The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-01-09
For the anderson LntelHaencer.

Mr.. EDITOR In your paper of the 18th ult,
Z find an article taken from the Plantation,
published at Atlanta, Ga, under the head Of
"The Stock Law Considered" by Jno. 81. Dent
who says he is in favor "out and out" of the
Stock Law, and with good reasons of his own !;
and further to sustain his position, makes ex-
tracts from a report of committee of the
Beech Island Farmers Club. And as I am
with Mr.. Dent in his advocacy of the Stock
Law, desire to point out one or two errors in
the report, Calculated to greatly lessen the
force of the argument of the committee which
will show that the expense of making and
keeping up fences for the protection of our
crops is mach greater than reported by the
committee. '0The report goes on to say" says
Mr.. Dent: 'The usual form is the worm or
zigzag fence, requiring about eight hundred
rails to the mile" Eight hundredl Why, Mr..
Editor, followed the business of surveying
very many years, and also of making fences
quite as long time-but let us go into a cal
culation: A mile in length is so chains of 4
rods each; we'll, 4 times 80 is 800 rods. Then,
as our fences are commonly made, and rather
too much stretched at that, it requires 2 pam
nels to the rod, then double 800 and we have
GAO pannels. Multiply $40 by 1O-for no less
number of rails to pannel will make anything
like lawful fence-and we have 6, 400 rails to
the mile Instead of 800, as reported by COM
mittee.
The committee has put the timber, splitting,
hauling and putting up low enough, if not too
low. But again, "The amount of land covered
by fencing, and lost in the turning, not inclu-
ding the margin too frequently surrendered on
the fence row to scrub bushes and briars, would
be about three and one third acres to the farm"
The size of the farm here alluded to is not
given by the committee, but must be small
one to lose no more than three and one-third
acres. Even one mile of fence, which would
be required to a 40 acre feld-SO rods on each
side or 32O around it-with the margin, not
unfrequently allowed, of head-land, "scrub
bushes and briars," would cover two acres of
land, supposing the fence and margin to occu-
py space or belt of one rod in width.
am not disposed, Mr.. Editor, to point out
errors in reports, unless I conclude they do not
fully make out the case or may be calculated to
injure the cause contended for. The errors
above pointed to may have been in the print
ing of the original report. I first saw them in
the Plantation, and did at the time think of
pointing them out to the editors Of that excel
lent paper, but, as had not been writing for
it before, let it pass. Seeing it again in the
IntelHgencer, and knowing the subject of the
fence law was being discussed in the South
Carolina Legislature, determined on, with
your consent, Mr.. Editor, bringing it up. 1t
may in some degree help the canser if. not, not
much harm is done.
am much pleased with ali have seen on
this now interesting subject in the Plantation.
The ball is fairly put in motion by the Rev. G.
w. Howard, one of the editors of that paper,
who has been we'll backed by Others and who,
we trust, will not tire in we'll doing.