Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-04-29
Agrifnltnral department.
FENCES.

The man that undertakes to break an indi
vidual from long-formed habit, or to changt
the manners and customs of people, en-
cages in difficult task. Success will onl,
partially crown his efforts, and he will most
probably be Kissed as setter-forth of strange
doctrines by those whom he will fail to reclaim
from bad habits, and by those whose long
established customs he will not be able tc
change. A large number Of every commu
nifty are, with respect to their customs, as il
was with the laws of the ancient Medes and
Persians. They never change. They build
their houses, cook their food, sit down and get
up, eat and sleep, as did their fathers. The
world moves forward, but they stand still
The theory that circumstances alter cases
is, by this class of individuals, regarded as
totally false in theory, and they feel at per-
feet liberty to treat it with absolute contempt
in practice.
The custom in this country-we mean in
the State of South Carolina-for the past
hundred years, has been to fence the crop and
let the stock run at large. Now the individ,
ual who intimates that he doubts the propri.
ETY. of continuing this practice, may expect to
incur the censure of some persons many,
depends upon circumstances. The question,
however, like the "Impending Crisis" about
which we all heard so much some years ago,
must come. Circumstances which no single
man can control, will force the question upon
the country. We predict that when the pres
ent fences which enclose the planted fields of
South Carolina rot down, they will never be re-
built. We have, we think, good and solid
reasons for making this prediction. In some
sections there is not timber to fence the fields.
Absolute necessity will force those residing
in these sections to fence in their stock and
turn their crops out. Partially, this is the
case now. In some sparsely timbered sections
of the State there are not enough of rails on
the farms to enclose one-tenth of the land cul-
tivated. All the division fences have been
removed, and 80 also have been the fences
which separate the farms of different individ-
uals. There is now only turn-row, where,
fifteen years ago, there was fence.
Again, the Legislatures of adjoining States
have partially passed what is known as fence
law. Some portions of Mecklenburg county,
North Carolina, have no fences around their
crops. The farmers of those sections are de-
lighted with the working Of the system. They
say it is cheaper and more advantageous in
every respect. The system will gradually
pass from one section to another until the
fences will all be removed from around the
planted field.
1t is clear that such are the circumstances
of this country at present, that farmers must
either entirely give up the practice of raising
stock, or put their stock in enclosures. AS
stock-raising is carried on at present, large
per cent of the stock bred dies of neglect.
Of that raised, large per cent is stolen and
the remainder, in multitude of ways and
from a multitude of sources, is ruinously
abused. In this section, so we'll adapted to
stock.raising, farming cannot be conducted
pro6tably without raising stock sufficient for
home consumption.
The objectors to change in the present
system will be mainly those who have COW
or pig which they contemplate raising out
of either the cribs or fields of their neighbors.
They will claim that their COW and their pig
have an inalienable right to root and browse
wherever their instincts may direct them.
These individuals will claim that their stock
have rights guaranteed to them by nature,
and perpetuated to them by law, to 60 into
every field that is not enclosed with fence
eight feet high, and so close that ground
squirrel cannot crawl through the chinks.
These individuals will claim this privilege for
their stock on the ground that the world owes
them living, and it does not matter how or
from whom they get it,
This theory must soon explode. The man
who buys forest is entitled to all its advan'
tages. The grass and canes which spring up
upon it are as much his as the trees. They
are as much his, and he has as much right to
say how they shall be used, as the corn that
grows in his cultivated fields. Change the
present fence system, and the number Of stock
will be reduced, but the quality greatly in
creased. Stock will then be regarded as
property, and not as it now is-a nuisance
TILLAGE AND HEAVY MANURING.
Two very important helps to earliness in
gardening are not sufficiently understood
heavy manuring and high tillage. Heavy
manuring is usually given with a view to big
crops, and no gardener would for moment
think of dispensing with it. But it serves a
further purpose-that of inducing quick
growth. When plant food is ready at hand
in abundance, of course the growing crop
consumes more of it; and this very food de.
velops more feeding organs, which in turn
help to build up the plants, and to send the
roots deeper. Altogether thrifty, quick
and tender growth is induced at a time when
in poorer soil, and unfavorable weather, the
plant would but barely live and hold its own
The most marked effect of heavy manuriDg
for earliness, is especially noticeable on cab