Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-05-14
Ear lic ENQUIRER
THE FENCE HAVING. III


Messrs. Editors Amidst The din OF politics,
rejoice to see in your paper of March 5lh, one
voice raised in behalf of the interests of Agricul-
ture. seize my pen TO second "a Practical
Farmer" No interest demands our attention
more than that Of Agriculture, and on the Agri-
culture OF our parl of The world at least, there is
no lax SO onerous as fencing. So heavy is this
tar, that | fearlessly pronounce, that without
some modification oil the fence laws, there cannot
be any great permanent improvement in The pro-
fits Of farming in Eastern Virginia.
This is bold assertion. Is il Tuel might
cite my own case, which is not different from my
feIlow.cilizens generally, in proof OF IT, Thou
sands-pay, ten thousand cases-are 10 be met
wiih Rich lands pay such profit, that they
NAV bear The tax OF legal fencing. Mine, like
the great majority oflands hereabouts, were worn
out by our ancestors. Withoutliming or mari
ing, and manuTing, they are not worth lbe cul-
rvaing. Winter alter Winter comes around,
The season for accommodating materials and ma
king manures, and instead Of my being able,
with undivided force, 10 turn all my zeal and
energies in that direction, lam forced the whole
time 10 keep a portion OF my abe-bodied men
mauing, and my oxen hauling rails. The ma
terial too-od-feld pine, Tough, knoity and twist.
eds very hard 10 maui, and lasts very tewyears.
Our iore-fahers have generally destroyed The
original forest-growth, and LETT us as a legacy
this old-fed pine, which is worthless Tor fencing,
but which is worth al this tme-on tide-waer-
one dollar and fifty cents 10 two dollars per cord
for the Northern market, ii ourlaws would per-
nit US TO sell it, and not force US 10 throw IL
away, by converting il into perishable fence-rails
The price OF cord wood would pay me twenty.
FIVE cents per cord for il standing, fifty cents
Io,, Toe md htoh ID
the hauling. But no; the laws require me TO de-
slroy nv timber, 10 lose my labor and work my
oxen 10 The BONE For whal2 To keep out
few halt-starved hogs Of my neiehboTs, which
enjoy the benefit (save the mark } Of the woods
range, aud which, if not stolen in The mean llme
BY the negroes, when put up 10 falten 10 The tal',
consume more corn than wouId-it sold-ouy
halt as much more pork
The Winter is gone. Where are my ma
nure heaps2 My oxen have been busy hauling
rails they had no lime 10 haul up the stalks, 10
accumulate leaves, trash, &C., Tor making The
food for The crop 10 come. Even The little ma
nure which We could not help making about The
stables, has not all been yet hauled our, much oil
il lies fermentng and wasting in the stahe.yad.
Some reader may say, perhaps an honorable le-
gislalor you are TOO lazy; il is your own iaul;
YOU must be more energetic, more industrious,
and all will be right. Now, Messrs Editors, il
has been my lot to travel much, and on different
occasions, in the Northern States. have lived
amongst their people, and will say, withoutthe
fear OF contradiction, that when VirgiEans pre-
tend 10 work, no people on the earth work harder
admit there are many lazy ones amongst W.,
many who do not even pretend TO work, but those
who 90 al j. work hard, Zealously and perse-
veringly.
The Winter is gone-lhe time for manure is
past. Little or none has been provided for my
corn and oats. My crops must necessarily be
Short and the little fertility OF the land further
impaired What have 10 show for my Win
terts work There ii is; long lines Of high, we'll
s,aked new fence, made OF old field pine, hard
10 maui, heavy 10 haul and quick 10 ROT. There
is the fence, the abyss that has swallowed up nay
timber, my labor, my time; will shorten my
crop, deteriorae my land, and in few years
will itself be swallowed upby Old Father Time
Irepeat, mine is not solitary case. The pre-
sent Fence system was, no doubt, good one.
when il Grst went into operation Then, the fields
we're small, generally fertile: timber coed and
plenty, and ranges for hogs extensive and valu-
able Now, fields are large and poor, timber
scarce and mean, ranges small and worthless.
Does any man in his senses believe, under such
circumstances, that our iore-fatheIs would have
adopted The present sysem2 Then why continue
i'll
call on "a Practical Farmer" TO repeat his
blows N the presen, system-I call on all think
ing farmers 10 second our efforts. Let Us deter
mine 10 have the law altered first, as i, regards
hogs think many in this part of The world are
ripe Ill. They begin 10 find out that few hogs
inside The farm, cared Tor, led on grass, peas, SC.
are lar more profitable than many TUNED out
side.
Ii agreeable TO yourselves and readers, you
may again hear from
LOWER VIRGINIA.