  The invention of barb wire was the most important event in the solution of the fence problem. The question of providing fencing material had become serious, even in the timbered portions of the country, while the great prairie region was almost wholly without resource, save the slow and expensive process of hedging. At this juncture came barb wire, which was at once seen to make a cheap, effective, and durable fence, rapidly built and easily moved. The original patent for barb wire was taken out in 1868, but it was not until six years later that an attempt was made to introduce it into general use, and more than ten years elapsed before the industry attained any considerable magnitude. The rapidity and extent of its subsequent growth will be seen by the following table, showing the estimated amount of barb wire manufactured and in use during the years named, the estimated length being in miles of single strand:
There are now fifty establishments engaged in the manufacture, and the output for 1887 is estimated at 140,000 tons. disk style barb Fig. 58.—The Kelly Barb Wire. Barb wire is not without its drawbacks as a fencing material, the most common one being the liability of serious nail wrapped around wire Fig. 59.—Horse-nail Barb. Barb wire, like the harvester, the sowing machine, and most other valuable inventions, has attained its present form from very crude beginnings. The original barb wire consisted of double-pointed metallic discs, strung a double barb wrapped around 2 strands of wire Fig. 60.—Crandall Barb Wire. one double barb knotted on two strands of wire Fig. 61.—Sterling Barb Wire. Another crude beginning was the “horse-nail barb,” which consisted of a common horseshoe nail bent around a plain wire, and the whole wrapped spirally with a smaller wire, as shown in figure 59. Various forms of two-pointed and four-pointed barb wire are manufactured, the principal difference being the shape of the barbs and the manner of coiling them around one or both of the strands. A few of the leading styles are illustrated herewith. Figures 60 and 61 show two varieties of two-pointed barb wire. four point bard wrapped around two strands of wire Fig. 62.—Quadrated Barb Wire. 4 pointed barb wrapped between 2 strands of wire Fig. 63.—Iowa Four-pointed Barb Wire. Of the numerous styles of four-pointed wire, three typical forms are illustrated in figures 62, 63, and 64. a 4 pointed barb Fig. 64.—Lyman Barb Wire. The Glidden patent steel barb wire is made in three styles, as shown in figures 65, 66, and 67. Figure 65 shows the two-point wire, in which, like the others, the barb is twisted around only one of the wires. Figure 66 shows the “thick-set” which has barbs like the other, but set closer together for such purposes as sheep folds, gardens, or other places, which require extra protection. The four-point barb wire, figure 67, has barbs of the same form as the two other styles, that is a sharply pricking barb attached to one of the wires of the fence strand, upon which the other wire is twisted, holding the barb two point barb Fig. 65.—Glidden Patent Steel Two-point. two barbs close together Fig. 66.—Glidden Patent Steel “Thick Set.” 4 point barb Fig. 67.—Glidden Patent Four-point. Barb wire of nearly, if not quite all the popular kinds, is shipped from the factory on strong spools, each holding one hundred pounds in weight, or eighty rods in length. These spools are bored through the center to admit a stick or bar, which can be used as an axle in unreeling the wire. The following table shows the weight of wire required for fencing the respective areas named:
steel tape with barbs Fig. 68.—Brinkerhoff Steel Strap and Barb. It will be observed that the larger the area enclosed, the smaller is the amount of fence required per acre. The cost of fence complete can be estimated by adding to the amount of wire indicated in the last column, the cost of twisted tape with barbs Fig. 69.—Allis Patent Barb. twisted metal tape Fig. 70.—Brinkerhoff Fencing Twisted. There is a kind of barb fencing in which flat steel straps are employed instead of wire. In the form shown in figure 68, the barbs are bent around a plain strap and the whole is then galvanized, which firmly fixes the barb. Another form shown at figure 69 consists of a solid piece of steel, ribbed through the middle, and with barbs cut on both edges. These and similar forms are more expensive than wire, and are employed only in limited quantities for enclosing lawns, paddocks, etc. Still another form is like that shown in figure 70, without barbs, and twisted. This is much used to enclose lawns and ornamental grounds. It is light, neat and strong, does two wires Fig. 71.—Two Strand Twisted Wire Fencing. Still another form of unarmed fencing is shown in figure 71. It is simply the ordinary wire without barbs, and is used in limited quantities for fencing ornamental grounds, barnyards, etc. Fig. 72.—1 ¼-inch Staple. staple Fig. 73.—1 ¾-inch Staple. staple Fig. 74.—Square Top Staple For Brinkerhoff Fencing. For fastening barb-wires to the post nothing has been found so satisfactory as staples made for the purpose from No. 9 steel wire. They are cut with sharp points to drive easily into the posts, and are of different lengths, from one inch and a quarter to one and three-quarters. Figures 72 and 73 show the usual staples for wire, and figure 74 a staple made specially for strap fencing. Fig. 75.—Well-braced Barb-wire Fence. The timber for posts should be cut when the sap is dormant. Midwinter or August is a good time to cut post timber. They should be split and the bark taken off as soon as possible after cutting the timber. For end posts, select some of the best trees, about sixteen inches in diameter, from which take cuts eight and a half feet in length, splitting them in quarters for brace posts. They should be set three feet in the ground, which is easily done with a post-hole digger. When setting the brace posts, take a stone eighteen inches to two feet long, twelve inches wide, and six inches thick, which is put down against the post edgewise, on the opposite side to the brace, as seen in figure 75, putting it down about even with the surface of the ground. This holds the post solid against the brace. A heart-rail, ten feet in length makes a good brace. Put one of the long posts every sixteen or twenty rods along the line of fence, as they help to strengthen it, and set lighter and shorter posts along the line about sixteen feet apart. After the posts are set, two or three furrows should be turned against them on each side, as it helps to keep stock from the wire. Such a fence should be built of a good height. It is better to buy an extra wire than have stock injured. There is no pulling over end-posts or sagging wire. fence post braced on two sides Fig. 76.—A Wire Fence Well Braced. To make an extra solid wire fence, brace the posts, as shown in figure 76, on both sides, in order to resist the tension in either direction. Every eighth post should be thus braced, and it makes a mark for measuring the length of the fence, for eight posts set one rod apart, make eight rods, or a fortieth of a mile for each braced post. The braces are notched into the top of the posts, just below the top wire, and a spike is driven through both the brace and the post. The braces abut upon large stones which give them great firmness. Fig. 77.—Device For Unrolling Wire. wire and screws Fig. 78.—Fastening The Wire. The general introduction of barb wire fencing has brought out a great variety of devices for handling the wire. One of these is shown in the illustrations. Two pieces of scantling are attached to the rear end of a wagon from which the box has been removed, as shown in figure 77. A slot near the end of each admits the round stick thrust through the reel of barb wire, to serve as an axle. The end of the barb wire is fastened to the fence post, the team in front of the wagon started up, and wagon holding spools of wire Fig. 79.—A Sulky Wire-holder. Axel with crank Fig. 80.—The Axle. A lighter form of reel holder is shown at figure 79. It is made of two pieces of two by four scantlings fastened to the axle of a sulky corn plow. They must be placed sled with wire spools Fig. 81.—A Sled Wire-holder. empty sled Fig. 82.—Another Sled For Wire. It is best to have a separate spool for each wire, especially if they are of great length. The same contrivance may be used for unreeling the wire. Attach a gentle horse to the sulky, fasten the pole securely to the hames, and have a boy lead him slowly along the fence line. Once in fifty yards stop the horse, grasp the handle, move forward very slowly, and draw the wire straight and taut. If no sulky plow is at hand, a light “double-ended” sled, shown in figure 81, may be used. A man holds the short pole extending from one end, steadying wire stretcher and post Fig. 83.—Tightening The Wire. Fig. 84.—The Clark Stretcher. For stretching barb wire there are various implements in the market, and other quite simple and effective devices can be made on the farm. Figure 84 shows the Clark stretcher and the manner of using it. Another stretcher, called the “Come Along” stretcher, figure 85, is used not only for tightening the wires, but also for handling it, in building or moving fences. ratcheting wire holder on an iron ring Fig. 85.—The “Come Along” Stretcher. two bars with hook to hold wire Fig. 86.—Home-made Wire-stretchers. hand tool Fig. 87. The useful wire-stretcher, figure 86, consists of a mowing machine knife-guard, bolted to a stout stick; one curved, as shown in the lower engraving, is preferable to a straight one, as it will not turn in the hand. When using it, the wire is held firmly in the slot, and may be easily stretched by applying the stick as a lever. Another kind of a wire-stretcher may be made of hard wood or of iron or steel bars. It consists of three pieces, two arms and a splicer, fastened together in the manner shown in figure 87, leaving a slot near one end to hold the wire. The longer arm is made immovable upon the splice by means of two or more heavy bolts, while the wire stretcher tool Fig. 88.—Stretcher And Gauge. The stretcher shown in figure 88 is made of hard tough wood or iron. The wire is passed through the slot, the barbs preventing it from slipping. The arm at right angles to the lever is used to measure the distance of the strands. When the lever is set against the post, the arm rests on the strand below. By sliding it up or down, the distance between the strands is regulated. Figure 89 shows another stretcher, that can be made by any blacksmith. The toothed cam holds the wire so that it will not slip. A block and tackle are often found useful to draw the wires with. The rolls of wire are paid out of a wagon body, and when the wire is to be drawn up, the grip is put on at any point, the tackle is attached, and one horse draws it as tight as it needs be. hand tool for gripping wire Fig. 89.—Grip For Fence Wire. A wire fence needs frequent drawing up or it sags and block and tackle used to tighten wire Fig. 90. Figs. 91 and 92.—The Splicer. two wires and splicing tool Fig. 93.—Making The Splice. The accompanying engravings show an iron implement for splicing wire and the manner of using it. To make this splicer take a bar of half inch round iron, nine inches long. Heat about three inches of one end and hand tool Fig. 94. hand tool gripping wire Fig. 95. Fig. 96.—Fence On Uneven Ground. One of the great perplexities about building wire fences on rolling ground, is how to make the posts in the hollows remain firm, for the pull of the wire in wet weather, or when the frost is coming out, lifts them and causes the wire to sag, and they cease to be an effective barrier. Posts should not be used in the lowest depressions, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
