Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-08-21
TREES As FENCE POSTS
How Trees May be Utilized as Supporter
for Barhed Fencing.

sn6eS no Emu FOSIS
How Trees May be Utilized a. ~supporters
for Barbed Fencing.
Attempts to utilize trees to take the
place OF posts in constructing fences
were made before plain or barbed
wire came into use as a 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 a sup,
port every eight feet, and the trees
generally set out for ornamental pur
poses were ordinarily sixteen feet apart.
1t was accordingly necessary to set a
post, or strong stake, between the
trees. A fence thus supported gener-
ally represented 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 were inclined by the action of the
wind. Some of them had crooked
trunks, that made it dificult to fasten
the boards to them. A large proper
ton 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 attaching wire as
boards to them, as supports are only
needed once a rod. With wire it is
not necessary to have the supports at a
uniform distance apart. Still, difficult
ties 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
it 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 portion
OF the West, where the greatest amount
Of fence was required, the trees, except
those intended to produce fruit, had
been set out. Supports for fence wire
in great demand in these places, and
cedar or other wood suitable for last
ing posts is expensive. Experiments
were accordingly made in putting
down pieces of the trunks of poplar or
white willow trees, with a view of hav-
ing them take root and grow. In
Northwestern Iowa many miles of
fence have been made by fastening wire
to green poplar or willow posts, which
will probably take root and grow.
Several land owners have set cuttings
of willow or cottonwood on the lines
where they expect to make fences in
the course of a few years. They place
them on an exact line at the distance
of a rod apart. They think that they
will be of a sufficient size to support
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 endeavor
to make them grow straight. 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 sway to the wind. The
portions cut off can be used for form
ing more supports. Farmers who have
large quantities of land and are in no
need of i~nclosing all of it would find it
to their advantage 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 in
sects should be selected. Trees that
will make goodsupports for fence wire
will be in demand in all the Western
States and Territories within a few
years.-Chicago Times.