As settlers established farms in new areas, they cleared forest and brush and built fences to corral livestock, mark boundaries, and keep out predators. The kind of fence they built depended on available materials and the fence's purpose. Some farmers cleared stones from their fields and built low walls, and old stone fences are still commonly seen today in upcountry and rocky areas. A wattle fence, made by interweaving twigs or tree branches into upright rods or stakes, could also be covered with daub or mud to help keep out small rodents.