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

|
down this creek, and that, too, villa
vim added to it, which clearly proves hat
storms can blow down the fence arotd
our fields and let the stock of the wlsb
neighborhood on the crops, just as esy
as it can blow the fence of q passFe
down, which would let in only mas
own stock on his own crop. So you M
tell Mr. "Varennes" would rather ii
crop would be eaten by my own stoNI
than by the stock of my neighbors. taI
The evening Of fhe storm / mad TO buiFii
up my horse-lot and enclose the stock, "
several families to protect my crop. a
good pasture fence would not be as liabs
to blow down as the rotten, rickety fencs
we now have around our farms. IMi
satisfied, in my own mind, that it woul
be best to adopt the change in our fs .
System, notwithstanding. the bill is i'm
perfect, and amendments to the proposed
law will be necessary to perfect it. Ever
as it is, it is better than the present fence
law. might say we are destitute of 1,
fence law at present, because we have
very few, if any, lawful fences IN Ander-
son County. 1t has been argued that if
we adopt the change, the penalty clause
is deficient, and we would be at the mercy
of unprincipled men. Well, 1 think
that n remedy can he obtained on the
criminal side of the Court, under the
head of malicious trespass; and certainly
we will be in no worse condition than at
present, as we have no lawful fence we
have no remedy against unprincipled
men, and our crops are at the mercy OF
that class of men, and the starving stock
that are prowling around our farms every
day, and getting more mischievous every
season. Many persons have not timber
to make lawful fence, and those who
have cannot get the labor and pay the
cost of making q fence around their
farms sufficient to keep out the cattle
owned by other people. Many persons
by experience have found that in order
to have milk and butter foPthcir families
they must make pasture for their own
cows, as the outside range is worthless,
having been destroyed by the quick
growth of tho old-field pine. How can
they afford to also keepup fence around
all their crops in addition, just for the
benefit of other peoples stock? There
is no justice in such course.
BY calculation it is found that it will
cost $3.50 to fence in one hundred acres
of land; 800 to fence two hundred acres
$3.50 to fence five hundred acres. Some
persons say that if the fence law passes
they will fence in all their land. Well,
the law will allow any man to have as
hal';ii fence is ne wants TO make; but if
it passes, his land-lines will be equal to
a lawful fence all around his land, which
ne can get without splitting rail, just
by going to the ballot-bcS, putting in his
vote and helping to pass the new law.
That, you see, will be much the cheapest
.Tay OF getting d lawful fsno5 around his
land. twill only take half day to do
that, and it Will take, as above stated,
$3.50 to fence two hundred acre tract.
which is $l.25 per acre; and in CHE
hundred aoTe tract it will take $3.50 per
acre. This is pretty heavy tar. Such
being the facc, hope no man will say q
word, or even mention, the small item of
tax he will have to pay to enclose the
County or his Township. Why, it will
be nothing in comparison. The one is G
fraction-the other amounts to hundreds
of dollars. l am satisfied the change
will be better for the non-landholder. II
will bring into cultivation at least one
fourth more land. There is on every
farm number of acres that can be culti-
waited, if the law passes, that now cannot
be, for the want of timber, and ON ac-
count of the cost Of fencing it.; and as
the rate of rents is according to supply
and demand, the landowner can afford
to give the renter better chance, and
make more than nc does now. The
change will give rise to improvement in
stock, and one COW will be worth three
| of our present stock. Some may ask,
how will that come about? 1t will natll-
rally take place in various ways. AS it
now is, / cannot afford to send off ia
some country where the "no. fence law
io an existence to get a fine breeder, and
pay one or two thousand dollars, for my
especial benefit but half dozen neigh.
bors could jointly purchase one and keep
it up, and soon could raise improved
breeders that would be in reach of the
+. ltal class, and their stock would be
improved at a tri1ing coat. Another
grand item in favor of the law is, the
fertilizers that every farm eaald make at
home to improve his land; because if a
man has d good stock of cattle he win
naturally incline to take good care OF
them. He will have good stalls for them
at ni1ht and in bad weather, and would
be aye to save the pure fertilizer under
shelter, one load of which is worth five
loads of what is made out In the weather,
the beat qualities having been washed
away by the hard rains. Another item
proves the necessity of change in the
fence iissww. In this section of the County,
on all the water.courseg, the farms are
under cne fence. For miles on Twenty
Three Mile Creek there is but one divi-
ding fence from Passmore bridge to Slab
n. .,,A oS