Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1909 — Fences For Hog Pastures. [ARTICLE]

Fences For Hog Pastures.

Great changes have taken place in the various fences employed for enclosing bogs. The rail, board and barbed-wire fences have all given way until now woven fences are almost exclusively used. The best and cheapest fence for hog enclosure is a combination of the woven and barb wire A barb wire below to prevent their rooting under and a couple above to prevent their jumping over is essential. All barb wires must be extremely tight for a loose barb wire does not hold hogs in check. The woven .wire that is used is the 26-inch ribbon, says Farm, Stock and Home. The nature of the ribbon employed is important. Heavy cable wires are necessary for two reasons: First, they do not rust so easily and second, they are strong enough to stretch tightly and to resist onslaughts of heavy brood sows or boars. The upright wires that form the mesh should be close together and well attached to the cable wires to prevent slipping. This will prevent little pigs from getting through thd fence and will also aid in “heading in” strong pigs that make a straight rush at a fence. Many think most highly of the diagonal mesh. Such an arrangement produces the strongest fences and if heavy wire is used will hold pigs without so much slipping as where the square mesh is used. Strong wires and close meshes are essentials in a gold woven-wire fence. By using a ribbon 26 to 32 inches in width with a barb wire below and a couple above a cheaper and better hog fence is produred than when an all woven-wire fence is used. If the fence is for all sorts of stick, then such a fence would be objectionable. For hogs a rigid fence is best whether for permanent or temporary fencing, and has also given excellent results in fencing corn fields, a purpose for which many will be used this fall.