
wool mattresses are the warmest, the most luxuri¬ 
ous, the cheapest, and the most economical of any 
in use; that they are the healthiest for men, women, 
and children, of all ages and sexes; and that man 
recovers much sooner from fatigue, on such a bed, 
than on any other. 
The Romans used to sleep in the day-time, and 
had particular rooms for that purpose, distinct from 
their bed chambers, where they slept at night. In 
Italy and some other southern countries, that prac¬ 
tice has still been continued even up to the present 
day. Hence it is of the utmost importance what 
kind of bed they lie upon, whether it be hard or 
soft; for, the harder the bed, the healthier they are. 
In the old accounts of the court of England, there 
is a charge on a journey for so many bundles of 
clean straw for the queen’s bed. Then, it was said, 
when men slept on straw, with a log of wood for a 
pillow, they were “ men of iron;” but now, they 
sleep on bedsteads of iron, beds of feathers, and pil¬ 
lows of down, and often are known as “ men of 
straw.” 
Wool mattresses are hard and firm, and at the 
same time, yield sufficiently to the pressure of our 
bodies to form an agreeable and luxurious resting 
place, without leaving marks on the skin, as other 
mattresses often do. The fibres of the wool, of 
which they are composed, touch each other so 
slightly, that heat or cold moves slowly through 
the interstices, and causes it to retain its tempera¬ 
ture better than any other material. 
A good healthy bed should absolutely be flat. 
Hence all bedsteads should have wooden laths, in¬ 
stead of sacking, or cords, which always give to 
the bed a hollow form. The best bed I ever slept 
on contained 60 lbs. of finely-carded wool, but its 
size was extra large; half that quantity will make 
a comfortable small bed; but if you wish to lie 
luxuriously, j^et hard, do not stint the wool. A bed 
of this kind will last forever, as the covering need not 
be washed but once a year, when the wool should 
be re-carded, with a few pounds more added, and 
the whole will be as sweet as new. 
Another object in this communication is, to show 
that the general adoption of wool mattresses, in this 
country, would increase the home consumption of 
our wool. Independent of this, it would benefit the 
health of all who would use them, to say nothing 
of the cleanliness, durability, and economy they 
would produce, in the end. Cato. 
Pike Co ., Mo., Feb., 1848. 
Treatment of Horse Manure. —Fresh horse 
dung, when dried, contains about 2| per cent, of 
ammonia and other fertilizing salts; but when al¬ 
lowed to ferment, as it usually does in practice, it 
contains Only about 1 per cent, of fertilizing salts, 
and loses besides, nearly -^ths of its weight. 
This gives some idea of the waste which generally 
attends the practice of neglecting this kind of ma¬ 
nure on the farm. In order to prevent this waste, 
it is only necessary to throw the dung into a heap, 
under cover, and sprinkle a few handfuls of char¬ 
coal dust or plaster of Paris among it every few 
days, or if it becomes heated, to mix with it a few 
j quarts of common salt. 
