Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-11-24
Wafrhnan & gonnaL.
Barbed Wire Fencing.
Legislative Hearing Upon Its Merits and
Demerits Some Interesting Testi-
mony in Its Favor.

De"erts so,e M ~
"' ~
THE senate committee on agriculture, Senator
PAM chairman. and the house committee on town
Inns. Mr. Strong of Benson, chairman, gave n
pub,ic hearing in repreaentatives' hall, wednes-
day evening, TO parties interested for and against
.'' "' -- :, 49,. -. mn M ~ aud bouse
~. y, s. .,.,s. :, A., a., tor ,ha MO
- ,.,s,on,,, au,r,als - and houso hill No
o,o ...,,,oa g A. 40, nrobibit;no tho use of
-, ,'s.,..s - ,..oo. T., oo,ta,n casas
,r,.-o .aa ,orro ,rr,bor ~ Ieu,slators present.
,a1..s III, ,,,oros, q, tho nroceedinos
'hh p'.l. ,,.,..o Il,
tha' nave peen 'n'roo.oou INV ..a.,as,,,, A.
they shouiu oeoon'o ,a"s' "."'N
away WIN uo use v, o"' ~, ~. o., ,s.or,a, |
oena'e oin No' " anu Nvu,' .',, ~. t.. 60
tna' Whoever mas, Vi eH"' M ,,a.s.... .'
eithef a'ong Tue nisnw"y u 49,. 80 ouai h.,
uons oi hiS own i"na' VI 49,. ~
diherent OWNERS, sna,' i"'.oa Wv ~, ~ :.
along i's en''ro 'ens'", =, a., ,h.. ,as,,,or
post anu pe,~"ey .s ,nohas in s,d,h ,or Tho
ooe'u "o' 'e'' 'aa" ..,,,.., ,.,,,, ,,,.
purpose ~ 'esaS ~ s,,s -. a., sam.
a I'm rro,,des Tor the infictop of penaltes for
no o'i' P''.'' ~ - - Ia, ~ oro
''o"''o's y, ''s p'e'o,pyao. s,v,a,a,oo -,
Is 70 pronio'' 'ne oon''i'o''on - ,,''. -,
.,s,.,u ,a,a .o,rnor ,,,bor, bis written
any auJolnnB iauu-o"nei' "i'"o"' ~ "
consent, of what IS commonly caiieu anu Anown
as barbed wire ience unuer pena''y io' VIZ
lation.
-, -. ,,,ho ,,,,odrcoa borsa
\, oa y, O a., o,aras.ad ,,,o oon,
",'oo s ." n'.. ,ou,a. tm, 90 hor,od w,re
go w;;,h;n short time the burlington &
lehce' ""hin e"o.' ''e
LAnioine iaiiioau "au e'e
renee aiong i's hhe 'n'ousn III, D' po,"s
oeo''"so p'o'','ou ,....-,s =. 49,.
farmers compiaineo grea"y y, i"Ju.iee " '".'
horses anu ca'uo ~ '"o p'''uso ,...s :,
scripuon Vi ienoe, ho s",o On
we're INJURIES winch "a .o' nav ,.eo''u "
paroeo ience' Ne'e,'".''oo' suo .','e. -.
upon using ~ ho "'u -" W - 49,, IS
injured on '''s ienoe "nen 'n.y ""u ,l 'n.o"
out OF teams ON highways in' p"'n' eon'',aon'
OF the community was as"'"'' I've u'' III 'ie'o
.niee 'aso'' "ious ",s" ,. - -.
ing landowners without mutual CONSENT ana oe-
tween railroads and pastures without the consent
of the farmer
asheu 'ne puih"so"
was ienoeu VIII" '"i'0u "''' ''A'' "'' "''"s 10
ROUTE am ,,,,u,,
-, No., ho,,,, ,,,,, ,,,,a,no
'' 80 ' ~, ~, ~. -, -
.o"'u 'uneo' -, III -, ,,'s
'o"oo i""' VI" 'o"'N 80 -,
""' "o' '' "o, -, -, ~
'o'ii .,,o i'n.o' ~ &c eon =" .S.'
.o"n 'a". '.e o'i 49,. -. 10
'o' s.o.A' '''' ""'
p'o"'O'' sry,ropn,y,
=, ,s,,.o,, .,;s .,., ha ,,,shod 10 n.la sor,s
-,...o.,,s., a., -o,,.ua ., houso h,,, o.o ,h;oh ha
,s-'- -, A.. -. -.,,..;o, =, ~,
.as.,,,,,on,. sor,o - ,,hon, Ia hod ,.,r.hIo
-. H.. a. ,,.o .,.n,, h,r,u.,,. Throo
ho1 49,, co., so,;o,s,, ,r;rred In ,ho ;,odio,o
...,,,,o-..y =, ~. -os,aonoo aur;n,, ,ho srr,-
,.e .,,,o,,a, .,oro ,,.. hr, ,,,,,a - /, In rsa
m. ,.-,s,a,..u ,.,,,,,a 40, u,o,ah,,, ;u,ou,ora
"a, A. saa,,,,, =, ,,,,r. tonoo az ,,n,. o,,,,,
,.a ,o.,,,, 4, ,o,,, o,,,ors ar,oaa. hn,
,,a ouoh, e, ,,a ,,ro,,h,,od o,orc ,he ,,ros .,
h,,,,,.
MR. GODDARD
of Ludlow said that he appeared in behalf of Gen.
e,al Davis and otbers of ludlow This barbed
W fpnpp wa large eYtent in his
section and was very much liked This fence had
only been in use seven wears. and its use had
spread with unexampled rapidity. Now that
lumber was becoming scarce. wire fence was more
and more necessity; in fact barbed wire fence
was going to be the fence of the country You
could see miles and miles Of it in Wisconsin now
Mr.. Goddard adverted to the assertions Of Mr.
Palmer in regard to the danger Of the fence, and
argued that 1t was good deal softer thing to be
thrown against than stone-wall. The fence was
durable and efficient 1t was in use about half OF
the distance between Rutland and New York,
and horses and cattle did not get through or over
such a fence and get killed by the trains. While
| tbera ,vas nerhans occasionally n horse or n cow
| which cot nricked bv IL there were hundreds
that were nrevented bv IL from stravine away
and being killed. II was the best fence to protect
crops and keen cattle out. 1t was the cheapest
fence, not costing more than one-half the expense
of a board fence. and not more than one-third AZ
| much as a stone-wall. and IL would last for gen.
erations 1t was yery available. In places des-
titute Of fence lumber. IL could be erected eas.
uv and cbeaply. II WAS an almost absolute
preventive of drifts IL allowed the snow to
blow across the road and never blocked It up
Like every other improyemeut. the old fope,
were against it; but wherever it had been tried
preiudices soon vanished. and the more Il wa,
used the more popuar IL became. Colonel Johr
B. Mead the superiutendent of Agriculture. an
proyed of II highly. and said there WAS no doub
that it was to be the fence OF the country. II,
was prepared To proye that II n whole town wa,
fenced with this fence, there would be far less &C
cidents than with the old hoard and stumn fences
It nae would save the state thousands of dollars 1,
breaking roads. buildIng fences. saving crops ant
in the affirmation Of yermin. IL WAS one of th,
preatsst inyentions Of the ACE for the beneft q
farmers Mr. Goddard mt nnon the stand M hi
first witness
MIR. JAMES A. sHEpp
of burlington. who said he owned in Iowa field O
over two hundred acres fenced with barbed wire
They had no trouble with the fence at all; NJ
creatures were hurt. It was cheap fence
They only mt mn a fence with three strand,
which was enough for grown cattle: for youp
cattle four were necessary. He used il now /
this state IN fence a cattle lane four rods lonp
and nastured cattla and horses in tho In, and ba
no troubls from II IL WAS not as dangerous as
hoard fence and mucb safer than a st,mn r
-, -, .1f
,.,,. .'.s.'.' - -
~ ,.,,.~. I,ha ha. , g.,
,a 49, ~. ,.-,oa - 60. =. -. A.
"S oh""'N u'e oN'SN" WV 'SAeo' ~ ""e Va