The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-10-02
J. NJ. HADLY, s..r.,,,;.,
w. A. JESKINsoN,S
Wire Fence.

II. F. French. of Exeter, N. H., gives
detailed account in The New England Far
mer about making wire fence, that is Of
practical importance to all who think OF
using wire for fences. We copy the ma
terial portions:
"On the 4th of August, 1852, l put up
20 rods of wire fence between my cow
pasture and field, through the woods,
using the trees for posts, occasionally cut
ting stake and driving where more than
eight feet space remained between the
trees, to which the wires are attached.
used No. 9 wire, annealed, and but three
wires, the highest four feet from the
ground. and the spaces ten inches, leaving
a wide space at the bottom, Of course. 1
attached the wires to the trees partly by
small staples made Of the same wire, by
myself, and partly by saving notches into
the trees and driving nails over the wires.
/ ran crooked wherever tree came near.
Four of us put up the 20 rods in one day.
The cows have looked through it each
Summer, with appreciation, at my corn
fields, but no animal has ever broken
through it, and no repairs have been made
upon it. The cost was
189 pounds annealed iron wire
at6M cents, $l2 81
Labor II putting up. 4 90
Nails, 70
Total, S16 So
being about 231I cents per rod.
"To build a good fence against cattle. I
should use No. 8 wire, not annealed, be-
cause it is said to be stronger. The tele-
graph companies, am told, sometimes
use galvanized wire which does not rust,
but that is too expensive. y. .si.
"The tension of the wires makes the
whole strength of the fence, and to get
them straight, IL the grornd is level,
stretch the wire The whole distance. A
tree at each end Is the best post. lcdeed
it is almost impossible to set stone or q
wooden post, thas siil not yield 70 the
constant strain the first spring. If you
set posts, set them very deep, Snd brace
them with strong tinbes, resting against
sho:t posts set for tbe purpose.
"The best implt IT at with which to
strain the wires, is little thing which
you can make in ten minutes, 10 this way:
Take stick of sound hard wood, about
ft::i inches in diameter, and sixteen inch
es long. With two-inch auger, bore
two holes through it, at right angles with
each ether. one near each end. Bore an
other small hole, say one-quarter Of an
inch, through tho middle, large enough
to pass the wires through conveniently
Make two handspikes, say two feet long,
to ft the auger-hole. Having secured the
wire at one end unrou it;by trundling the
coil along on the ground, so as not TO get
any kinks in it, which you are sure to DO
in any other way, until you reach the otn-
er end. aF ~ a ~
"Bore a hole, say one-haf inch or an
inch through the tree or post, and pass the
wire through, leaving three or four feet
spare nigh. Pass the wire through the
small hole in your wiDdlsss, and wind IL
round once or twice 90 that II viii not
slip; then put in the hsndspike, and you
can thus apply more power than four
horses. and can hold the strain steadily.
Then drive a hardwood plug into the
hole through the tree or post, on the out
side. This viii bold your wire TIL you
take of your windlass, and wind she wire
around the projecting end Of the pin.
"At eight feet distance along the wires,
drive small stakes, for the purpose OF
keeping the wires at their proper DIS.
lance apart, SO that cattle cannot pass be-
tween them. With a short, stiff saw, cut
notches slanting downwards into the
stakes, to receive the wires, and contine
them by nails. A single clapboard nail
driven upward across the wire, will hold
| it The whole strength Of the fence de-
4 pends on the end posts and the tension
Of the wire. Splice. the wires as the tel
! egrsph men do theirs they lay the ends
j together, tapping them few inches, and
| then bind them round with short turn
/ three or four times" - ~ Tf