19 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca SALE ON UNTIL MAY 31 ,2025 FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL US AT 519-669-2192 Email us @ efsaudersales.ca or vISIT US AT OUR WALLENSTEIN LOCATION Rotary Plow Power Harrow * SALE extended until october 31, 2025 Chipper/Shredder Precision Depth Roller RR3, 10 Nicholas Beaver Rd. Puslinch,ON., Canada N0B 2J0 www.easternfarmmachinery.com Phone: 519-763-2400 Fax: 519-763-3930 FORESTRY EQUIPMENT WINCHES 3 – 8 TONS 480 TRACTOR MOUNTED PROCESSOR, CUTS, SPLITS CONVEYS 19 FT FIREWOOD CONVEYOR SHARK 700C CIRCULAR SAWMILL GAS POWERED BUZZ SAW equal lengths of division between apex points. Stop often to look at the progress. As well, be watching up ahead for the obstacles mentioned earlier so you can work them into the design. Remember this style of fence can change quickly if an unexpected terrain feature comes along; just begin any turns slowly and then pull the fence back in. Once you reach the farthest end point go right back to the first rail and continue to work back across in the same fashion one tier at a time. How many rails high should it be? You are the designer so if four or five looks fine, stop. Smaller diameter rails will require more, perhaps as many as eight high. Fencing for those pesky climbers who appear from time to time can be tackled by jamming short sections of rail into the ground inside and outside of a V. Old fencing wire will pull the short stakes together for a stronger bond. This kind of strengthening will confound the aggressions of livestock or the wanderers who want to scale your fences! A good split rail build begins and ends in much the same solid way. A rail fence can run out, set into two posts with crossbars or hang on the limbs of a handy tree. I’ve even encountered old farm implements used to start or finish a split rail fence. Probably the simplest method and the most common is to stand the last free rail ends on blocks of wood and walk away. Regrowth of all sorts quickly find a friendly environment and the mixed shade/sun is loved by wild berries. Trees and shrubs as well find the untouched soil perfect with apples or hazelnuts soon sprouting. All the wild denizens that live on any holding will walk the rail fence line especially deer or turkeys and many a winter’s meat has been harvested there in the past. 18 October 2025 Making rails from your woodlot timber is not only celebrating an heirloom skill it’s far more economical than a purchased fence which can run up to $10.00 per foot of rail. Do some figuring and you will find a couple hundred feet of fence is as much as new tractor tires. Fence rail splitting is like any other farm chore the more you sweat the more you save! This traditional fence building can be addictive with the homesteader wanting to run rails all over the acreage. But consider this: to fence in an acre it will require roughly 800 linear feet for a single tier. If you lay five rails high the number of split rails needed gets up over 500. A real investment in time and muscle! But as explained earlier it’s a fence that lasts and lasts and, well, lasts. Split rails themselves have a long history as a valuable country commodity and general stores accepted rails as payment. I have a country store ledger from 1901 that lists 350 fence rails worth $7.00 traded for store credit. After planting among the stumps pioneer farmers spent the summers making rails for themselves or to keep the store “tick” down. HOW TO KEEP SPLIT CEDAR RAILS Recently a subscriber asked Small Farm Canada how to preserve cedar rails. We asked Cary Rideout, here is what he said: White cedar, if cut green, can run into many problems including splitting. If left with no curing time to let the sap dry out, rails will twist like corkscrews making stacking difficult. It is best practice to cut in cool autumn or early spring to allow curing time. Even better, roll them up on log skids to get them up off the earth and allow air flow on all sides. Let these rest all winter or most of the summer months. The logs will be tough to split and be prone to splinters or cracks. This can be resolved by cutting each rail with the chainsaw as much as possible. Wedges are still needed of course. Now as to preserving, I can’t say any of the old timers (myself included!) ever mentioned any preservative methods. Mainly because if split into workable sections and kept off the ground with stone at each stacking point, white cedar can last easily up to 80 years. The split rail fences of my youth were often 100+ years old and still on duty, be it property line or keeping the woollies in check. I suppose you could use wood preservative treatment of some sort. Pentox maybe? Red barn paint? But for an heirloom patina nothing beats winter snow and summer sun. 35 Howard Ave, Elmira 519-669-5500 NOLT’S COMPACT MULCH LAYER CROP CARE PICK ASSIST TAR RIVER ROTO TILLERS 41”-81” width In-stock 1. 3 & 5 row. Also a good selection of Seed Rollers and Replacement Parts. JANG PUSH SEEDERS We’re helping you grow with these great brands: Weeding, planting & harvesting with ease! GOOD FOR A TIGHT BUDGET SOLAR CHARGED CROP CARE SPRAYERS From 25-750 gallons. Also Specialty Sprayers. CALL US FOR A FREE VEGETABLE AND FLOWER GROWING SUPPLY CATALOGUE AZS BRUSHER Call with your fruit and vegetable washing needs.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQyMDk=