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

| ~ tedsOnaDle HSufeS alOnR our failfOau
lines, our farmers would find it very ex-
pensive and troublesome to haul IL to
their homes. The injudicious destruc-
ton OF timber has already made this
County almost destitute of board trees,
and few more years Of waste will rem
der the purchase Of boards or shingles to
cover houses considerable item to OTIS
farmers. The present landowners may
have enough timber to last tlhting their
life TIME, but do they Wish to Use II all
up and leave their children and grand
children nothing hut land, without even
firewood or a 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 pr. into action
the better it will be for all of cur citi-
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. II 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 abomt fencing.
II will benefit the tenant in several ways.
He will be saved the rail splitting, haul
ing and mcnding necessary to keep up
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 il properly occupied he can
make enough additional crop to each
field hand TO support one COW for q year.
He could also select the best ground OIL
the plantation without regard to having
fence around it. and thereby be greatly
the gamer in many instances. He would
also find that by cultiyating the land
now occupied by fencing he would be
able TO realize very handsome yields for
two or three years, even without fcrtiliz-
ing. by the best of estimates it is said
that if the land now occupied by fences
in this County was planted i'm 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 Il larger amount of small
grain, for az he could plant without fenc-
ing he could put in wheat and oats to a
larger amount in the fall months, and
oats in the spring, and then work n full
crop of corn and cotton besides. The
rcsiilt Of this would be to adyanto the
interest Of both landlord and tenant.
The fear expressed by some that rent
would advance is without any founda-
ton, for the amount If 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
wo;ild keep them in splendid order, aud
the increase of butter and milk, or of
meat, would pay for the cost of keeping
them up. in ordinarily gooi COW, ii nj
lowed to run at large, does not give moro
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 fer g large family, thereby
saving ,2eat and afIording better living,
| which would psyy of itself for the trouble
and cost of keeping up. Cows which
run at large in o great measure exhaust
themselves in hunting up poor food. If
the change Is adopted, the amount of
stock will be reduced probably at frst,
but the half of what we now have would
be wor.!. great deal more than all Us
they are.
Hogs and sheep being cared for would
become much more productive, and the
yield from them would be much moro
profitable than ut present. Besides all
this, tenants must remember that land
owners are to furnish their stock pastur-
| ;.ge, and if they cannot get satisfactory
terms from one man they can from an
other. It 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, tenant could then secure land
for himself, and by economy for few
years save up enough 10 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 has woods sufficient to
erect and maintain fence around it.
Fonrthly. the change is desirable be-
cause itwould be of great financial benefit
to ouT County; but as we propose writing writing
o separate article upon this portion of the
subject next week, we shall not argue it
In this article.
Filthy, we favor the change because
1t would l. of social benefit byr wing
% fruitful source of discoi between
neighbors. If the fence system is
changed the contentious about poor fem
ces, and the differences about joining
line fences would be removed. These
troubles haze not been very serious in
the past, but they are increasing, and
will continue to increase as timber be-