y and intelligence, has set
vigorously to work to reclaim it. To this end he has already laid eighty
miles of tile. He last year expended nearly $15,000 in this work. His
poorest land is rapidly becoming his most productive. Mr. Ellwood has
also turned his attention somewhat to horse-breeding, and he is now the
owner of a fine stud of draft-horses, the equal of many better-known
establishments of the kind in the State. Of his drainage operations we
hope to speak more in detail in a future number.

* * * * *

Mr. Glidden told the writer that his first trial of his fence with stock
was not undertaken without some misgivings. But he thought to himself,
"It will stop them, at any rate, whether it kills them or not." So he
took down an old board fence from one side of his barn-yard, and towards
night when his stock came up, turned them into the yard as usual. The
first animal to investigate the almost invisible barrier to freedom was
a strong, heavy grade Durham cow. She walked along beside the wires for
a little put her nose out and touched a barb, withdrew it and took a
walk around the yard, approached the wires again and gave the barbs a
lap with her tongue. This settled the matter, and she retired, convinced
that the new-fangled fence was a success.

* * * * *

Barb-wire is now sent from this country to Mexico, South America, and
Australia. It is also being manufactured in England under American
auspices.

* * * * *

Mr. Glidden, associating with himself a Mr. Sanborn, a young man of push
and enterprise, has opened up an extensive cattle ranch in Potter and
Randall counties, Texas. They have fenced with wire a tract thirty miles
long by about fifteen miles broad, and have now upon it 14,000 head of
cattle. Two twisted No. 11 wires were used for this fence, and the posts
are the best that could be procured. The wire was taken 200 miles on
wagons. The total cost of the completed fence was about $36,000.

* * * * *

Messrs. Glidden & Ellwood put up the first barb-wire ever used by a
railway company--the Northwestern. So great was the caution of the
company that the manufacturers built it themselves, agreeing to remove
it if it proved unsatisfactory. The railway folks feared it would injure
stock, the damages for which they would be forced to pay. It is needless
to say that the fence was not re