North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jenny Ruth Yasi" <voices@maine.rr.com>]

You like the look of the double or slanted better than the black plastic 
mesh? I've seen the slanted stuff but I prefer the mesh because you can't 
see it, it's easy to install if you can tack it around the perimeter mostly 
on trees, and then it just disappears completely into the scenery. Here, 
people don't even believe me when I explain that the whole pretty garden is 
all fenced in, because they can't see the fence, and our property is barely 
2 acres. If yours doesn't disappear, maybe you need some posts that have the 
look you want, and then it doesn't matter which fencing you use, as long as 
it is high enough. If your orchard isn't a very busy place, you might need 
even higher fencing. I think deer clear 8 feet without too much problem, but 
then you have to figure out how to get them OUT!  Our fence is just 8 feet 
and the deer do stay out, but we have dogs and people working all over the 
property all the time. Also the deer aren't as bad as they were a few years 
back.

I also wanted fencing that would help manage dogs, and the plastic doesn't 
hold up to dogs, so as I extended fenced areas  I bought the steel livestock 
fencing from www.louispage.com (Littleton Mass) and  I love that stuff! It 
will last a hundred years, and it also disappears (I got the black paint 
coated high tensile steel), and it looks "fancier" along the road if you 
look carefully (you can't really see it either). The only thing you really 
see are the posts, and I just use trees so you can't even see posts. 
Nothing looks good if it's sagging, but deer fence doesn't need to sag.  The 
livestock fence rolls were really heavy and it is wonderful to have the 
fence, but it was some work putting it up!

Yasi
www.wholedogcamp.com
www.jennyruthyasi.blogspot.com

Peaks Island Maine