Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-03-04
agricultural department.
RoAD-FENCING NEEDLESS.

and experience that farmers can not only |
get along without fences, but that they
are better off without than with fences.
| will state my experience and give some
reasons in favor of abolishing them in
this State and wherever fence is re-
quired only for barrier against intrud-
ing animals, or for fencing out instead
of fencing in. For number of years
our State laws have not made it neces-
sary to fence our public roads. provision /
being made that no cattle or farm stock |
should be allowed to run at large in the |
road. But as farmers had always been
obliged to keep up good road fences to
guard their growing crops, they can
hardly trust them now to grow without
being fenced, although nothing is allow
ed in the road that would modest them.
About eight years ago, as | found it
necessary to renew long strip of road
fence, it was quite desirable to do a
great deal of cleaning up and grading
to make fence bottom; so after many,
many misgivings in regard to exposing
a garden, and wheat and other farm
crops. bordering on the road, removed
this fence. thinking to replace it again
as soon>as possible But the crops re-
ceiving no damage by exposure to the
road, and other work crowding, l only
did the grading occasionally, at odd in
tervals, taking the year to put it in
order and get 1t seeded down. Mean
while no crop was molested growing
: along the highway; so | let it stand the
same next year, and it has stood until
now without fencing, although this is
the main road for travel through the
r State. acquired confidence by doing
; SO we'll, and have since removed eighty
rods of another fence along the same
t road. After tilling and planting the
. border of the road where it stood, so as
to thoroughly subdue it, | planted two
rows of trees along the side Of the road.
e have now seeded it down to grass. The
e grass and the trees make much nicer
e boundary between my farm lots and the
: street than any kind of fence or hedge,
except it is wire fence A wire fence
t, does not much obstruct the landscape
e view, or the drifting snow, which often
t, accumulates along any other fence so as
q to interfere with the public travel. In
IL planting these two rows of trees along
st the side of the road, place the inner
g row on the boundary of my land, and
a. intend, after few years, if | should
es want fence, to use the trees for hvt
s. posts in which to staple wires for a
ID fence, which, l believe, will be quite
o. practicable by letting the wire play
r loose in the staples once in year Oh
be two, to save their growing into the tree
rs | consider it very desirable, both to tn,
s. landowners and the public also. to hav,
cy such rows of trees growing along tn
es public roads. With the protection ant
IS, encouragement which our State law
ay give, they can be started growing witt
in much less risk and expense than former
at ly, for one may till the roadside wit
Oh any crop for year or two getting ther
ge started. and he can plant small trees,
hit he chooses, without the necessity Q
to stalking to protect them. This plantin
He of trees by the roadside can be done a
IRE cheap and safely as planting an orchar
gh of fruit trees.
ur And now. as the result of many year
lat experience in farming, both with an
Ter without fences, can say that my ga
IS, den and farm crops were disturbed an
ION destroyed when the law allowed catt
to run at large in the road, and | W;
doing what ! could to fence them GU
~ much more than since their ranging II
:, roads was prohibited, and | have throw
81. open my road gates and taken away IL
road fences. The reason of this is TIL
,m while the road cattle were allowed
~ run at large they would often steal
H., OF break in, causing much damage
crops, although the farmer had US,
l. every precaution to guard them. No
D.. without the road fences or road catt
either, the crops are not disturbed. A
other important reason for abolishil
!. road fences, especially along north al
south roads, in this northern country
that fences cause the snow to drift
and often fill them, so as to obstruct
entirely stop travel on them. Tho
e. obliged to travel will open the fenc
nso and make their way through the ielt
80 causing much inconvenience and da
: age, which would be avoided by abolis
- ing road fences. W. Ices, IN Neao 70
Observer.
as
leep ATTEND TO BUsINEss.-Nothing (
the ultimate ruin stares that farmer in I
ght. face who does not pay personal attenti
ues- to all the most minute details of
par. farm. There are thousand small lea
as about the management of an ordins
the farm, that if not closely attended to "