The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-01-26
AN ECONOMICAL FENCE.
One That is Heartily Recommended Ate
Thorough Test.

| One That Is Heartily Recommended ANel
ID. Thorough Test.
| At recent meeting of our farmers
club our topic was, Reducing Ex-
| penses," and one of our number who
owns one hundred andsixty acres of land
alllevel and suited to the pillow made the
point that by reducing the amount OF
fencing we saved the expense of build
ing and repairs, of moving and grub
bling out the fence rows, and longer
fields enabled us to do considerably
more work in a day with team. He
stated that within the last two years
he had removed mile of fence from
his farm, and would not allow any one
to put it back if they would do it for
nothing. His farm is now I'm four
| fields, each about one hundred rods
long and little less than sixty rods
wide, containing thirty-five acres each.
This leaves twenty acres near the
house and barn for orchards, garden,
yards and pasture ,ots.
bor ten years past on my farm Of
ninety acres have kept Thirty "a per-
manent pasture and the remaining
sixty acres is all in one enclosure
After this long experience l have no
desire to have the fences put back. i
never turn any stock on the sixty acres
and aim to have one-third of it in clover
each year, part in meadow and the
remainder in corn, wheat, oats and po-
tatoes.
But how can we make cheap durable
fences? Not at the present prices of
lumber, by setting posts six or eight
feet apart and mailing five boards to
them. / can not buy good lasting posts
of locust or cedar for less than twenty
five cents each, or good fencing for less
than $20pcr thousand. At these prices
the material, and counting making
and nails at twenty cents, our fence
has cost us $3.50 per rod. At this price
it will cost, to divide my farm into
tifteen-acre fields, after it is already
enclosed over $500, as it will require
one fence the long way, 100 rods, and
| two across 80 rods each; and then if
| should build an extra fence, as many
farmers do, to make lane to the GEN.
ter of the farm 80 rods more of fence
would be required. The first conclu-
sion | came to was that l could not
afford to make any inside fences hog
proof, for it would more than double
the cost to do this. Unless one has
farm especially adapted to corn he is
not likely to make hogs his leading
product, and it certainly will not pay
to fence the entire farm with pig-proof
fences for the sake of allowing a dozen
or SO of them to roam over it. am
afraid of barbed wire fence. 1t is
never safe for horses, for when they
are on both sides of it they will strike
and kick at each other, and are in great
danger.
have used plain wire fence for
three years past which has given ex-
cellent satisfaction. 1t is horse and
cow-proof and the cost only about
thirty-five cents a rod. l set the posts
thirty-two feet apart and stretch four
plain wires, leaving a space of eight
cen inches between the two upper ones.
Every five or six feet | staple to the
four wires a strip of board an inch
thick and three inches wide. These
are not driven into the ground, but
rest on a small block or piece OF flat
stone. l now nail strip of board
fhnaa innhnc 1r,i1n hnfIunnn fhn
wires. BY getting these strips sixteen
feet long, one end of each can be nailed
to post and then each is
nailed with a single clinch nail to
three of the uprights. This enables
the stock to see the fence and prevents
their running into it. as they are sure
to do if the wire only is used. Having.
one wire above the board prevents the
danger of the board being broken by
the stock pushing against it in reach
ing over the fence. The end posts
should be thoroughly braced, and
think it would be an excellent plan to
fill these holes with concrete instead Of
earth, which is sure to get soft in the
wet weather OF spring. The cost Of
the material for this fence per rod is as
follows: Half a post, 124 cents; four
pounds of wire at 3 cents pound, -
cents; one three-inch board, sixteen
feet long, cents; two and a half of
the uprights. 5 cents; total, SO! cents;
or with nails and staple welded, say
IS cents rod. Two men ought to
build fifty rods of it in a day, as but
twentysix posts would be required,
and the wires can be stretched very
rapidly. believe that this fence will
turn horses and cattle as well as barbed
wire or board fence, and | heartily
recommend it after three years test.
Waldo F. Brown, in Philadelphia
Press.
q EatinpNAorSe,