Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1880-12-23
Cen. Gary's Fiat Figures in Support
of the Stock Law.

Cen. Gary's Fiat Figures in Support
of the Stock Law.
leIow we publish Gen. Gary's reply
to The following note, addressed to him,
sig ned by 37-of our best citizens:
EDGErIELD C. FL, S. c., Dec. i, 80.
DEAR GENERAL: The large influence
which you have over the people OF Edge
tiejc county, and the grea: confidence
pls ced in your Judgment ON public al
TAI s by the masses of Il citizens, i'll
du cns us to request that you will give rs
your opinion On the question Of having
the Stock Law extended to Edge field
county by the present session Of the Leg
iSlat Ire.
OAKLEY PARK. Dec. Ii, 1880.
GENTLEMEN: 1 have the honor to ac-
knowledge the receipt Of your conpli-
mentary letter requesting my "opinion'
on the question of having the Stock Law
extended to Edgeiield County by the
session Of the Legislature. Your
letter was forwarded to me while i'll Co
lumbia attending the Supreme Court. My
absence from home has been the cause
of my delay in answering it The lands
of this State originally belonged TO the
State, and were by degrees granted to the
citizens of the State. For years there
were thousands of acres known as pub
lie lands" These public lands furnished
common range for stock, every citizen
having an equal right to pasture upon
them. Nov, there are no public iands
taat I know of in the State ; and, ifAny,
the number of acres is very inconsi5era-
BILE. When the State was originally set
tied, the chief production and export was
Indigo; the fields were small, aid it was
much easier and cheaper to fence in the
cultivated lands than to fence in the lands
for ~pasturage. The cultivation of indigo
has given way to the production Of cot
ton, rice, corn, wheat, oats, &C. The
small fields have been extended 10 broad
acres and m for pasturage are
unknown. The custom has outlasted the
use for il.
know of no law that gives the owner
of stock the right to pasture them upon
the lSsS Of his neighbor; and no i; liable
uR1G6eh, old statute to an action ~foraa-n-
t.SSssfOr t:c5pass OrntOcn. fae.i nc ''rYck
owner has no right to complain itGls
ncighbors claim exclusive right to pas
turage upon their lands. AS there is no
law or equity in the claim OF the stock
owner, l propose next TO consider the
proposed change in the law from an re"-
momical standpoint.
The first thing to ascertain. is: What
is the value Of the Stock in this State?
The second is: What is the cost of the
fencing OF the State?
By reference To the statistics OF 1911, oil
the Agricultural Department oftheGen-
eral Government, the value OF our stock
! is s , 40, 2S22. The cost of our fencing is
sd, 1876, S79. These figures disclose the
astounding fact that we eNpend more
than ten dollars in building fences to
keen ont one dollars worth Of stock. II
would seem that further argument on
this question would be unnecessary. bu'
in orde. to make tho matter still clearer
T will give the results Of the calculations
of some of our own people. Gen. James
Chestnut, in a Report to the South Caro-
lima Agricultural Society in 1897, estl
mates the cost of fencing the improved
lands OF South Carolina at four dollars
and q quarter per acre. Mr.. +. ;. ham
mond, Of Aiken county, estimates tn
cost mt four dollars per acre. / take i
they are not wide of tho mark. Now TIL
average duration of our fences Is abou
ten wears this gives an annual assess
ment upon the land owner OF forty cent
per acre, for fencing his arabic and.
There are, according to the census o
f 1s6O. about 1000, 600 acres Of improve'
!, lands in the State; and at the rate Of ;
nor acre as the cost for fencing, we srriv
q. the enormous sum of SID, 600, 600 as tn
cost every ten years for fencing out III
stock of the State.
The above figures are taken from tn
; census of 1880; but if You Will turn
the census of 1870, there are about 3,ooe
: 600 acres of improved lands, aud the cs
Q If fencing these would b" Sl2,oW0 0oO.
. 7 now to submit to your COZ
sideration an estimate made by GOV. IL
n ,od. of the repairing and Keeping u
fsnces mot including new ones III a tar
of 500 acres of arabic and 20 acres oil pa
ture lands, total $50 acres, from the ye
1871 to 1876 inclusive ,i years.. He ci
n ployed
a $40 days. at zoe per day, Sls7.
3. woman, 1873 days. at 40c per day 50.
n / l-mule team, - days, 81 LOG.
woke of oxen, 20 days. 81 20
---s-
r,.o, civ WARY 1866.
=. This is, for each year, SGl.lO5 Now
:, vide sGl. lOs by 3GJ acres, and it gives y
~ per acre per annum a little less than 22c
!. You will observe this is only for the
Dor ~of"repairs; it does not include int
&c, ~, Il rsts cost of fence or value of ii
her used in repairs. From the foreSoi
10 calculations, it will be seen that the or
incl cost per acre for fencing is -.
Cersst on the same at ten per cent VIII
10 cents; the cost Of keeping up fences
,r about % cents, making i'll the aggregs
h cost per acre per annum about 9" cci
,g 1t is evident that the custom, as IT u
exists. is in favor of the owner OF sto
ri. and puts at a disadvantage the land o'
or. the renter and the lsborer, in
ho ratio of ten dollars to ono dollar. AM
,.e must not be forgotten that This /
To- cotton q owing State, and hat stock r.
,tv ing is only an incident in II agrlcult
No al pursuits. The present system Oh
ia bor makes the adoption ofthe Stock
nd an agricultural necessity. lti is an
rious fact that the average value OF
lands per acre will not reach four doll
az is evidenced by our various pu
90 sales of lands. The cost Of @uiidlng
fence is more than the market vall''
the land, and there is widespread
hat position on the partbof freedmen TO 81