Barbed wire was ideally suited to the wide-open spaces of lands. It was relatively inexpensive, would not rot, was practically unaffected by fire, was strong and long-lasting, and was easily erected. Introduced in the 1860s, it quickly became widely-used: Between 1875 and 1885, the national consumption of barbed wire jumped from 300 tons to 130,000 tons.

Barbed wire usually consisting of two longitudinal wires twisted together to form cable and having wire barbs wound around either or both of the cable wires at regular intervals. The varieties of barbed wire are numerous, with cables being single or double, round, half-round, or flat and having a range of gauges. The twisted double cable provides extra strength and permits contraction and expansion without breakage. Barbs are diagonally cut in order to provide sharper points; they may consist of one or two pieces (two or four points) and are generally spaced at intervals of 4 to 5 inches

A Brief Introduction of Barbed Wire

Barbed wire, also known as barb wire (and frequently in dialect form spelled bob or bobbed), is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand(s). It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property. It is also a major feature of the fortifications in trench warfare (as a wire obstacle).

A person or animal trying to pass through or over barbed wire will suffer discomfort and possibly injury. Barbed wire fencing requires only fence posts, wire and fixing devices such as staples. It is simple to construct and quick to erect by an unskilled person.

It was first conceived in 1865 by Louis Jannin as fil de fer barbelé,[citation needed] French for "barbed iron wire". The first patent in the United States was issued in 1867 to Lucien B. Smith of Kent, Ohio, who is regarded as the inventor. Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois received a patent for the modern invention in 1874 after he made his own modifications to previous versions.

A rangeland fenceBarbed wire was the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Wire fences were cheaper and easier to erect than their alternatives (such as the planting of Osage orange, a thorny bush which was time-consuming to transplant and grow. The Osage orange later became a suplier of the wood used in making barbed wire fence posts[6]) and when they became widely available in the United States in the late 19th century they made it affordable to fence much larger areas than before. They made intensive animal husbandry practical on a much larger scale.