The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-05


at reasonable figures along our railroad
lines, our farmers would find it very ex-
pensive and troublesome to haul it to
their homes. The injudicious destruc-
ton of timber has already made this
County almost destitute of board trees,
and a few more years of waste will rem
der the purchase of boards shingles to
cover houses a considerable item to our
farmers. The present landowners may
have enough timber to last dhting their
life tilne, but do they wish to Use II all
up and leave their children and grand
children nothing but land, without even
frewood or board tree on it? If we
wish to provide for the future prosperity
of this country, the stock law is neces-
sity, and the sooner it is put into action
the better it will be for all Of our >4ti-
zens.
Thirdly, we favor the law because it
will advance, we believe, the interest of
landlord and tenant, of the rich man and
of the poor man. 1t will benefit the
landlord by saving his timber and ena-
bling him to improve his land. 1t will
also enable him to have more land culti-
vated than he now has, and thereby in
crease his yearly income, and at the same
time lessen his expense about fencing.
It will benefit the tenant in several ways.
He will be saved the rail splitting, haul
ing and mending necessary to keep up a
long string of fencing on the landlords
premises, and can spend this time in pre-
pairing compost and more thoroughly
preparing his land for the crop, and if
this time is properly occupied he can
make enough additional crop to each
field hand to support one COW for year.
He could also select the best ground on
the plantation without regard to having
fence around it, and thereby be greatly
the gamer in many instances. He would
also find that by cultivating the land
now occupied by fencing he would be
able to realize very handsome yields for
two or three years, even without fertiliz-
ing. By the best of estimates it is said
that if the land now occupied by fences
in this County was planted in corn it
would yield enough to supply the whole
County. Another way in which the ten
ant would be benefited is, that he would
be able to sow a larger amount of small
grain, for as he could plant without tenc-
ing he could put i'll wheat and oats to a
larger amount in the fall months, and
oats in the spring, and then work a full
crop of corn and cotton besides. The
result of this would be to advance the
interest of both landlord and tenant.
The fear expressed by some that rent
would advance is without any founda-
ton, for the amount of land that could
be cultivated would be increased, and as
the number of tenants would be the same,
the tendency would be to rent lands
cheaper. The pasturage question is not
so serious as it first appears, for one acre
to the head of cattle properly cultivated
would keep them in splendid order, and
the increase of butter and milk, or of
meat, would pay for the cost of keeping
them up. An ordinarily good cow, if al
lowed to run at large, does not give more
than gallon of milk, and will not keep
up to that amount long; but if put up
and cared for it will give about three
gallons day, which would furnish milk
and butter for a large family, thereby
saving meat and affording better living,
which would pay of itself for the trouble
and cost of keeping up. Cows which
run at large in great measure exhaust
themselves in hunting up poor food. If
the change is adopted, the amount Of
stock will be reduced probably at first,
but the half of what. we now have would
be worth great deal more than all as
they are.
Hogs and sheep being cared for would
become much more productive, and the
yield from them would be much more
profitable than at present. Besides all
this, tenants must remember that land
owners are to furnish their stock pastur-
age, and if they cannot get satisfactory
terms from one man they can from an
other. 1t will also benefit thrifty and
industrious tenants by enabling them to
purchase, and become landowners. A
great many persons would be willing to
sell off portions of their farms upon
reasonable terms, if they had woodland
enough to spare. If the fence law is
changed, a tenant could then secure land
for himself, and by economy for few
years save up enough to pay for it, while
under the present system he cannot buy
because men will not sell their timbered
lands, and cleared land cannot be used
now unless it has woods sufficient to
erect and maintain a fence around it.
Fourthly, the change is desirable be-
cause it would be of great financial benefit
to our County; but as we propose writing
a aseparatc article upon this portion of the
subject next week, we shall not argue it
in this article.
Filthy, we favor the change because
it would be of social benefit by removing
a fruitful source of discord between
neighbors. If the fence system is
changed the contentious about poor fen
ces, and the differences about joining
line fences would be removed. These
troubles have not been very serious in
tho mast hut thew are increasing. and