The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-10-09
FARM AND GARDEN.
The Employment of Living Trees for Support
ing Barbed Wire In Making Farm Fences
Other Notes.
Trees as Fence-P Posts

Trees as Fence-Posts.
Attempts to utilize trees to take the
place of posts in constructing fences
were, saws The Chicago Times, made
before plain OF barbed wire came into
use as substitute for boards. The
boards were nailed to the trees in the
same manner they were to posts. This
method of supporting fence boards
did not often prove to be satisfactory.
The boards needed support every
eight feet, and the trees generally set
out for ornamental purposes were Or
dinarily sixteen feet apart. 1t was
accordingly necessary to set post, or
strong stake between the trees. A
fence thus supported generally pre-
sented an unsightly appearance. 1t
was rarely the case that the trees all
stood in line. There were other diff
culties in the matter. Many of the
trees We're inclined by the action of
! the wind. Some of them had crooked
trunks, that made it difficult to fasten
the boards to them. A large proper
tion of the trees used for posts were
| locusts, or white NAPLES, which were
| liable to be destroyed by borers. These
and some other kinds of trees blew
| over during severe storms and broke
! the boards that were attached to them.
In some cases the injury done to the
! trees by driving nails into them
/ caused them to become deformed or
to die.
! When wire was introduced as a SUBJ
! stitute for boards in making farm
fences more attempts were made to
use living trees instead of posts.
There was not as much difficulty in at
| taching wire as boards to them, as
supports are only needed once rod.
With wire it is not necessary to have
the supports at uniform distance
apart. Still, difficulties were found
Many tall trees were swayed to the
wind SO that they broke the wire that
was fastened to them. In some cases
the staples were drawn out, and in
! others the WIRE was stretched so that
| II hung loose between the trees. OF
course the amount of land that could
be inclosed by using growing trees for
supports for fence wire was COMPARE
lively small, as trees had not been
planted on the lines where fences were
wanted. In the newly-settled portions
of the west, where the greatest amount
of fence was required, the trees, ex-
cept those Intended to produce fruit,
had been set out. Supports for fence
wire were in great demand in those
places, and cedar or other wood suit
able for lasting posts is expensive.
Experiments were accordingly made
| in putting down pieces of the trunks
| Of poplar OF white willow trees, with a
view of having them take root and
grow. In northwestern Iowa many
miles of fence have been made by
fastening wire to green poplar or will
low posts. which will probably take
root and grow.
Several landowners have set cut
tings of willow OF cottonwood ON the
ines where they expect to make fence
IN the course of a few years. They
place them on an exact line at the dis
tance of a rod apart. They think that
they will be of sufficient size to sup
port fence wire in the course of about
five years. They will remove the limbs
from the TRUNKS for the space of five
or six feet from the ground, and en-
deavor to make them grow staight.
They will cut off the tops of the trees
so that they will not grow more than
ten feet high. By keeping them short
they will be less likely TO be swayed to
the wind. The portions cut off can be
used tor forming more supports.
Farmers who have large quantities of
land and are in no need of inclosing
all of it would find it to their advan-
tage to set out trees of slower growth,
but of more lasting qualities than any
variety of poplar or willow. The kind
Of trees should be suited to the soil
and climate of the locality where it is
wanted. Trees that have straight
trunks and which are not likely to
be split or injured by insects should
be selected. Trees that will make
good supports for fence wire will be in
demand in all the western states and
territories within few years.
Minor Notes.
Dairymen the country over are suf-
fering from unusually low prices OF
OUTER, cheese and milk.
Beans produce an enormous crop in
deeply trenched soil, and are much
improved by surface manuring.
Peas are recommended as a
good crop to smother wire grass.
;he grass can not thrive in the dense
shade.
A Dakota farmer is said to
have raised seventeen bushels OF
wheat in three years from one grain OF
seed.
Eight and five-tenths pounds pei
gallon is rapidly becoming the stand.
ard weight of milk in this country and
Europe.
There is no doubt that the slight
sweating of hay in the cock adds ma
te1ially to its value, especially if clover
constitutes portion.
It is, interesting to know that
tree plar ting is Systematically fos.
tered in China, and $50, 900 trees
were set out last year in Hong Kong
alone.
Never let bunch of hay
lie lengthwise around the outer
edge of the stack, but by skill.
tul motion throw it so the ends
will be out, as in stacking wheat OF
oats.
Turpentine. coal oil and vinegar,
equal parts, well shaken together, and
rubbed on the eggs of the botfiy on