Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1855-04-26
NO. 16.
COST OF FENCING.

Mr.. E1ttor 1.-The appearance in your ls-
sue of the 18th ult, of an article on the "co't
of fencing plantations" was at this particular
time most opropos. Not reader Of your jour
nal in the district, nay not even in the STATE,
but that feels most sensibly the truths con.
tanned in that article. The writer, whom we
suppose to be one Of the editors Of the South
ern Cultiyator from his signature, fully un-
dcrstands the immense expense, but does not
know the prime cost of enclosing a'feld fr
cultivation. Ask the farmers and planters Of
our district what it costs to keep the several
plantations well fenced against the Intrusion
Of their own and other owners stock, most OF
which are turned out to hunt their food or die
of starvation, and we venture not one Of them
could tell within half what it costs. Southern
planters generally maui their rail and build
their fences at 4 time when they suppose moth
inc else could be DONE The cotton crop be-
ing picked and packed, and the corn housed,
'.new ground must be cleared from ances-
tral custom; in clearing this the rails are
made, and the fences built at no loss but time,
and time to such men is of no value. Were
this same tract of woods land allowed to re-
main, and its surface well scraped and cleared
Of its trash to make manure, thousands OF I'M
poverIshed acres might be reclaimed, and our
beautiful forests left standing as pasture
ground for the owners stock.
As fences are built during the winter sea-
son, when planters do not think it profitable to
keep their plows, and those too Of the subsoil
kind, running, and many of them are altogeth-
er ignorant of the method and value Of making
manure, clearing lands and mauling rails is
necessary alternative to employ the hands on
plantation, hence its cost is regarded incon-
siderable. But when, after such dry winter
as we have had, there happens so universal
and destructive fire as has lately visited our
State, and almost the entire South, and this
too in the very beginning of the planting sea-
son: each land owner will appreciate fully the
following summary which We suggest as tine
prime cost of fencing field for cultivation.
We will select square field of 80 acres,
6 acres on either side. The length Of fence
to enclose such field would be 5,O4O feet,
or nearly one mile. Now rail fence seven
rails high (Which is too low to be certain pro-
tection) will average one rail to the foot, hence
it will require 5,040 rails to build the fence
\ hand that will maui 125 rails one day with
self. 1t will rrth IS cents day, finding him.
worth any ass fflHh hW t dag EsslE H4ks m2u
81 80 per hundred, or Sl26 for the 5,040.-
Hauling the rails, and building the fence, we
suppose would be worth 500 Hence, the cn7
tire cost of cutting the timber, mauling Me
rails and finishing the fence, be SIG. I'VE
consider this estimate fair one, or believe the
fence the most expensive that can be built.
The writer here makes calculation Of the
relative costs of the worm, post and board fence,
and shows, with considerable force, that the
latter is the cheaper plan. After this he con.
continues:
Mr. Editor, for one We are opposed to either
of the above fences around our cultivated
lands and firmly believe it should be requir-
ed of every owner Of stock to pasture them up
on his enclosed, while his cultivated lands
were left entirely open. To enclose hogs, some
sort of close fence would be required, but let
each hog raiser select that for himself To
enclose cattle Oh horses nothing is required morc
than row Of posts from twelve to fifteen feet
apart, with two or three courses of strong wire
running through them The worm fence, :;
we'll as the ditch and bank fence, are further
more expensive, because they occupy about
one acre of every forty which they enclosed
We trust our Legislature will, before they
build many more State Houses, turn their at
tention 10 this necessary want of far the larger
portion Of the State. Yours respectfully,
MONTICELLO
?. $. We selected the thirty-six acre field
merely as an average in size among our fields,
believing that where there arc ten larger, there
are fifteen smaller, and hence more expensive
to enclose