A SOUTHERN PICKET FENCE.
pick fence with one angle point on topFig. 40.—Southern Picket Fence.
Fig. 40.—Southern Picket Fence.
Fig. 40.—Southern Picket Fence.
jig for making picketsFig. 41.—Bench For Sawing Pickets.
Fig. 41.—Bench For Sawing Pickets.
Fig. 41.—Bench For Sawing Pickets.
The picket fence in very general use in the Southern States, is shown infigure 40. It will be observed that the pickets, instead of terminating in an equal-sidedpoint, have but one slanting side, while the other is straight. Such a fence looks quite as well as one with the other style of points, and is exceedingly neat and serviceable along the line of the street, or to mark the boundary between two estates. To facilitate the sawing of the pickets, the bench or horse represented infigure 41is employed. This has a stop at one end, while near the other end are two upright pieces to serve as guides in sawing. The edge of one of these is far enough in the rear of the other to give the desired slope. In sawing,the saw rests against these guides, as shown by the dotted lines. In a picket fence, the point where decay commences, is where the pickets cross the string pieces. Water enters between the two, and decay takes place which is unsuspected until the breaking of a picket reveals the state of affairs. The string pieces and the pickets, at least upon one side, should be painted before putting them together, and nailed while the paint is fresh.