The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-03-13

THoue and IfarnI1

lin some sections Of the South, t
abolish the old unjust law whereof,
each farmer is compelled to fence hi
fields; and to compel instead, the own
ers of stock to confine them. Wher
ever intelligence becomes widely dis
scminated, the injustice and folly o
the present law is recognized, and th
oppression Of an enactment by which
a farmer is compelled to build ant
keep expensive fences to prevent the
depreciation of othcs's cattle, become
realized.
In no civilized portion of the world
is the farmer required to protect hii
fields against stock; and it is a sad sv'
liidencc of old fogyism, general ignor
ance and backwardness of agriculture
m the South, that such law as that
now in force can exist. When the
country was very sparsely settled
farms few, and timber very abundant,
the present law was enacted, and, like
many laws and customs, it has outliv-
ed its usefulness; and from being for
the greatest benefit to the greatest
number, it has become operative for
their greatest injury.
a few facts regarding the expense
of fences will demonstrate the waste
flilness of the system. The average
size of farms throughout the seven
Southeastern States IL about 200 acres,
and the yearly tendency is to further
reduce the average size. Now, the
actnal first cost of a rail fence around
such farm, where COED pine timber
is abundant, is about $3.50, or S1.25
per acre; bnt where pine is scarce, and
oak is used, the cost more frequently
rises as high as So per acre.
The actual statistics obtained from
every country and published by the
government at Washington, shows that
the number of acres in farms in the
Southeastern States is about a3,02S,
900, and that the actual first cost of
the fencing for these farms was Sill
average of over $l,9o
per acre; and that the value of all cat
tie, sheep and hogs is about S57, 000,-.
900. From these figures it appears
that, for every dollars worth of stock,
about 80 are expended to keep them
out of the field.
Many of us have heard Of the fool
sh boy who invested ten cents in
candle in order to look for the three
cent piece he had dropped. The an
1ual cost of repairs to a rail fence is
known by all farmers to be about one
Jenth of the fence; thus the amount
'pent evcry year by the farmers of the
'eyen Southeastern States must APP
roach $17,0oO,00O. 4
Now, upon my own farm, which is
ituated in one of the heaviest timber
ections of tho South, / find that the
'nnual cost of repairs to my fencing
S about fourteen cents per acre; in
,ther sections, where pine is scarce
md oak is nsed, the annual expense is
doubtless much greater. Moreover,
he extent of land wasted under rail
ence amounts to Two acres on farm
i 200, on one per cent: equal i'll value
0 about ten cents per acre annually.
a farmer owning farm Of 200 acres
loudly at being compelled to
ny a State tax of about nine cents per
Gre, but without any ,disgnietude sub
tits to anianpua imposition, under the
resent fence law, of an unjust tax
quail to not essthan twenty4fonr cents
er acre.
The small farmers pay proportion
tely heavier tax to the fence law inn
osition than the large, for it requires
lore rails per acre to inclose a small
arm than a large one, as is readily de-
lonstrated by fact that, while one 4
ere requires $40 feet Of fencing, -four
res require, not fowtimes as slnuch,
ut onlyitwice as much, say 4 ,680feet. i
Inns, the poorer the farmer, and the ,
mailer his planting operations, the
eavier is tho rate of his tax; while the
cher thefarmer, and tlemore eatend-d
Ibis undertakings, the lighter Is his I
to Of taxation. n
Even # tbepresent system 4offencing |
considered with regard to common i
,nesty, its gross injustice is equally 9
anifest. The land outside of thefarm .
as much the property Of the farmer !
that he may cultivate, and truly init
sential justice no stocktof others has n
y right thereon, without his express il
With jnst as much equitylI d
ay the law give all tho world legal Il
to steal q farmers corn ont s
his barn, unless it is locked, as itth
'es now TO give permission TO Others q
tile ~ destroy his crop, unless he h
noes IL in. LIP
In addition TO the oppressive iinius- q
e tof the fence system, the,experience|
the civilized world has clearly de-
,nstrated ittolbe 4 useless and waste
one. Wherever farming has been
onght mp 10 the high condition 1T Y
serves, and TO which IL must be Z;
,nght to be profitable, the law re- Il i
q ia