, 1861-01-17

Failure OF Sod Fence and Hedkes--Hor
Fencing -. Hog Pasture -. Hedging
Bclss--Fnlue OF Hedging and Tlnibcr
4felts for 1f0llroRd8-HQw they Hayf,
Steam and Wear.
Correspondents Of the Chicago Tribuuo.1

Kclss--Vnlue OF Hedging and Timber
I1clts for 8nflroRd8-How they NaYe
Steam and Wear. (.
Correspondence Of the Chicago T1ibuno.l
CHA4rA1oN, January 8, 1851.
Tho cost Of fencing Is avery important item
IN the current expenses of the farm, ond 1t
therefore stands the farmer in hand to study
the subject in MI Of Its aspects. In tlmbc1cd
country tho Hrginia rail fence Is tho most
common, whila on the prairie the post aud
board fence Is becoming the most popular. In
IN carly day the sod fence, or ditch and sol
fence, was extensively used, but this proved
the most deceptive Of all fences, and how ne
sec none Of 1t being made.
a large amount has been expended in at
tempts at hedging, but IN a majority Of cases
without proving satisfactory. The Illinois
CcntrM Railroad ut one time contracted for
ono hundred miles Of fhedgc. The ground was
broken late in the season and not we'll done at
that. Tho plants were set the next spring In
this impcrfectly prepared border, and not be-
Ing well cultivated, a large share Of them failed
to grow, and the contract WAS abandoned.
Tho company lost what they had advanced,
and the contractors failed In their object, tho
last Of which, VIC think, was far from making
: good hedge. Our structures upon this style
ofhedgiug, made at the time, had the effect to
protect the interest Of tho company. Hedging
is now better understood, and We have no
misgiyings In relation to it, ard that it Is the
cheapest and most valuable Of al} our fencing
mentioned. In dry ground, the Usage Orange
must continue to stand first aud foremost, while
In swampy places the Yellow or Golden Willow
will make good fence against cattle and hor-
ses. a large item in the cost Of fencing is to
fence against hogs-tencipg them ont Instead
Of fencing them in. Let US look at this subject
for moment, aud sec wbat figures say in re-
gard to it. Every farmer knows that the COM
mon prairie has little value In It for pasturins
hogs. They will not thrive without the addi~
ton Of other feed, while on q good clover pas-
ture they will thrive finely, and in the fall need
but little corn to make them ready for market,
Let Us take the quarter aectfon Eurmcr for
sample: to fence his farm into four fields, al
lowing road on one side and la1f tho fence
on the other three sides, we have seven hun
boards to the length or panel, will require
twelve thousand feet, which, ut q cost Of six
teen dollars the thousand, is Size; nails, sic:
putting on, Sill; total, $2l5.
10 make one Of these forty acre lots hog
pasture, to be used In common with the stock.
will require an outlay Of ninety-fl1e dollars
and to make enug pasture Of four acres would
cost about fliay.tvc dollars. We venture to
say that the four acre pasture will pay a good
profit over and above its cost, even allowing
some yaiuc to the prairie feed. In the one
case NC have the hogs in good tight cnclo-
sure where they will not be in danger Of de-
6troying more crops than they are worth, and
. saving in the outlay ofonc hundred and siIty
dollars This ut an interest Of ten per cent. for
twenty years, the life Of the farm, would amount
to the modest sum Of $50; add original cost
$lH. there will be total for twenty hogs ofss4S0.
Divide this By twenty and NC hare tac snug
little annual loss of Sci for the fun Of pastuT
hnnd the colt Of the fence on pasture is SIS, in
terest for twenty years, t11D; making sl65 !;
or S6..o per arn1tm for a nice clover pasture :
this leaves for the use Of tile land about 81
per acre per annuln. Now who can afford to
hare hls hogs pastured on the prairie for
of money to throw away. We think d man
had better lend his money at ten per cent. in
tercst and purchase his pork than to farm lis
hogs out. Let u6 sec how he would stand !:
Cost Of hogs $al5; interest for twenty years
s4s0; total sG45. Leaving him $S3 25 Der an
mum for pork money, which at five dollars the
hundred pounds would give him some six
hundred and fifty pounds per anuum for lis
money for 1t must be remembered that lis
former capital Is sunk in The twenty years,
HEDGING AND TIMBER BELTS.
r., Every prairie farm needs fencing and fuel
We have shown above that fencing Is IN cx-
pen:iyc operation, and probably will continue
to nll time a costly part OF tho farm expense,
So of fuel We shall need fuel 50 long as cold
altcrnate6 with heat and cooked food ehall be
in fashion Nor do We look for any Change
during our day, On dry prairie in any part Of
the State, the Usage will make good hedge,
L properly cultivated, notwithstanding tha
thousands Of failures, some Of which we lay a
personal claim to. The border for the hedee
must be put in firm tilth, otherwise it is use
less to set the plants. Good one year old
plants are ns good, If not better, than two year
olds, Set them six inches apart, after cutting
inches Of the part below ground, and two Of
that above, making your plant six inches long.
These arc easily set with dibble, oreharpened
stick, put them in single row, cultivate them
thoroughly through the season, aud be careful
to Keep your knife and sissors of from them;
cultivate the next season but do not touch
them with any edged tool. The next Spring
cut the whole hedge down within three Of
four Inches Of tho ground. II you have at-
tended to the culture YOU will now have some
thing worth cutting. The third summer you
will have fine thick growth, aud the fourth
suit your taste. It will then have made such
heavy growth that 1t will stand n large amount
Of shcar1uG Mt any time during the growing
season. For ordinary farm purposes, We
won!d recommend 4 timber belt along sile
Of all hedges: The hedge ntter growing will
ia six OF thirty feet high, 80 long as there is
sufficient wood at the bottom to make it
stock proof We venture to say that large
departure from tho above formula will
provea failurc- The great trouble has been in
the want of thorough preparation Of the
have few good, while tho country is jagged
with skeleton hedges, which mar the land
scape without proving Of any utility. IN set
ting the hedge the plants should bs carefully
assorted, putting those Of the same size b.
themselves. We care not about large plants,
hut VIC do care to have all Of one size planted
together. The border for a hedge should he
at least eight feet wide, unless in cultivated
field, and if with 1oed crors can occupy tho
place Of one row. In putting in a timber
belt VIC put the first row Of trees eight feet
| frnn tho hedge, and the rows eight feet apart
trees aud the hedge will occupy strip two
| rods wide, and to enclose d quarter section
| will occupy, including the extra belts about
| tue farm building, some fifteen acres. This
| strip being sown to blue grass, will furnish no
| email amount of winter pasture. Eight thot1-
sand trees will set these belts Of three rows,
eight feet apart. If silver leaf maple arc used,
and, which, by the way, was pronounced the
| most valuable al a1t, for this purpose at the
meeting Of the Statc Horticultural Society at
Bloomington, will cost abont eighty dollars
for one year old trees Of eight to ten inches
high; trees four feet high, two years old, cost
four to Eve dollars n hundred NC have used
two thousand five hundred to the acre, but
they arc most too thick and will n ed a severe
| thinning. Cuttings Of cottynwo0d md goltlen
willow will grow rapidly hard and soft maple
elm, ash, black walnut, cdta1pa or poplar aud
The oaks orc all more or less valuable.
TILE RAILROADS.
Let US take for example, The Illinois Central
Railroad, from the fnct that it Inns wide striC
We will suppose that hedge like the ono We
have indicated, Was planted on the west side
OF the truck, aud timber belt Of Locust n.
far South as kankakec, Of Rcd Elm and Black
Walnut, to Mattoon, and Of Catalpa to tht
Big Muddy. Say two rows, Mt eight feet, leav
This In twenty ycars would furnish all the tie'
TINT would be required for its repair and in tht
mean time make q large saving In fencing
Keep the snow OF the track and produce
another advantage which NO think has bce1
overlooked, and that is prevent great vast,
ofsteam hy radiation that is now lost by ths
.swaying winds Of tho pratrics. Every cnTi
necr Knows that 1t is more difficult
IN cold weather to keep up steam on the prai
rie than in the timber, end this proposed bel
Of timber would thus make largo annual SOY
lug in fuel But this is uot ail the wind, fol
and as the road lies north and South It make.
a continual pressure on the train, requiring
more power to draw 1t, at the same time wcaS
in@ ont and spiintering up the rail- on the cas-