The Portland daily press., 1876-03-27
Portable Fences.

Where it is desirable to set up fence for
enclosing field for single season or for few
years at most, some sort of a portable fence
is decidedly preferable to the more expensive
and substantial stone wall. or even wooden
fence of posts and rails. Sometimes one may
have few calves that he would like to give
small enclosure in moving field, or SICK
animal may need field by ITSELF A SOW
with pigs or a few sheep may need specla'
enclosure for month or two, AFTER wnicn
the fence might be no longer needed IN Inc
same place. Under such circumstances,
some kind of light, cheap fence, thas can
be readily put up and taken down again, VIII
prove very convenient and may pay goou
per cent, on the cost OF making and setting
it.
The fence described at the winter meeting
of The Connecticut State Board of Agaicult-
ure at Winstead, by Mr.. Hubbard of Middle
town, struck us as being the best thing of the
kind that we had ever seen. 1t is plain, SIM
pie, light and cheap, and when set up and
properly pinned, will turn all kinds OF stock
that should ever be enclosed by fences.
The stock required for such fence consists
of four boards. IL feet long by 6 inches wide,
equal to "a feet: two pieces of 2x4 joist, 5 feet
long, equal to 68 feet; two stakes for props
A feet long, which may be round saplings
from the woods; two pieces of board inches
wide and foot or more long, and about 20
tenpenny fence nails. The tools needed for
building such fence are hammer, an inch
and half auger, hall inch bit and saw,
all of which any farmer ought to be compe-
tent to use.
The fence should lean from the field 10 he
pastured with the props upon the opposite
side, although cattle may run on either side
with little danger of its being thrown down
or broken. For calves, pigs or other small
animals, a fence one-fourth lower might an
swer as well. When finished and set up, 1t
will stand as firmly as wOod.sawyer's horse,
and may be removed and reset in a new To-
caty about as easily.
During the discussion which followed the
exhibition of a model of this fence by Mr..
Hubbard, several farmers criticised it because
il was not more substantial, and it was pro-
posed by some gentleman to have the panels
lock into each other and be confined together
by mailing or otherwise; but this would de-
feat the very object that Mr.. Hubbard had in
view, that of making fence that should not
stand in the same place long while without
moving.
As fast as the farmers outgrow the idea of
keeping up great amount of permanent
fence for dividing their moving and tillage
lands into small lots, they will appreciate
the advantage of some kind of Highland cheap
portable fence that can be put up or taken
down in a few hours around crops Chat need
protection for a short time, or Tor enclosing
young stock at certain seasons, or the after
feed in moving fields. But what we most
need to learn at present is the false economy
of building and trying to support so many
unnecessary fences around and across our
tillage lands. Pastures must be fenced for
the present, but the time will come when
fences around moving lots and gardens and
by the roadside will be far less common than
10 tho poOpla 1oornirn q
fences cost more than they are worth, and
Yankees don't like to trade that way great
while after they learn the fact.-Natualist
81 Farmer.