Editing Barbed wire (section)

=== Before 1865 ===

Fencing consisting of flat and thin wire was first proposed in France, by Leonce Eugene Grassin-Baledans in 1860. His design consisted of bristling points, creating a fence that was painful to cross. In April 1865 Louis François Janin proposed a double wire with diamond-shaped metal barbs; Francois was granted a patent. Michael Kelly from New York had a similar idea, and proposed that the fencing should be used specifically for deterring animals.<ref>{{cite book|first=Alan|last=Krell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JSYby9zZri0C&pg=PA16 |title=The Devil's Rope: A Cultural History of Barbed Wire|location=London|publisher=Reaktion Books Ltd|date=2002|page=16|isbn=9781861891440}}</ref>

More patents followed, and in 1867 alone there were six patents issued for barbed wire. Only two of them addressed livestock deterrence, one of which was from American Lucien B. Smith of Ohio.<ref>Alan Krell, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=JSYby9zZri0C&pg=PA19 The Devil's Rope: A Cultural History of Barbed Wire]'' (London: Reaktion Books Ltd, 2002), p.19.</ref> Before 1870, westward movement in the United States was largely across the plains with little or no settlement occurring. After the [[American Civil War]] the plains were extensively settled, consolidating America's dominance over them.<ref>{{harvnb|Netz|2004}}, p.&nbsp;10.</ref>

Ranchers moved out on the plains, and needed to fence their land in against encroaching farmers and other ranchers. The railroads throughout the growing West needed to keep livestock off their tracks, and farmers needed to keep stray cattle from trampling their crops.<ref name="Krell">{{cite book|first=Alan|last=Krell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JSYby9zZri0C&pg=PA28 |title=The Devil's Rope: A Cultural History of Barbed Wire|location=London|publisher=Reaktion Books Ltd|date=2002|page=28|isbn=9781861891440}}</ref> Traditional fence materials used in the Eastern U.S., like wood and stone, were expensive to use in the large open spaces of the plains, and hedging was not reliable in the rocky, clay-based and rain-starved dusty soils. A cost-effective alternative was needed to make cattle operations profitable.<ref>{{harvnb|McCallum|1965}}, p.&nbsp;27.</ref>