Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-07-27
TO MAKE BETTER FENCES
Rail Structures Have Passed Away, but
Some Wire Fences Are Not
Much Better.
MYTH the passing of the old raj


WIiTH the passing of the old rail-
| wv fence and the gradual substitu-
ton of the woven wire. new
problems of fence building have arisen
for solution
The rail fence had in the days when
timber was plentiful and wages low.
at least one merit, that of cheapness.
AS timber became scarcer and more
valuable, however, the making of rails
gradually ceased until now it is only
In what are known as the woods
districts that any new ones are made.
good rail will, however, last long
time; and it will be a good many years
before the last of them is converted
into stovewood.
AS rails grew scarcer and people
became tired of rebuilding of the
worm" fences. they put up posts and
wired the rails between two of them
or nailed them to single one. This
when properly done made good fence
for while.
But the distinguishing feature of a
rail fence is its inherent tendency to
change. and when the rails could no
longer blow off or tumble down they
would break in the middles or rot at
the ends. So the eternal mending and
patching had to go on just the same
except for being a little harder than
before.
Men naturally grew tired of this
ana the old rail fence. over which the
ground-squirrels and lizards ran, and
IN whose corners chinquapins and wild
grapes, violets and goldenrods grew, is
last becoming a thing of the past.
The scarcity of timber, too, has
made the plank fence too expensive
and has prevented the general use of
the really excellent paling and wire
combination. The factory furnishes
fencing more cheaply than does the
forest; and the new fences of today
are made of steel wire rather than of
lumber.
In going about through the country,
however one cannot fail to see that
many of the fences are disappointing.
Broken wires, sagging tops, leaning
posts and general air of inefficiency
and decay are to be seen in many
cases. Other fences there are spick,
span and substantial looking, evidently
good for many years yet. Some fences
are poorly constructed, and a good
many are made of inferior or poorly
galvanized wire. but the most common
causes of short life and unsatisfactory
service are to be found in the way the
fences have been put up.
Some people use too few posts, or
use those that are weak and unsub-
stantial. Good posts cost money and
are often hard to get; but there is no
economy in paying SO or 60 cents q
rod for fencing and then hanging it up
on posts that will rot and break off
in five or six years, or that will pull
out of the ground in less time, or that
are too short to begin with.
A wire fence properly put UP will
last a long time, but it cannot be put
up properly on poor posts, and only
the best should be used, locust red
cedar or something as good A post
that is too short allows the fence to
buckle and sag from the time it is
put up. and that is the beginning of
the end.
The fence should be stretched as
tightly as possible lengthwise, using
stretcher that has power enough to
amount to something; and then at
each post it should be pulled out to it's
full width and stapled at each wire.
Some folks are prone to economic
on staples and use about half enough.
Now staples cost money. but they are
cheaper than fences. That the posts
at the ends of the line should be set
deep and well braced goes without
saying; and where a post is set in a
deep depression it should be anchored
so that 1t cannot be pulled off by any
Tightening Of the wires
The point to be remembered is that
the life of wire fence depends, first,
on the quality of the material of which
1T is made, and after this on the tight
ness to which is it stretched and the
stability with which it is fastened. If
every wire could be kept, not strained,
but held tight enough to stay in ex-
actly its proper place all the time the
ideal conditions would be attained.
Changes of temperature and various
other causes combine to prevent this.
but the nearer it can be Appropriated
the longer the fence will last and the
better service it will give
NnTEc nJ, nyIIE, noe rom