The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-08-09
SOME STATISTICS.


We have prepared from the returns in the
auditors Office the following statistical
information upon the subject, which
shows the immense cost and annual out
lay required by our present system of
fencing, compared with that which will
bo required WIDER the new system if the
Law is changed. These figures advocate
the adoption of the stock law more forci.
bly, and more practically than any words
which re could pen, aud therefore we ask
the opponents of the change to ponder
them we'll and heed the plain advice
which they give:
In Anderson County there are iO4, 443
acres Of arabic or plowcd land, divided
between 2,543 land owners, which gives
little over Al acres as the average
amount of plowed land owned by each
land owner. Every farmer will on the
average have his land fenced into three
field which will give l3a acres to the
field. TO fence each field will require
l,040 yards Of fencing, which, If panel
of fencing covers 43 feet clear, will re-
quire 240 panels Of fencing Then if the
fence is ten rails high, it will require
twenty rails 10 the panel, r 4,SO0 rails to
the field, and ID, 400 for the three fields
will be the average amount of fencing
owned by each farmer in this County.
Now, If we estimate the value of fcnc-
ing at 1925 hundred for timber, cut
ting, splitting and putting up, we have
tho average value Of every mans fencing
in this Connty-$l80.00 00-or the startling
sum Of $457, ,440 foT the County. This
immense sum can best be appreciated by
u comparison. All The houses in the
County, including towns and villages,
arc valued at $163,0O2. All the cattle,
hogs, sheep and goats in the County are
valued at $l47,671, and hence the fences
are worth l148,l67 more than nil the
houses, cattle, sheep, goats and hogs in
the County. Repairing this fencing at
the rate Of one rail to each half panel Of
fence, which is equivalent to making a
new fence once in ten years, we have an
annual expense of labor and material
equivalent to $46,774 every ycnr for re-
pairing fences in Anderson County.
But objectors to tho change say the OK
pcnsc of keeping up the pasture fence
would be very burdeadomc. Suppose the
average farmer should enclose for pasture
one-fourth of his arabic land, which is
full estimate. The vnluo of the pasture
fences would be, on an average, about
forty-five dollars to eacl, farmer If he had
to buy oil new rails and pay for putting
them up on e.fourth of his plowcd land
at 1925 per hundred. But the cost of
hts present fencing is $3.50. The pasture
fences for the County would be S114,435
instead If $ia7 ,74n as - present. BE-:
every farmer has rails enough already to
build his pasture fences, and the only ex-
penso he would be at, is in hauling and
putting up the rails, which would be very
little-not n. much as they will be at l..
repairing old fence under the present
plan. Then when the pasture fences are
bnilt instead Of an annual outlay Of S45,-
774 to repair fences we will only have IN
outlay in the County for repairing the
pasture fences of Sli ,As A4ss rsz year.
Some. however, contend that the i'm
mensc expense Of fencing the County
vii! entail! !. busisHsoH:e tax. as tho
law provide. that the tax for erecting
and maintaining this County fence shall
be collected Oft of landowners, no one
except landowners has any right to com.
plain of the amount Of tax for builuing
County fence. Non.landowners do not
pay one cent of the tag, and threfore
have no concern with its amount. But
as some landowners would like to see
tho estimates upon this subject, We give
them below:
The County line to be fenced is 65
miles by survey, equal to 343, 200 feet.
Running the fence straight, and letting
rails cover nine feet: it will require 49,
l34 rails to run il, and making the fence
ten raile high gives 3Sl $40 rails, worth,
at $1.25, S4,766 for new rails. The num-
ber Of acres of land in Anderson County
is 440,701, hence tax of LA of one cont
to the acre, or $1.14 to the 100 acres, will
be enough to build the fence of new rails
at $1.25 per hundred. When the Com.
niisaionera, however, como to making the
contract for building this fence, it will
be let out by bids from one miio upwards,
and formers living along tho limo will
use their sound rails in building it ut
bids very much under $l.25 per hundred
The expense will not, wo believe, exceed
ona cent poy aoFo. The auuual expense
Of keeping this fence in repair would be
about $4,000, If no other County adopts
the change, but wo may rely upon Abbe-
Vile and portions of Pickcns and Oconee
adopting It soon, and the County fence
would then be unnecessary.
1t may be an item of interest to inform |
tenants and renters that there are 2l3,-
062 aofes of old field in this County |
which is not cultivated. A great portion
of this would be brought into use by the
change, aud the amount OF arabic land
Increased by about one.third, so that
renters would be in demand, and instead
Of the tAnden"v heinss 70 dec-Hsso .hc
amount given it would teud to increase
Esx..A H. o.. |