The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-01-30

recommend TO the General Assembly
the enactment OF such measures a
VIII give To- u itrmrrs adequate pro-
ZION IN this imp'ltant ald prnfita-
be industry.
Before dismls9i = The icc- IL
stock, may men ION an atditIr..l
fact, developed by these returns. tina
operates seriously against orr farmers
ana that may be worthy the attention
OF u Legislature. allud- IL IN,
destruction OF hogs bv tbr epidemic
knoWn as cholera. Since IL intr0iuc-
tlon into the Sta'". II the vear 1853. II
mas continued Its ravages, with more
or less damage. defy ing all treatment
1T has thus far batfied h resear.he. If
veterinary sc'euce. and Is alike unres-
trained by heat. cold, Latitude. or other
local coadTions. The number Of hoes
rep ted in the counties before men
TONED is 81 .266 1.-THE number reported
as destroyed by disease during the
year. is 169 Oh little over seveu-
Teen per cent. of the whole number.
We may safely assume that full returns
OF all tue III the State would
increase the loss 10 at least 200. 900
hogs. 1t Will thus be seen that from
inns source alone our people lose hun
NiSUo " 3 i uOlidIS annual
ly.
| am gratitied to say that no epi-
demic has prevailed to anv extent
among our other domestic animals.
IN that a recent report shows them
10 be generally III good condition.
Nounusal damage TO crops has been
sustained from the ravages of insects:
but we may reasonably aPprehend
tt uble from the Colorado beetle
which for many years has wrought
such injury to the farmers of the
Northwest particularly. It's first ap-
pearance in this State. so far as | am
Inform. q, was during the past summer
when it was discovered, in limited
numbers, in Warren and Cum pran3
counties.
FENCES.
The sixth clause of Sec. . of the Act
charges your Board with tue colIec-
ton Of statistics relating to tue subject
OF fences. with suggestions for dimin-
l>hing their cost, and the conditions
under which they may be eli pensed
with altogether"
To learn the amount of fencing
kept up by our farmers. and believing
that accuracy could be more nearly
appropriated by ascertaining the
numbe OF p tnels on each farm, than
by any other method, | arranged a
column on the blanks for Farm Sta>
tlStlcs Cor that purpose. The returns
show that III Il counties reported,
exclusive of the twenty-four town
sips omitted, there are lOI OIL 69S
panels, or l43 567 miles OF fencing.
One hundred and five dollars per mile
Gall things cOnsideredi is a moderate
" pa orr .IS mar for .i, ~ -
gag tence used on our farms. Thus
these partial figures show that il the
fences as reported for these counties
were destroyed, they could not be
replaced for less than $50, 900, 900.
AND this estimate does not embrace
gates, draw bars, water-gates, &c,
which are not included in the returns.
1t IS generally estimated that the re-
pairing necessary to keep our fences
III lawful condition for eight years is
equivalent to buiIulng aue SO that
every recurring period of eight years
our farmers incur this enormous eX~
ptnse.
An expenditure imposing such a
stipend us tax on their energies
should be Investigated in all its bear
lngs with the most earnest deIibera-
tLOH. ~ 10 lOI 81 IlluCu luo I1odgrp /
returns for their labor, or the small
profits realized on it. that retards the
progress of our farmers. as the prodi-
giOus waste OF labor and energy.
And no n subject connected with
orr farm economy involves, perhaps,
such important relations to the flu ure
prOsp rlty of the State as the one I'M
der consideration Our laws requiring
our farmers to fence in their crops
were enacted under widely different
conditions from those now existing in
many portions of the State hence in
those districts intelligent mon feel
that the law should be made to con-
form to the demands which the
changes of time have created
Throughout the State. and particulars
ly all tina portion east of the Blue
Ridge. there is an active and growing
interest manifested on this subject ;
and especially has this interest 10
creased and strengthened since the
county Of Meckienburg, under a
Special Act. passed by Legislature
two years ago, has tested with such
entire success and satisfaction, the
experiment of fencing in the stock in
stead Of the crops. The nth Caro-
lima State Agricultural Society aud he
Aloaiiohc anu IdI hIVeI A~gTlCulluTdl
Association, at their annual meetings
last fall. appointed committees, com
posed of intelligent, representative
farmers, from different portions of the
State, with Instructions to visit that
county, and, by observation and inter
course with ali classes, to ascertain
the sentiment In regard to the opera
ions of the systems Very interesting
and elaborate reports from these
committees have been publ shed, and