59 
April, 1917 
IRON FENCES FOR THE 
PERMANENT PLACE 
Choosing the Design and Material 
H. P. THURSTON 
Pliotograplis by courtesy of Anchor Post Iron W'orks 
I T is part of the wisdom exercised by Americans 
that when they build a house for a permanent 
liom.e, they make the surroundings of that 
home also permanent. As quickly as possible 
they acquire the atmosphere of that place having 
always been there and always intending to be 
there. They transplant large trees, they make 
good drives and paths, and lay down lawris that 
will be a joy forever. Then they fence it in. 
Time was when a man walled in his property. 
Nowadays a garden and a lawn are considered 
things one shares with his neighljor and the 
passers-by. And to make that boundary perma¬ 
nent and to share that property with the public 
there is no better type of fencing than iron. 
It costs more than wood. Naturally. But it 
lasts longer, and there is no limit to the choice 
of designs to select from. It may be rigidly 
simple. It may have all the decorative rhythm 
that graced the old iron work of ancient Italy 
and Spain. The cost is the crux of the decision. 
But to those who build for permanency and plant 
for permanence the matter of cost is a negligible 
factor when they come to fence for permanence. 
Design and IMateri.^ls 
The fence oft proclaims the property, just as the 
house proclaims the man. It should be chosen 
with a view to giving the property a fitting bound¬ 
ary mark. In some instances the strictest sim¬ 
plicity is most desirable with only a simple elabora¬ 
tion at the gates, such as a woven wire fence 
with iron posts and rails. In other cases the 
design can be elaborate, a thing of beauty in itself. 
This distinction between the purely utilitarian 
fence and the fence that is also decorative is well 
to make and consider carefully. 
The purpose of the purely utilitarian fence, be¬ 
sides marking the boundary of the property, is to 
keep out intruders and keep on the place the stock 
preserved there. It should be non-climbable and 
as nearly indestructible as possible. The non- 
climbable fence requires a barbed wire flange ex¬ 
tending from the top rail toward the road side. It 
will be sufficient to dissuade the most persistent in¬ 
truder. The requirements for the decorative fence 
include these same general principles, although its 
protective capacities need not be so pronounced. 
Also, before deciding what fence to use, it is 
advisable to look into the materials employed. 
The decorative possiMlity of the iron gate has reached a high plane on the estate of Louis 
Bossert, Esq., at Bay Shore, Long Island. It is flanked hy low evergreens and has a back¬ 
ground of noble trees that make it a charming transition between the street and the 
garden, having some of the characteristics of each 
A simple design with acorn posts is found on 
the property of Mrs. Florence Alker at Great 
Neck, Long Island. It gives a pleasing uni- 
formity of fencing 
A more elaborate fence s7irrou7ids Castle 
Gould at Port Washington, Long Island. 
Both utility and decoration are combined 
in the decorative posts and plain bars 
The gate is the logical accent point in the design of the fence. It can be elaborate as on 
the Bossert estate or simple as in the property of W. J. McCurdy, Esq., at New Brunswick, 
New Jersey 
The permanent fence must be constructed of ma¬ 
terial that will resist the decaying influence of 
the elements. In all cases it should be galvanized 
iron covered with a coat of rust-resisting paint 
to make the safety doubly secure. The posts 
should permit of such secure anchorage that they 
will resist sagging and wind pressure. Upon the 
posts will depend much of the permanence of the 
fence, in appearance as well as usefulness. 
These are the main facts to be considered 
whetber one is contemplating the fencing of an 
entire estate or only such small plots as a tennis 
court or a garden. 
As TO Cost 
The cost of such permanent fences ranges from 
$ .68 a lineal foot for the woven wire type up to 
several dollars a foot for the elaborate designs. 
To this item must be added the cost of labor which 
in different localities will fluctuate. The lay of 
the land and the nature of the soil are also factors 
in computing the cost, since the posts must find 
firm anchorage, whether the soil be clay or rock, 
and there are the occasional obstructions that 
cannot be overcome. 
Picture the fence as it will be in place on your 
land, and you find that there are several accessories 
that will add to its effectiveness. These may be 
a privet or barberry hedge set a foot or so back 
from the line of the fence, stone posts over which 
vines are trained, or in the case of the woven 
wire fences, rambling roses. In other words, the 
fence is but a factor in marking the boundary. 
Its hard, cold iron must be tempered with the 
warmth of flowers and foliage. It is a transition 
between the street and the garden and should 
have the characteristics of both. 
