Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-09-19

Among the permanent improve
ments on a farm, good fences. are cer5 ..'
tainly first in necessity. and impor-,i.
tance. And while they are thus es-
sential where mixed husbandry is
carried oa, they are also unmisIakayf,
bly, ipdicitiYe Of thrift and good or
der. Poor fences ever tell sad sto- n
ry, and when we see farm with fen,
ces all going. to decay, the CONVICTION
is sirresistible, that some shocking leg.
end is connected with its history
The owner, it may be conjectured, has
some chronic difficulty, which medical \
treatment eanpot reach, and from s-.v
''sympafhetio action his poor fences 81.
suffer. The re-feneing of a laFga,b /
farm Is an undertaking WHICH eostsoaF
large amount of money, labor and 1iw
time, and a complete arrangement Of
the fields requires some study and cal=afsg
culation A majority of farms are
so sHb-divided that to reach the back 80
fields, one, two o4sathreei have to be- %
passed through and as many bars let
down. OF course no systematic and
orderly farmer would endure such.an
arrangement great while; butlthon-
sands of farmers do endure it Cor
life time, and apparently see no better
plan. In dividing farm into regal 1a.f
lar and permanent fields, four general
considerations must govern: /. Con. .aesi
venience of access to barns 2. Con-
venience to water for stock g.. Size '4
of farm 4. Rotation to be pursued,
Other considerations will have their
weight in particular localities, but
the above must always enter into the
calculation, and are all important
The fields should all be reached by 9
lane, starting at the barnAit being
the farm depQt-and this lane should a'r
also lead to water, one way or the y
other, so that stock in any field may q
have it when, and as often, rs they "
want it. Animals viii not thrive,
even though they have the best feed,
unless they are supplied with plenty ID
of water. In conveying crops to the ra-
barn, and manpre.t to the fields, good .7o
farm road will be found great eon-o,s
Yenience and economy. The larger 7.f
the farm the larger the fields may be.d9s
Two or three small enclosures near
the barn are almost indispeHsibIe, fle%
eyer. Besides these it would rbe ~
good rule to make the nambeFof fields gni
equal to the number Of years requir- s-gs
cd to complete the rotation Adopted
Thus, if six years were occupied = 7uO
the rotation, then six fields would ~
give one yearly to the commencement "a
Of the rotation. II four years, then 7''5
four fields, &c. The shape Of the -T
fields is another important matter.T5
\ long field, containing q given nppa-l,ea
Der of acres, cap he ploWedr quicker 7ro
than one. of the same size square, Or
nearly square. According TO- an eK.flfd
pertinent given by Mr.. Stephens, the esrsl
lime occupied 1in blowing an acre,T
where the burrows wera $40 yards ar
long, was 8 hours; 129 yafdsg 8 hOuTsy3ia
and IS minutes 1O2 yards, 9 hours -
and 80 minutes But the long and
narrow field requires more feneihg-A
material than the square one for e151
ample, q field so rods wide, contains q
10 acres, requiring 200 rod of fence r.
field 40 rods square contains 10 a.,
lres also, but 16O rods Of fence. will -.
surround it. In some cases this saw, u
ing Of 40 rods of fencing would be-
an important consideration, especial4
" where fencing material is scarce %
and dear. Fhis fact--a most usefnll7,s
one-should be borne inmind by 'thoseT
who are about to build dwellings, vs.
harms, or anything else, in which e "a
conomy is to be considered. Thosoi
ncarar a square farm is approaehedy
the greater the proportion of inside,-7l
room for the outside wall. BY care
ful attention to the shape Of fields, 'a!
nearly enough fencing material may -
be saved to enclose a lane through the
entire farm, OLD FARMER.