Show THAT GOOD OLD rail FENCE ancient and honorable and convenient institution that held honored place on the farm among the once necessaries of I 1 form farm life that reflected prodigality in the use of valuable timber wa ans 9 the old artill fence observes the columbus DIs P patch itch like I 1 nany many other almost bygones of rural life its place in farm wa wastefulness stef ulness now Is well vell established and yet jet it lind had its uses for which the arl sent straight line wire fencing cannot qualify the old rail fences serrated stretches were the hom homes es of small animal life that now are rapt rapidly adly disappearing around its timbers there grew the uncultivated blackb blackberry eiry with its oster lster fc the raspberry and among its recesses there the elder whose fruit once was coveted pie in material and whose blossoms were the foundation for wine tint that matrons matrona served of a winter evening when the neighbors gathered an S tile the rail fence with its invariable undergrowth was the krotec ton for bob white in winter find and from its top he sang in the warmer seasons beneath the little ground squirrel burrowed F from roni safe retreat lie he cliatt chattered ered if some intruder came near to annoy him ns na lie he was busily engaged in gathering his store of food for the snow time to the harvest hardest hand it afforded protection at the end of the long row rov for a brief respite and its corners formed shaded nooks under which the water jug might be kept and from what royal timber was this old fence constructed I 1 black walnut logs chestnut logs and the smooth lengths of the ash tree were cleft by numerous rail splitters for the seven high fence that stood the star storms m s of decades there was many a black walnut rail whose timber would make the manufacturer of gun stocks chortle with satisfaction on had lie such a present supply of wood at his command |