Back before barbed wire was invented in the 1880s, osage orange trees provided menacing fences for livestock. The sharp thorns and extremely hard wood made escape from a pasture practically impossible. The wood is still used for sturdy fenceposts, and the trees give shade to cattle in Alabama's Black Belt. However, the saplings sprout as prickly bushes that can puncture even the tough treads of pickup truck and tractor tires!
