Wire Fencing.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1641, 22 February 1886, Page 2

Wire Fencing.

A correspondent ---of Home, and Fafm (Sydney) writes :— I send you a. few hints- on wire fencing, that /you may think worth inserting ih" v youV i valuable little paper for the benefit of your, .sub* scribers. |T '■'' !: ~ " ; "'"'' ; I First as to guage, Ifind, that- for < a seven Wire fence (six wire' can never tb« made sheep proof)' the following itu r th» best gauge: — . r • ,! 6£in from ground to Ist wire, 4sin Ho 2nd wire, 4fin, to 3rd- wire, 4|in to 4th wirey 6in to ,sth wire (all of jtfo. 8 wire) : 7$ to 6th wire (No. 6 wire);' and^OJni to 7th- wire (top wire, No. 6 wire). . „ , ? Making fence 3ft Oin.'hijjJi, ' which, when erected,, looks a high fence, afiny rate quite high enough to keep cattle and horses, and jsVsheep-pr.oof if the wires are kept' tight— and without the l&tter^adrire fence" is useless. I consideciihejiew patent wire strainers; ~ put m, say, every 20 chains, will be a great improvement, and well worth the little cost per mile, as with them the fence can alw'ayVbe,. kept evenly; strained and tight. One of the chief things_tpjbe>obsei ved m erecting wire fences is. to see that the straining posts.arewell put m and stay, ea. The straining * posts I*should1 * should be at least three feet m the ground, have good large butts; and be well stayed, with the stay mortised m the straining post, just uridet the second, wire from the. top, ,and also .mortised into Jihe back po|t kt 'feast three inches "" clear of the ground! * This is much preferable to putting one end of the stay mto 1 the JEro'und it foot of opposite post, as it soon rots and allows the straining posts togive, and slacken the wire. At the angles the straining post must be stayed by stays mortised- jnto the straining post about opposite, third wire from top, and also mortised Jpto a short post at post ; put three feet m the ground to be mortised m about >foae foot from the ground. 1 ■* " -;> All stays that are put up-high : on{ the strainers and near top ot posts only form a lever to lift the posts out of the ground / wlien' tfo&r strain is »put von the,wire, A moment's Jhpugh|f gn |he ?si|bj|c| will show that this must Be the*easer Vhen the stays are , put high up at the top of posts, and ' one -oe jthe most common faults or mistakes made m the great part of the wire tencing-that is ereofced through the country. : In all fences I stipulate; for.ppits to ba two feet m the ground, and from nine to ten feet apart ; straining posts to;be 3 feetih the ground, and good large butts. Long strain^ are much the best:j \^t |g quite impossible- to keep short oneg tight. Straiqing -ppsjfcs only require stay- : ing one way (not a stay on each Bi4e of the posts, as former Jy) i -4 In boring-hole^ -for %ire a f-augur |a enough ; a larger-augurrallows top much play for. the wire._ " ' v Putting top r«a)s m witßM(ri?e%nnQ^ be toostrongijr. concerned, the top rai| is only a souroe of, w&ikness to {;he fence, as getting bypkeii. an4'th(^:)eai^a; low place through which stock make frafee.