Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-09-09

Out 10 avail cnange IN Lne Llde, ana nope
almost against hope, that better day will
dawn. Some year or so or ago there appear
ed in an agricultural paper the broad asser
tion that the cost of fencing in the. State Of
Pennsylvania was equal to the whole value Of
the live stock in the State. This was so re-
statement as at once to attract our
t i
TO make some approximate estimate of the
cost Of the fencing to the people of Virginia, is
the object of the present. articles and =, whilst
the data are insufficient or not sufficiently ac-
curate, perhaps, to arrive at high degree of
approximation, low estimates have been ad.
visedly taken, that the actual costs shall
rather exceed than fall short of the results OBJ
tained. .-.-.- ....-
From the statistics of Agriculture in 1870,
we find that in the State of Virginia, as at
present organized, there were 73,S49 farms Of
all sizes and that of improved lands, exclu-
sive of wood lands; aud other unimproved
lands, there were 8, 1861 ,040 acres. This gives
10 acres as the average size of the farm Of
improved lands necessitating fence. If we
add ten acres additional to cover the wood
and other lands under fence, we may safely
assume, we think, that the average farm in
our State requiring to be enclosed is about 120
acres, or 1900 square four-pole chains. If We
suppose this farm to be in the form of "a square
which, of quadrilaterals, gives the minimum
fencing for the area enclosed, the side of the
square would be 1854 chains, or as very
close approximation, 1852 yards. If divided
into six rectangular fields, the amount of fen
cling required would be seven times as much,
or 1894 yards.
Allowing 400 rails for every hundred yards
of an ordinarily good fence, we have, to en-
close properly the average farm, q, 1886 rails.
The rails are worth per hundred in both the
timber and mauling about s1.10 say, upon an
average through the State ; though as we have
no means of verifying this hypothesis, it may
not be very near. approximation, yet the
true value would probably exceed the amount
assumed as our basis, as 100 good raiB would
make cord or more of wood, aud the cost of
mauling is from 80 to rs cents per hundred
in different sections.
This gives say, 235 dollars as the cost of
the rails necessary to enclose the average
square farm. But this being the most eco-
nomical form of enclosure for four.sided areas,
and not adhered to in practice, we may safely
assume in consideration of the crooked fences
and irregular forms of our fields, $3.50 dollars
as still closer approximation. Now comes
in the additional expense of hauling and fen
cling. We suppose at the average distance
for hauling rails at different seasons of the
year, nine loads per day with two.horse
team, and S3 rails at load would be suffi-
ciently high estimate. This would make 300
rails per day. five assume the cost of haul
ing and the addition expenses Of fencing the
100 rails to be two dollars, low estimate, the
cost of fencing the 81 1886 rails would be 142
dollars, and allowing the small amount Of
eight dollars for the irregularity of fields as
above, $50 dollars.
Thus we have 400 dollars as an approx
mate result for the outlay necessary to fence
in 12O acres of land with good new enclos-
ure into six fields.
1t would therefore require an outlay to en-
close the 73, ,S49 farms in the manner and upon
the basis adopted, $29 9,539, 900, or twenty
nine and half millions of dollars. The
value of all the live stock in the State by the
same census was $2S,187, ,669-over twenty
eight millions.
Even if a four-feld enclosure be adopted,
the expense would be sixsevenths as much,
or it would do away with only one division
line, and the cost would be over twenty-five
millions. We may safely assume, then, that
the cost Of good new enclosures for all the
farms of the State equals the value of their
live stock. Granting that these enclosures
require to be replaced every twelve years, we
have here little item of nearly two and a
half millions of annual expenditures sunk in
fences to keep out stock, two millions of which
could be saved by requiring all farm stock to
be fenced in, in standing pastures, or by
movable fences that could be dursbly con-
structed.
Itshould be observed also that the smaller
the farm the greater the relative expense, as
it requires just half as many rails to enclose
25 acres as prescribed, as it does to enclose
100 acres. The poor man and small farmer
is thus much more interested in this matter
than he has ever been taught to consider, but
as we said before, our public men and law
makers never attempt to teach the people up
to economic laws, but rather mount the ros.
trum to teach them how to vote.
We omit here the losses incident to our ag-
riculture from successive droughts, which by
some are supposed to be due in part to the
destruction of our forests. This is, however,
controverted. Though we have paid no spe-
cial attention to this subject, either as to its
philosophy or statistics, if there are any relia.
ble-which we doubt. Yetone fact is worthy
of consideration, and that is, that waters
which fall to the earth are rapidly collected
into streams and move off to the ocean pre-
senting very little surface for evaporation,
whilst the immense amount of water caught
and held for evaporation by the great forests
of a continent, can be better appreciated by
the little urchin, who inveigles his playmate
under tree to shake down a heavy shower
upon him, than the philosopher who has for
gotten his boyish tricks. =
But we leave this to the philosophy that
rides upon the wings of the wind, and shoul-
ders all responsibilities upon the gulf stream.
What say the editorial fraternity Of your city,
yourself included. We believe they all speak
ez cathsdra on kindred subjects, and English
Grammar, G. j. KEMPER.
FRESH AIR FOR HORSES. as they
roam wild over their native plains of Ara
bia and Persia, or over the prairies of Texas
and Mexico, are not the delicate and diseased
animal we find in our stables, and the great
reason for this is that in their wild state they
have abundance Of exercise and fresh air.
A "arse's excrement decomposes rapidly and
nils thcnstable with ammonia and carbonic
ACID: Weteear it sometimes said that horse
stable Is he&thu nlaca and the care of