Nebraska advertiser., 1863-01-10
Discussion On Fencing at the N. Y
State Fair.

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sion with the following paper. 1t car
hardly be condensed more. The subjec
was divided as follows;
lst. Fencing, as connected with the
highways of the Stase, and incidently the
expense of malntainance as regards pas.
turage of cattle, sheep, horses, and swine
not legally there.
ID. Fencing, as ii regards the general
charge upon the land, or as concerned lis
burded upon Agriculture.
First, then, l assume a mile of high
way to each square mile of land. That
there are 100000 acres OF land in the
State which are susceptible Of cultivation,
and are under fence. My estimates are
based upon the following data: Burr's
Atlas makes the area of the State tri-
he over 2S,000,00O acres. The aggre-
gate of acres taxed as returned by Super
visors to the Controllers, makes it about
half million of acres less. The State
Census gives-improved acres, 13 657,-
49O unimproved acres l3,l0G0,692.-
Total acres, 26,7JS. 1S2, which is about
100000 acres less than IS given by town
assessors. The Census fail to account for
million of acres, compared with town
assessors, and a million and half com
pared with BuTr's Atlas.
| place the waste lands in four divis-
ions, viz: Ist. Northern, or St. Law
pence division, by which mean all the
lands north of the Mohawk Valley, and
of Oneida Lake, and west of line ex-
tended north through Lake Champlain.
from the mouth of the Mohawk river to
the Canada line. 3D. Hudson and At
lantic division, which includes Long
Island, Staten Island, and the east side
of the Hudson river. Sd. The catskill
division, which includes all south of the
Mohawk river; and east Of the Valley OF
Chenango, prolonged to the State line
south 4th. The western division, which
includes the balance of the State not in
cIuded in the other divisions.
estimate the waste lands in the north
ern division at 6 100000 acres; Hudson
and Atlantic, 1,250,0OO acres; Catskill,
I,25O.000; Western division, l 100000.
Total, 10,000,00 acres.
The Census gives Of lands III crops,
pasturage. &c, 100000 acres, which
with the absolute waste lads, accounts for
25,000,000 acres But as 100000
acres will cover all the waste lands, it
leaves still two millions of acres unac-
counted for. This is probably in cities
and villages, gardens and orchards,
which would make the improved and IN
closed lands $50 100000 acres. which is
uot far from the true amount.
At $40 acres to the square mile, 49,
100000 of acres would be %, ,125 square
miles, and $4,000 miles of highway
But the highway must be fenced on both
sides, which would make Sc, 200 miles of
highway fence. The land occupied by
the highway and fences is at least four
rods IN width, of which the public only
require about one rod. The amount of
land occupied by highways is 204, 600
acres. Cost of fence 81 per rod. Cost
of annual repairs equal to the interest of
another 81 per rod. The average value
of all the improved lands in the State is,
say $40 per acre, the annual interest
upon which is $3.50 per acre, or S22, 40
per mile. Our account, then, with high
ways, stands thus: $40 rods of fence to
the mile at 81 per rod, S640. Capital
required for the interest on repairs in-
CURED per mile, S640. Interest on LAND
at $40 per acre, S22, 40. Total cost per
mile is 81 ,302 40. Cost of 5000 miles
$l1O0O coo. Annual interest thereon
$4,000. Interest on capital for re-
pairs, S770,0 900. Interest on, land usec
S6l6,000. Total annual cost of high.
ways, besides labor. So, ,156 900, or near
ly one-half Of the State tax.
Second-Fences as a gen raj charge
upon the farmer. The average size o
S farm in the State is about 100 acres, and
the fields of the farm will not exceed ter
acres each. One hundred acres fenced
into ten-acre lots would require 1900
rods Of fence. But as these fences are
used on both sides, therefore only one
half should be computed. We have
: therefore, 800 rods to the farm at S.
per rod, making SS sunk capital to eacl
acre. The cost of all the fences then, il
the State, is S144,000. But as we cal
best comprehend The figures when ap
II piled 10 the farm, we say the sunk cap
p ital on farm is $500, which is equal t.
q annual interest of S56. An equal sum j
required to be put at interest 10 keep th
S. fences in repair, making the annual ia
81 u per aCre-or the aggregate cost
= to the farmers of the State 81 IL pc
acre each year for fences. In othe
words there is to be charged to the farr
lands of the State the sum of S20,000
D 600 for the protection of their stock an
the security of their crops. The annua
st legal tax paid upon farm lands, or by tn
farmers of the State, averages SO cent
|, per acre, or about S6,000,000. This in
cludes State, county, town, highway, an
district school taxes. Our fence tax /
% 81 II per acre.
I'd There was not a little talk about III
I'd law regulating fencing along the high
ways, and the law Of trespass in its rela
ed ton to road cattle It was claimed tha
~ this law had been dead letter, so far q
-s its practical operation was concerned, i
nine tenths of the State. There wer
y gentlemen present who asserted that i
IS certain localities men with backbone ha
rs enforced it; but il had involved consider
d able litigation In the end, the friend @
1 l. i i IL