Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-11
TIE FENCE QUEsTIoN.

THE EENGE 4AA1SAAWAe
To the Editors Of the Union ana American;
The subject Of fencing is, with me, Tx,
q little tune a reverend gentle
man, on q certain occasion, called s'Juml
up joe" it is forever "uppeTmost in my
mind, /" and would be exceedingly glad 1
those who had the ability 60 do 50, would
take the question in hand and 6iscuss it ac-
| cording to its merits. Think it field OF
vast dimensions, and susceptible of argu.
ment inexhaustible and Tlncontrovertible.
/ What the farming community ara thinking
otto exhaust all their means, labor, strength,
health. and energy in a vain endeaVor to
fence their farms in against a few rowing
stock, and not make a strong IL not unani.
nous appeal for succor from where it
should rightly come, / cannot see. Are
they Wilkins Maccawber like; sswaiting for
something to turn up"
Some say to pass a stock law would be
TO say that farmers of small means, and
freedman and others who have no land,
should not raise stock, and talk very finely
of 'the forest, a GOd-given heritage which
no man has 2 right to take from the poor
and "When their cattle and hogs may crop
the green heritage and pick up the mama
that would otherwise be lost.g That is all
very fine stalk but dang poor logic in a
country like ours, where that fine forest and
God-given heritage consists almost entirely
in broad fields, broad and narrow lanes,
with washed and bad roads, and not pick
ing enough to keep flock of geese, to say
nothing of those "forty head of knosty
Sheep" etc.
One may ride day after day,
and v,nila offar mia 10 Al
cultural Districts of Tennessee
nessee, and never get out of a lane only for
a few yards at time, with thousands Of
miles Of fence on every side, and at a cost
of millions of dollars, all of which the law
requires TO be kept Cup to the mark, that
people may run their stock on that "Go6-
given heritage which exists only in the
Imagination, so far as this country is con-
cerDed.
Z There are localities in this State that are
not adapted to agricultural pursuits-I
mean what are called the barren districts of
Tennessee. During the summer and fall
months there is good grazing for sheep and
cattle, and in some places it does pretty well
for hogs. This barren section is sparsely
settled, and the majority of those who live
there, own very little stock, and if they
owned a great deal, there is thou
sands of timber, oak and chestnut that
has been torn down by the winds to fence
in the whole section if necessary, whereas
it is now lying there rotting. For each
man to fence in his own stock even in loca-
lities like this, l think would be better for
all concerned.
Your correspondent, "a. B." thinks that
''NO Fence" managed rather badly when he
paid two dollars per hundred for making
and putting up rails-he "a. b. could have
had it done for one dollar and quarter. A
great many farmers of this county are get
ting rails from the nearest barrens to bring
their fences cup to the mark" around lands
that the April rains have damagediabout fifty
per cent this season, said rails costing from
four TO six dollars per hundred de-
livered at the nearest station, and
all this Just for the privilege of
running stock on that t'God-gi heritage''
that consists in naked trees and gullies.
At this rate of fencing, and a few more
April showers, and then let "a. b. or any
other man say what the land will be worth
compared with the fence around it. Sup
pose the time and expense of fencing was
expended in hillside and other ditching, and
other ways of improving and saving the
and, how would this country compare
few years hence to what it is now, and
worse it will always be, so long as the
present system of fencing is kept up. If
here is any economy in this mode of fenc-
ing and farming have not been able to see
t. So here goes for stock law, which this
people need, and must and will have.
A. j.
Giles county, Tenn, April p, 1872.