Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-07-30
Agricultural.


George NJ. Whitaker, in his lecture or
Neglected TriHes," makes the following
statement of facts concerning fences: In
New Hampshire the original cost of the
fences is equal to twice the value of-all the
stock in the State, including horses, and the
annual tax upon the farms for repairs of
fences would nearly wipe out all the State tax
in one year.
The Connecticut farmers pay one million
dollars annually for the maintenance of
fences, aud farms are offered in market for
less money than would be required in build
ing the fences which surround them. With
such facts in view, says the New England
Farmer, people in many places are beginning
to see that fences are too costly, as well as
frequently unnecessary, while their removal
often improves the appearance of the town.
One of the pleasantest features of the land
scape at the Massachusetts, Agricultural Col
lege, is the entire absence of roadside fences
against cultivated fields and moving lands,
and so well does the idea of dispensing with
fences take hold of the farmers in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the College, that many of
them are following the example set by the
early founders of that institution, and are lay
ing their own grounds open to the highway,
thus adding much to the beauty of the land
scape, besides saving great bill of expense
to themselves. One of the first things which
the rich feel is necessary for their country
homes is, that the view should extend over
the landscape without the ugly interruption
of a fence. This natural feeling is shared al
so by those who are not rich but, like many
other things which exist simply from the
prejudices of habit, it has heretofore been
considered impossible to realize. To-day,
however, by the slow process of generations,
civilized men have become so imbued with
love of order and law, that the fence should
disappear from the landscape as the draw
bridge and moat have disappeared from the
modern mansion.
Abiding to the little patches of green fire.
quently found at the centres of our country
towns and designated as the common" he
says: but what is more incongruous than
to see small green surrounded by a glazing
white belt of timber solid enough for forti-
fication, the most snowy feature in the pros
pect when it should have been the least2 1t
shows as poor taste as it would be to attach
an elephant to trotting sulky. l do not be-
lieve the Almighty ever created the delicate
tints of the grass to play second fiddle to
great coarse fence. Green roadsides, neat
flower gardens, well kept shrubbery and
shade trees are infinitely preferable, in the
way of village decorations to pine pickets.
But if fences must be maintained along the
village street, let them be built to cores
pond with the surroundings. A row of
rough boards in front of nice cottage,
line of posts in all degrees of rectitude, q
gate that refuses to fit the place intended for
it, picket or two counted out, the paint
worn of, are among the little things that
give the stranger feeling that there is
something that is repulsive about the village
he is visiting" While we hold on to our
fence system lot us keep those which we
have in good repair, and tidy.