Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1863-07-25
Discussion on Fencing at the N. Z
State Fair.

olOH Win tue lOAONtHB pdpCA' A. N"A
hardly be condensed more. The sublec
was divided as follows:
lst Fencing, as connected with the
highways of the Stase, and incidently the
expense Of maintainanee as regards pas.
turage of cattle, sheep, horses, and swine
not legally there.
Cd. Fencing, as it regards the general
charge upon the land, or as concerned lis
burded upon Agriculture.
First, then, | assume q mile Of high
way to each square mile of land. That
there are Is, 600, 900 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-
fle 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 eives-improved acres, 1867,
400; unimproved acres 13, 1000, ,692.-
Total acres, 26, ,75S. 1872, which is about
600, 900 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 a line .ex-
tended north through Lake Champlain,
from the mouth of the Mohawk river to
the Canada line. I'd. Hudson and At
lantic division, which includes Long
Island, Staten Islapd, 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
cluded in the other divisions.
estimate the waste lands in the north
ern division at 5000 600 acres; Hudson
and Atlantic, .250, 900 acres; Catskill,
l $50. 600; Western division, l 500, 900.
Total, 100000 acres.
SCuSuS gives VI lduuS III SlOpSs
pasturage. &c., 100000 acres, which
with the absolute waste lads, accounts for
25.000,000 acres. But as 10000, 900
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 squa mile, IS,-
600, 900 of acres would be %, ,125 square
miles, and 2S,000 miles of highway
But the highway must be fenced on both
sides, which would make $4,000 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 204,000
acres. Cost of fence 81 per rod. Cost
of anndal repairs equal to the interest Of
another 81 per rod. The average value
of alb the improved lands in the State is,
say $40 per acre, the annual interest
upon which is 50 so per acre, or $22, 40
per mile. Our account, then, with high
ways, stands thus $40 rods of fence to
the mile at 81 per rod. $640. Capital
required for the interest on repairs In
Cured per mile, S640. Interest on land
at $40 per acre, 500 40. Total cost per
mile is ST. ,302 40. Cost of 2S, 900 miles
Sl1 100000. Annual interest thereon,
S770,0O0. Interest on capital for re-
pairs, $770,000 Interest on land used
$4,000. Total annual cost of high
ways, besides labor, So, l56, 900, or near
Iy one-half of the State tax.
Second-Fences as a general charge
upon the farmer. The average size of
farm in the State is about 100 acres, and
the fields Of the farm viii not exceed ten
acres each. One hundred acres fenced
into ten-acre lots would require ! 600
rods of fence. But as these fences are
used on both sides, therefore only one
half should be computed. We have,
therefore, 800 rods 10 the farm; at ST
per rod, making So sunk capital to each
acre. The cost of all the fences then, in
the State, is $4,000. But as we can
best comprehend the figures when ap-
piled TO the farm, we say the sunk cap
ital on farm is $500, which is equal 70
annual interest of $50. An equal sum is
required to be put al interest 10 keep the
fences m repair, making the annual tax
81 - per acre--Or The aggregate cost TO
to the farmers Of the State 81 10 per
acre each year for fences. In other
words there is to be charged to the farm
lands Of the State the sum of $50, ,0O0,-
900 for the protection Of their stock and
the security of their crops. The annual
legal tax paid upon farm lands, or BY the
farmers of the State, averages 33 cent:
per acre, or about $6,000,000. This in.
Cludes State, county. town, highway, and
district school taxes. Our fence tax is
81 l2 per acre. bm
There was not little talk about the
law regulating fencing along the high
ways, and the law of trespass in its rela'
ion to road cattle. 1t was claimed thai
this law had been dead letter, so far Al
its practical operation was concerned, il
nine-tenths Of the State. There were
gentlemen present who asserted that ir
certain localities men with backbone bad
enforced it; bat il had involved consider
able htiga ton. In the end, the friend Of
law and order had triumphed, and tbs