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 A TREATISE 
 
 ,Ji£)0 N 
 
 WIRE FENCING; 
 
 UNQUESTIONABLY PROVING ITS SUPERIORITY TO ANY 
 ARTICLE HERETOFORE USED, FOR 
 
 ORNAMENTAL GARDEN^.IVOpXv aRAPE, AJ^D/RO^E TliSLLISES, 
 
 ETC., js, rc-i '" > 
 
 DEDICATED TO AGEICULTTIEALISTS. 
 
 J 
 BOSTON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY JAMES E. BUTTS, JK. & CO. 
 
 38 WATER STREET. 
 
 18 5 6. 
 
9^ 
 
 
 30^1.^^ 
 
 Entered acsididftag to! A<j:t eft' C«niftr6ss»*lijthe i*ea]: Eighteen Hundred and Fifty-Six, 
 CI '" ' ' Br JAMES E^ BUTTS, °JE. &*'C0. 
 
 In the Clcrli's'0ffi'fl!|OC,''t& CKstKc'tSCaurtiof the DisJri'cft<,of Massachusetts. 
 
 IVI4. 
 
 Printed by 
 Stacy & Richakd9o;», 1 
 No. U Milk Street, '. . . 
 
 BOSTON. •'' 
 
^^i^FACTS ON^^^ 
 
 The object of this pamphlet, or circular, is to call the 
 attention of agriculturists, horticulturists, arboriculturists, 
 railroad superintendents, keepers of agricultural warehouses, 
 and all who are in any way interested in the subject of 
 Fences, to the new and improved Woven Wire Fence, manu- 
 factured bj Messrs. J. E. Butts, Jr. & Co., and known as 
 
 Every farmer knows that this subject of Fences is one of 
 the highest importance, and one which is becoming more and 
 more important every year. The cost of his Fences is the 
 most serious drawback on the usually very moderate income 
 of the American farmer ; nothing pinches so hardly his 
 means of life and competence. If it be true, as Henry 
 Ward Beecher humorously remarks, — that "the interest 
 which a man takes in anything, is always proportioned to the 
 amount of himself which he has put into it ; and a man who 
 has earned his living on a farm, must have put a great deal 
 of himself into it;" — if this be true, we say every farmer 
 must certainly feel much interested in the matter of his 
 Fences, and in every improvement which affects them. 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 THE "PENCE OPPRESSION." 
 
 The amount of capital invested and expended in the con- 
 struction and repair of the Fences of the United States, 
 would be deemed fabulous, were it not for the estimates sup- 
 ported by statistical facts which cannot be denied. A well 
 known agricultural writer — Burnap — estimates that " the 
 Fences of this country cost more than twenty times 
 
 THE amount of ALL THE SPECIE THAT IS IN IT ! " Another 
 
 well known agricultural writer — Biddle — most justly ob- 
 serves, that "it is this enormous burdeti which keeps down 
 the agricultural interests of this country/, causing an untold 
 expenditure, besides the loss of land the Fences occupy/." 
 Mr. Biddle, indeed, made a profound and careful estimate, 
 some years ago, that " the Fences of the State of Pennsyl- 
 vania alone, cost no less than $100,000,000, together with 
 an annual expenditure, in repairs, of at least ^10,000,000 !" 
 Such being the burden imposed by the Fences of one State 
 alone, how truly enormous must be the cost of the Fences of 
 all the States combined ! 
 
 We but quote the words of a distinguished writer thor- 
 oughly familiar with this subject, when we say that, '•' strange 
 as it may seem, the greatest investment in this country, the 
 most costly productions of human industry, are the common 
 Fences, which divide the fields from the highways, and sep- 
 arate them from each other. No man dreams that when 
 compared with the outlay for those unpretending monuments 
 of art, our cities and our towns, with all their wealth, are left 
 far behind." Yet such is the fact. Were there no new mode 
 of Fence, such as this " Lowell Wire Fence," whereby a 
 large proportion of this expense may be saved, we verily 
 believe it would be better to dispense with Fences altogether, 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 5 
 
 after the fashion in vogue on the Continent of Europe, than 
 to endure the ruinous tax which our farmers in many regions 
 now endure, through the present modes of Fencing. No 
 other country — England and Holland excepted — is thus 
 burdened. Hence there has long been great demand for 
 some new, cheap, and substantial mode of Fence, capable of 
 being conveniently substituted for the costly and unsubstan- 
 tial styles of Fencing now in vogue. 
 
 DEFECTS OP THE PRESENT MODES OP 
 PENCING. 
 
 The common worm Fence consumes too much timber, 
 occupies too much land, and too soon goes to decay ; the post- 
 and-rail Fence also consumes too much timber, and too soon 
 goes to decay, and besides this, it requires too much labor in 
 building, and too frequent repair, to meet the wants, and to 
 be supplied by the limited means of the farmer. As timber 
 enhances in value, this difficulty increases. Most of our 
 States are composed of prairie land, and are but sparsely 
 supplied with timber of any kind. The great primeval 
 forests of America are rapidly receding before the westward 
 tide of civilization, like the "red children" by whom they 
 were once inhabited. Wood, therefore, can not be relied 
 upon as a material for Fencing, cheap and substantial. Nor 
 can STONE supply the place of wood. Where the material is 
 abundant, stone walls answer the purpose very well ; but 
 there are few localities where the material abounds. Neither 
 can quickset hedges be depended on. South of the lati- 
 tude of Philadelphia, the Osage Orange has been cultivated 
 with some success, as a hedge plant; but north of that 
 
6 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 latitude, the frosts of Winter are too often found to be fatal to 
 it. Hedges, however, are so long coming to maturity ; they 
 occupy so much land, require so much care, and are so sub- 
 ject to destruction in many ways, that, at best they furnish 
 but a poor substitute for Avood and stone, as a material for 
 Fences. 
 
 Mr. Solon Kobinson, one of the editorial staff of the 
 New York Tribune, has observed that, in all his travels, 
 east, west, north, and south, he has seen " one, and only one, 
 good hedge Fence ; " and that, he adds, "was supported on 
 one side by a rail Fence, and on the other by a board Fence." 
 It has been mentioned by an intelligent English writer, that 
 ' ' the land consumed by hedges in England, would be suffi- 
 cient to grow several millions of bushels of grain." 
 
 Wire Strands have been tried for Fencing, with some 
 success, especially in England, where iron is one-third, and 
 labor one-half, cheaper than here. But the strands become 
 so loose by expansion by the heat of Summer, and are so 
 frequently snapped and broken by contraction by the cold of 
 Winter, that, in this country, few farmers can be persuaded 
 to adopt them at all ; and those who have tried the experi- 
 ment of wire strands once, have seldom been seen to repeat 
 the experiment again. This trouble incident to the expansion 
 and contraction of the wire strands, is so great, that Colonel 
 C apron, of Laurel, Md., who is experienced in these mat- 
 ters, in a recently published letter, says, "that even in short 
 lines, the wires may be so slackened, in a hot day, that a 
 long-nosed hog may wedge his way through." In "The 
 Lowell Wire Fence," this difficulty is completely coun- 
 teracted — the peculiar mode of its texture enabling it to 
 experience the contraction and expansion caused by the 
 changes in the temperature of the atmosphere, without in 
 the slightest degree impairing its efficiency as a Fence. 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 IRON THE TRUE MATERIAL FOR 
 
 FENCES. 
 
 But although these experiments in Iron Fence, made of 
 wire strands running from post to post, have generally proved 
 unsatisfactory, all who have given the subject the attention it 
 deserves, have agreed in the conclusion, that iron wire is, 
 after all, the true material for Fencing. This conclusion 
 being arrived at, the only remaining difficulty lay in the want 
 of suitable machinery to manufacture the ivire into such a 
 fabric as would serve as a Fence, more economically and ex- 
 peditiously than it ivas possible to manufacture it hy hand 
 work. Inventive genius made many attempts to produce the 
 desired machinery, which proved failures. At length, these 
 eflforts, or one of them, were crowned with success. 
 
 In 1853, the machines now used in manufacturing the 
 Fence, were invented and put in operation, and the long 
 wished-for result was attained. Letters Patent were pro- 
 cured for the invention, and "The Lowell Wire Fence 
 Company " was speedily organized, for the purpose of man- 
 ufacturing and introducing the new material into general use. 
 The business flourished ; the efforts of the Company's agent — 
 Mr. Charles Cowley — brought the Fence into general 
 notice and favor ; and all Avho tried it voted it a capital 
 thing. Early in the Winter of 1855, the machinery of the 
 Company was purchased by Messrs J. E. Butts, Jr. & Co., 
 who are the manufacturers of this admirable Fence at the 
 present time. 
 
A TREATISE ON AVIRE FENCING. 
 
 DESCRIPTION OP THE WIRE PENCE. 
 
 This Fence, as will be seen bj reference to the within cuts, 
 consists of a substantial and beautiful netting or web-work, 
 not unlike a fisherman's seine, but coarser. Different kinds 
 of it, adapted to different uses, are woven of various widths, 
 from a few inches to four feet. The wire itself, which is 
 annealed, varies in size and number, — some kinds containing 
 wire about one-third, and some only about one-sixteenth of 
 an inch in diameter, — the number of the wire in the several 
 kinds ranging from No. 8 to No. 15, — according to the 
 character of the Fence desired, and the use for which it is 
 designed. The meshes or open squares are also graduated in 
 the several kinds, from one to six inches. 
 
 The Fence is varnished with asphaltum blacking, which 
 protects it from oxidizing or rusting, and imparts to it a 
 brilliant black color ; but the same purposes may be served 
 by coating it with gas tar, japanning, paint, or by galvaniz- 
 ing. Being too strong for an ox, and too close for a hen, it 
 forms an impassable barrier to all farm stock. Board Fences 
 are apt to be blown down by gales ; this Fence does not catch 
 the wind at all ; and, being of iron, it cannot be injured by 
 fire, by which wood Fences are so often destroyed. Unlike 
 walls and hedges, it does not confine the heat, being open in 
 its meshes, and admitting freely the genial rays of the sun, 
 so conducive to vegetation. Neither does this Fence occupy 
 the soil, engender weeds, nor harbor vermin, as is the case 
 with walls and hedges. Neither does it interrupt the view 
 of the land, nor require repair from year to year ; — a 
 re-coating of varnish once in four or five years being the 
 only source of expense with it, after it has once been well set 
 up. Few Fences, of the ordinary kinds, last more than 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 9 
 
 twenty years ; but this is calculated to last a century or 
 more. One of the leading agricultural periodicals of the 
 day, says of it : — " While other Iron Fences are seriously 
 injured by the alternate expansion and contraction, occa- 
 sioned by the changes incident to the temperature of the 
 atmosphere, this, by the novel and ingenious manner in 
 which its wires are knit or woven together, is enabled to 
 undergo these changes of temperature, and the expansion 
 and contraction occasioned thereby, without the slightest 
 deterioration or injury." 
 
 The posts to which the Fence is secured, are of wood ; but 
 they may be of iron or stone ; or trees may be used in lieu 
 of posts, where convenient. The Fence is raised from four 
 to twelve inches from the level of the ground, and is drawn 
 straight and moderately tight, and kept upon an exact level 
 (or regular inclination) from one end to another. The posts 
 are set, say ten feet apart, and to these the netting is secured 
 by staples, (or by screws with hook-heads,) one staple being 
 used to each lateral wire at each post ; and no rails whatever 
 are needed. 
 
 The prices of the several kinds vary, according to the 
 height and weight of the Fence, the size of the mesh, the 
 number and dimensions of the wire, etc. The Fence is 
 furnished in portable rolls of from 20 to 25 rods each ; and 
 any farmer has sufficient mechanical skill to buy it, unroll it, 
 and set it up as he pleases. 
 
ILLUSTRATIVE 
 
 
 m^ 
 
 No. 1. 
 
 -ssr 
 
 No. 1 is 3| feet high, with meshes (or open spaces) 3 inches square; 4 
 lateral wires of No. 10 wire, run through the hody of the Fence, which is of 
 No. 14 (or No. 15) wire. The weight is ten lbs., and the price is $2.00 per 
 lineal rod (IG^feet). 
 
 This stjle is beautifully adapted for front, or garden 
 Fences, where strength is required. 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 11 
 
 No. 
 
 No. 2 is precisely like the first kind, except that there are but two lateral 
 (or straight) wires in it — one at the top, and another at the bottom of the 
 Fence. This weighs 9 lbs., and is $1.75 per rod. 
 
 Suitable for light garden work, Heneries, &c., and affording 
 an admirable protection for Hedges, &c. 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 No. 3 is 2| feet high,' with meshes 3 inches square ; it has 3 lateral No. 10 
 wires, with the body work of No. 14 wire. It weighs 7|- lbs., and is $1.50 
 per rod. 
 
 When finished in panels of wood or iron work, this style 
 forms a durable and ornamental front yard Fence. 
 
12 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 No. 4. 
 
 No. 4 is precisely like the third kind, save that the lateral wire in the 
 middle is omitted. It weighs 6 J lbs., and is $1.37f per rod. 
 
 Suited for the protection of low Hedges, and for wide 
 Trellises, &c., &c. 
 
 No. 5. 
 
 No. 5 is 16 inches high, with meshes 3 inches square ; there are two 
 lateral (outside) wires of No. 12 wire ; the body is of No. 15. It weighs 4 J 
 lbs., and is 75 cents per rod. 
 
 It is used for ornamental garden work, and all kinds of 
 Trellises, as well as for low Fences, Borders, and for sur- 
 mounting Fences, as seen in the cut. 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 13 
 
 No. 5. 
 
 The accompanying cuts repre- 
 sent the same description of 
 Fence, as applied to Rose-Trel- 
 lises and Door- Arbors, &c. 
 
14 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING, 
 
 No. 6. 
 
 No. 6 is 3| feet high, with meshes 6 inches square ; it has four lateral No. 
 10 wires, and the body work of No. 12 wire. It weighs 10 lbs., and is $1.25 
 per rod. 
 
 This kind makes the best and most practicable barrier 
 against cattle, around Fields, along Canals, Railroads, etc. 
 Some of the Railroad Companies have already adopted it. 
 Indeed, it is emphatically a Railroad Fence. 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 15 
 
 No. 6, EXTRA. 
 
 No. 6 Extra is of the same dimensions as No. 6, the wires being one num- 
 ber heavier throughout. It is 3j feet high ; the lateral wires are of No. 8, 
 and the body of No. 11 wire. It weighs 12 lbs., and is $1.50 per rod. 
 
 This style is suitable for exposed situations, Road-Fences, 
 and wherever an unusual degree of strength is required. 
 
16 
 
 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 No. 7. 
 
 No. 7 is precisely like the sixth kind, except that the two middle lateral 
 wires are omitted. It weighs 8|- lbs., and is $1.00 per rod. 
 
 It is the cheapest Sheep Fence that can be erected. It 
 is admirably adapted for Trellis work, for Grape Vines 
 and Roses, for Gardens, &c. Its strength and cheapness 
 render it particularly suited for Division-Fences ; while for 
 Prairie lands it is at onne-tije most <jconomical and appro- 
 priate Fence ever devised. 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 17 
 
 No. 8. 
 
 No. 8 is of the same size wires as Nos. 6 and 7. It has three lateral wires 
 running through the Fence, and is $1.12 per rod. 
 
 Well adapted for Deer-Parks, Cattle Enclosures, Ceme- 
 teries, &c. 
 
 Appropriate GATES for any of llie preceding: styles 
 of Fence are manufactured by us, witli either llVood 
 or Iron Frames, as may be desired. 
 
18 
 
 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 GARDEN SUMMER HOUSES OR ARBORS. 
 
 The different sizes of woven wire can be admirably em- 
 ployed in the erection of Ornamental Arbors, for private 
 gardens, or public grounds. The frame-work of light wood 
 can be readily covered with the wire netting, as seen in the 
 cut ; the whole forming one of the cheapest, lightest and most 
 airy styles of Summer houses ever introduced. 
 
 By a different arrangement of the wood work, the form 
 and general appearance of these Arbors can be endlessly di- 
 versified, according to the taste or means of the proprietor. 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 19 
 
 WIRE NETTING. 
 
 In connection with the manufacture of Wire Fence, we 
 also furnish a lighter fabric of a finer mesh, suitable for 
 Window Guards, Gratings, Borders, light Trellises, &c. 
 This netting, manufactured of various widths, from 13 to 28 
 inches, from Nos. 15, 16 or 17 wire, is also woven by machin- 
 ery, and is sold at from seven to ten cents per square foot, 
 being less than one half the former prices. When varnished 
 like the fence, or coated with paint of different colors, this 
 fabric forms a light, graceful, and at the same time adequate 
 protection for nursery windows, the costly and ornamental 
 windows of Churches, Stores, Conservatories, &c. It is 
 also useful for the protection of Hot-air Flues, Drains, Sky- 
 lights, Steps, and many other purposes, to which it has only 
 to be experimentally applied to ensure entire satisfaction. 
 
WHAT IS SAID OP 
 
 BY THOSE WHO HAVE TRIED THEM. 
 
 Several thousand letters have been received by the 
 manufacturers of the Wire Fence, from farmers and others 
 who have practically tested it during the last two years, and 
 who all agree, without one dissenting voice, that it is what 
 the inventors and manufacturers claim it to be — a strong, 
 lasting, neat and economical Fence. 
 
 We shall now proceed to give a few extracts from some of 
 these letters, only premising that 
 
 " what you have here is a sample of all ; " 
 
 and that these samples might be extended to the extent of 
 several volumes. 
 
 Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, President of the United 
 States Agricultural Society, was among the first to examine 
 and test the merits of this mode of Fence ; and in a letter to 
 Mr. Co\Yley, the Agent of the Lowell Wire Fence Company, 
 by whom this style of Fence was first introduced, he thus 
 speaks of it : — 
 
I 
 
 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 21 
 
 "Dorchester, January IZih, 1855. 
 
 " Charles Cowley, Esq., Agent, &c. : — 
 
 "Dear Sir, — I have recently examined some of the netting of the 
 Lowell Wire Fence Company, for Fences, Trellises, &c. From my own 
 experience and that of others, I cannot doubt that it is perfectly practicable 
 as a Fence for fields and gardens, or that it is well adapted to all uses where 
 a strong, .close, elegant, economical and durable Fence is required. Where 
 stone is not abundant, or where lumber is expensive, as in many of our 
 States, I should deem it the most practicable Fence that could be procured. 
 If our Eailroads are hereafter to be enclosed — as safety and economy de- 
 mand — they can scarcely be fenced cheaper or better than by this mode of 
 Fence. The stouter kinds of this netting are of such strength, that cattle 
 could not easily peneti-ate or pass it ; while the closeness of the lighter 
 kinds, renders them admirably available for Garden uses, Heneries, and 
 Poultry Fences. Fencing like this, has for some years been extensively 
 used in Great Britain ; and, since it can now be made at a much less cost, 
 by machinery, it would seem to be equally adaptive to the United States. I 
 know of no Fencing so good as this, that can be procured for $1.50 per rod, 
 the highest price asked for the most costly kinds of this netting ; and this 
 is, probably, the only Fencing of equal merit that can be bought for $1.50 
 per rod. 
 
 " As a material for Rose-Trellises, Grape-Trellises, and ornamental work 
 in Gardens, I think it unequalled in cheapness, durability and beauty, by 
 anything yet devised. It will, without doubt, eventually be received into 
 general use, when its merits are appreciated by the public. 
 
 " Yours, respectfully, 
 
 MARSHALL P. WILDER." 
 
 Richard S. Fay, Esq., of Lynn, says: — 
 
 " I have used the Lowell Wire Fence during the past Summer, 
 (1855,) for folding sheep at night on land that I wished to manure, shifting 
 once or more every week, and I have found it to answer the purpose per- 
 fectly. * * * My Fence cost $1.50 per rod, and it is a cheap 
 mode of hurdling or inclosing at that price. I understand now that it is 
 made much cheaper." 
 
 Col. R. B. Mason, Superintendent of the Illinois Cen- 
 tral Railroad, speaks highly of this Fence, especially as used 
 
22 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 "in the parks and lawns and gladed surroundings of gentle- 
 men's estates." His letter concludes : — 
 
 " However, experience in all these matters is the true touchstone of merit, 
 and time and trial may show your Fence to be just what we want, and of 
 great value to the country." 
 
 Mr. Logan Sleeper, well known as the St. Louis agent 
 of a Company devoted to the growth of Hedges in the West, 
 writes as follows : — 
 
 " The cost of Fences now in all parts of the country proximate to this 
 City, (St. Louis, Mo.,) is becoming enormous. There are large quantities of 
 Plank Fence made, which cost not less than $900 per mile; and some 
 around lots nearer to the city, which cost at a rate exceeding $1000 per 
 mile ! There is considerable stir in the country, about Hedge Fences, but 
 it is not (jeneral. The yas< people of the West want a Fence to be available 
 quicker than a Hedge can be. And many would have a Hedge grown, if 
 they could have a Fence to protect it that would not cost beyond all reason, 
 and be durable and removable. I think your Fence will fill an important 
 desideratum. * * * For two years I have been acquainting 
 myself generally with the expenses of Fencing ; and I know what the 
 burden is." 
 
 Mr. S. Noble, of Dixon, 111., writes that this Fence is 
 "just the thing for this country. Our land is pretty much 
 prairie, which renders Fencing material very scarce and 
 high," Messrs. Alexander, Howell & Co., of Dixon, 
 also say : "we are satisfied, after having had an opportunity 
 to examine it and test it, that it is just the kind of Fence for 
 our prairies." 
 
 Otis Brewer, Esq., of Boston, says : — 
 
 " I had the first that you manufactured, and have recommended it pri- 
 vately, and also through my journal, (the Boston Cultivator,) and have had 
 many to examine it, and make inquiries in relation to it ; and I believe all 
 have been favorably impressed with regard to its utility for general use." 
 
 D WIGHT Jarvis, Esq., of Massillon, 0., after an ex- 
 tended and highly favorable notice of this Fence, observes — 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 23 
 
 " This subject of Fencing is one of no common importance, and is daily 
 assuming more and more of the attention of considerate men, in all parts of 
 the country. In this part of Ohio, being the wheat growing region, timber 
 lands are commanding almost as high prices as improved farms. The ques- 
 tion is daily asked, What shall we do for Fencing ? " 
 
 Mr. G. P. Hewitt, of Milwaukee, Wis., after comment- 
 ing at some length on the scarcitj and enormous cost of 
 timber in his State, expresses his conviction that this Wire 
 Fence " will be generally adopted in this country, where 
 Hedges are impracticable, and where stone or even wooden 
 Fences are so expensive." 
 
 Robert C. Cambell, Esq., a planter in the Valley of 
 the Brazos River, Texas, writing from North Bend, says : 
 
 " I see plainly that I shall shortly have to employ something else besides 
 rails for Fencing. This State presents a large surface of territory destitute 
 of timber ; — and hence the valuable prairie lands must prove worthless for 
 production, unless a cheap and lasting Fencing can be used. The kind 
 made by you will, I think, produce the desired character of enclosure." 
 
 S. M. Felton, Esq., President of the Philadelphia, 
 Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Company, was among 
 the first to examine and test the practicability of this Wire 
 Fence. The first experiment to test its utility as a Rail- 
 road Fence, was made on this road, and was a perfect 
 success. 
 
 ^c<r 
 
24 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 AGENTS 
 
 Jf0r t|e ^ale of % lEirc Jfciitt 
 
 In many of the principal Cities of the Union, agencies 
 have been established for the sale of this new article of 
 merchandise ; and large quantities of it have been sold. 
 Indeed, in consequence of the limited number of machines 
 heretofore employed in the production of the Fence, the 
 demand for it has far exceeded the capacity of the manufac- 
 turers to supply. This want has since been removed by the 
 construction of additional machinery. Orders for any 
 amount, from twenty rods to as many miles, are now filled 
 with promptness and dispatch. 
 
WHAT THE NEWSPAPERS SAY 
 
 — OF THE — 
 
 WIRE FENCE 
 
 The American Press, through its many-tongued organs, 
 has been unanimous in its praises of this new mode of 
 Fencing. The Agricultural Journals, as being the most 
 immediately concerned in affairs of this kind, have especially 
 commended it. Should the objection be started, that many 
 editors sell their "puffs" for money, and that these "notices 
 of the press " may have been purchased, our answer is 
 this: — Not one dollar has ever been paid to any 
 
 EDITOR or publisher FOR A NOTICE OF THIS FeNCE. 
 
 We appeal to the whole editorial fraternity in support of this 
 statement. These notices are the gratuitous testimonials of 
 an enlightened and unbiased fraternity of Journalists, to an 
 improvement which they deemed of great importance to their 
 country. 
 
 The Plough, Loom and Anvil, in its January number, 
 1855, after speaking at length on the imperative demand for 
 "some better mode of Fence than any now in vogue," and 
 after mentioning that the conclusion was inevitable, that 
 " tvire would eventually be adopted as the staple material for 
 Fences," says : — 
 
 " But the difficulty heretofore has been found in the want of a machine for 
 the manufacture of Wire or other Iron into Fencing. That machine has now 
 
26 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 been invented, patented, started, and the netting made by it successfully and 
 extensively tried for Fencing. The Lowell Wire Tence Company are the 
 manufacturers of this Fencing, which they claim to be, and perhaps cor- 
 rectly, the cheapest, considering its strength, closeness, durability, and 
 beauty, in the world. Thus has the great necessity of American agriculture 
 been supplied, by an invention which will, without doubt, produce, at least 
 in some sections of country, a considerable revolution in our system of 
 Fencing. * * * * The farmer who has not a surjilus of 
 wood or stone on his farm, can find no Fence so admirably adapted to his 
 wants, by cheapness, strength, portability, durableness, beauty and economy, 
 as this. By an outlay of less than a dollar and a half per rod, with a little 
 personal labor, and a few posts, he can erect a substantial Farm-Fence, im- 
 passable to cattle, sheep, or pigs, which will survive when he is no more, to 
 his children and his children's children." 
 
 In the February number, 1855, of the same Journal, were 
 published cuts and full descriptions of all the kinds then 
 made, of this Fence. In conclusion, the editors say : — 
 
 " We regard the introduction of the Fencing above-portrayed, as a bles- 
 sing to all the farmers of our country. That it will, in a great measure, 
 supersede all our present modes of Fencing, is an opinion concurred in by 
 its inventor, by the Company organized to manufacture it, and by all, 
 whether practical agriculturists or scientific theorists, who have tried or 
 examined it." 
 
 The Northern Farmer, of Woodstock, Vt., closes an 
 elaborate article on this Fence, as follows : — 
 
 " We regard this Fence as eminently adapted to the wants of our farmers. 
 Its cheapness will increase the demand for it until every landscape in the 
 Union shall be embroidered with it." 
 
 The American Agriculturist pronounces it an "admirable 
 Fence," and assures its readers that it is eminently "worthy 
 of attention." 
 
 The Progressive Farmer deems it a 
 
 " Highly desirable substitute for rail Fencing, being admirably adapted for 
 enclosures of all kinds, and as no rails are required, the netting being 
 fastened to posts of wood, iron or stone, set from ten to fifteen feet apart, it 
 is easily put up, and is coated in various ways to beautify and preserve it. 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE EENCING. 
 
 27 
 
 * * * * The day has come when other material than 
 unsightly and costly split rails must be adopted for Fencing purposes. Our 
 forests are rapidly disappearing, and with them, the supply of Fencing 
 materials hitherto commonly used. "What is now to be done l * * * 
 Iron has recently been adapted to so many purposes, for which wood only 
 was formerly used, that we almost instinctively turn to it as a cheap and 
 very fitting substitute for wood, in Fencing. Wire Fences, possessing 
 strength, neatness, and durability, have been used. *= * * A suffi- 
 cient advance has now been made in this direction, to justify the hope that 
 we shall yet have Wire Fencing, which can be profitably introduced." 
 
 The Farm Journal, published in Philadelphia, pronounces 
 the Fence a first rate thing, and, as evidence of this, refers 
 to the fact, "that considerable quantities of it have been 
 successfully tried." 
 
 The Northern Farmer, published at Utica, New York, 
 after giving illustrative cuts and descriptions of the Wire 
 Fence, remarks : — 
 
 " The great cost of durable Fencing, to which the rural proprietors of this 
 country have been subjected, has led to various new inventions to answer as 
 substitutes for Rails, Boards, and Stone Walls. Nothing, however, seems 
 to have come up, in neatness, cheapness, and durability, to the Wire 
 Fencing." 
 
 The Union Bepublican, published at Staunton, Virginia, 
 expresses the opinion, among other things, that "for cheap- 
 ness and utility, this Fence is superior to any article hereto- 
 fore used," for purposes of enclosure. 
 
 The Richmond (^Va.') Enquirer speaks of this as "cheap 
 and handsome ; " and, the editor having successfully appro- 
 priated some of the lighter kinds for the purpose of a Garden 
 Bower, says : — 
 
 " We can truly say, that for Grape and Rose Trellises, Garden Bowers, 
 and such work, the woven wire answers admirably." 
 
 The New England Farmer has, on several occasions, 
 favored this Fence with particular attention. Before a rod of 
 
28 A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 
 
 it had been sold or tried, this paper gave publicity to the 
 prediction, that it would, in the end, supersede all other 
 modes of enclosure, in many parts of the Union. In Jan- 
 uary, 1855, the same journal published cuts of the Fence, 
 and closed its notice as follows : — 
 
 "All who have examined or tried it, attest that it possesses in the highest 
 degree, those seven cardinal qualities in a perfect Fence or Trellis-work — 
 strength, closeness, beauty, lightness, portability, cheapness, and durability." 
 
 The Massachusetts Ploughman observes : — 
 
 " That it is impossible to doubt that this invention wiU produce a com- 
 plete change in our mode of fencing — a change greatly diminishing the 
 cost of the Fence itself, and the labor required in its construction and appli- 
 cation in use. "We hail it as one of the most useful inventions of the age, 
 and commend it to our readers for their adoption." 
 
 The Massillon (0.) News, remarks: — 
 
 " The manufacture of this Wire Fence is rapidly becoming more and 
 more important ; and the demand for it throughout the Union, especially in 
 the West, where the scarcity of timber renders it a valuable aid to the 
 agriculturist, is largely increasing." 
 
 The Boston Cultivator says : — 
 
 " We have heard it highly recommended by persons who have tried it, 
 among whom we may mention E. S. Fat, Esq., of Lynn. * * * 
 This mode of Fencing is fast getting into general use ; and it is not im- 
 probable that it will eventually supersede Wood Fences and Stone Walls, in 
 all those districts not containing large quantities of rock. The agricultural 
 and scientific press have applauded it; men of theory have attested its 
 praise ; practical men have tried it, and set to it the zeal of their unanimous 
 approbation ; nor can any man question its ultimate success." 
 
 The American Phrenologist remarks : — 
 
 " Theoretical agriculturists have devoted much time to disputes in rela- 
 tion to Fences. They have tried Stone Walls, Hedges, the rickety-post-and 
 rail Fence, ' Worm Fences,' and many kinds which now have scarcely a 
 memory left, and none of these have been entirely successful. * * * 
 
A TREATISE ON WIRE FENCING. 29 
 
 In vie-w of the repeated failures of inventive genius to produce a suitable 
 Fence for farm purposes, certain parties [the inventors of this Wire Eence] 
 essayed to put forward a style of enclosure which, formed wholly of Iron 
 Wire, would be made with readiness to meet at least the following require- 
 ments : 1. Lightness; 2. Strength ; 3. Portability; 4. Durability, It is 
 believed that these desiderata have been attained at the present time. Wire 
 Fences are found to meet demands that were previously unsupplied, and in 
 England, as in this country, their use thus far has been attended with 
 success. We commend the invention to the notice of our readers, believing 
 that they will find in it peculiar advantages that will repay an examination. 
 Wire Fences possess advantages over others, in that they disfigure no land- 
 scape, obstruct no lawn ; and that they enhance, rather than destroy the 
 symmetry and beauty of ornamental grounds. Needing few or no repairs, 
 pulling heavily upon no man's purse, and susceptible of receiving the most 
 tasteful forms, the Wire Fence may justly be voted a good thing." 
 
 The Chicago Democrat thus describes this Fence : — 
 
 " It is the best possible kind of Iron Fence for the Prairies. The numer- 
 ous experiments tried heretofore, sometimes with large sized wire, and at 
 others with flat hoop-iron, running in straight lines, have not met the general 
 acceptance of farmers. Fencing, everywhere, is a very serious item to far- 
 mers, and upon the prairies, where timber is scarce, is much more expensive 
 than in the Eastern States. * * * The point to be aimed at 
 now is cheapness and durability, and the invention above referred to seems 
 to combine both of these requisites." 
 
 Among other papers which have also extended to this 
 valuable Fence their kind approval, we may mention the 
 Southern Planter^ the Ohio Farmer, the Cleveland Plain- 
 Dealer^ the New York Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, the 
 Washington Organ, the Stockton Tribune, the North Western 
 Christian Advocate, the New York Times, and News, the 
 Lowell {Mass.') Courier, and Citizen, and manj other 
 journals in all parts of the country ; but we must confine 
 ourselves to the extracts already given, without adding 
 more, as we are preparing only a pamphlet, and not a bulky 
 volume. 
 
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