The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-06-08
EENnEs ANll srOcK.

FbA CES 4IfD GUN
We are sorry that the East Ten
nessee Farmers Convention, at its
late session in Knoxville, did not
take into consideration the impor-
lance of the question, which will
sooner or later have to be discussed
by them. as to whether the policy
of keeping up great deal of fence,
as a protection against a very small
amount of stock, shall be continued
or not. and whether it is easier and
cheaper to fence a little stock or a
great deal of land 1t seems to us,
that all the fair minded and un-
preiudiced persons can determine
the question without much. Difficult
ty. 1t is certainly 10 the interest of
all concerned to lessen the expenses
connected with farming, and it is
evident to all that the expense of
building and keeping up lawful
fences is, by far, the largest item i'll
the bill. We do not feel disposed
to 90 into a lengthy discussion of
this subject, at this time; but we
wish merely to present few naked
facts for the consideration of our
readers, and ask them to give the
subject that amount of reflection
which its great Importance demands
In the first place, we call attention
to the fact that timber, in many,
instances, is getting to be alarming
ly scarce, inferior and inaccessible
in the second place, it is often diff
cult to procure labOrers who are
willing to make rails and put them
up for a reasonable compensation;
and in the third place the amount
and value of stock running at large,
and living upon the scanty allowance
of what they can pick up in the max
ed woods and upon the barren COM
mons, do not justify the destruction
of timber, the enormous expense of
mannfacturingi it into rails, and keep |
ing up millions of miles of fence in
order that trespasses may be pre-
vented and crops protected. 1t is
also well known to every practical,
sensible and thrifty farmer that it is
far better to keep a little stock and
give it good attention than to claim
swarms of hungry, NANCY, deviiSh,
miserable creatures, which are left to
roam at large, to the great annoy
ance, in many cases, fthOse who are
to defend their premises
against their depredatiOns.
But it is cOntended that there are
many persons who do not own any
land, and that it would cause them
great inconvenience to be required to
furnish pastures for their own stock
if suffered to let them run
at large, they can keep them during
4 great part of the year without in
curing any expense. In reply to
his we would say that such persons
would gain more than they would
ose by stock law, for under the
operation of such a law, owners of
ands could afford to rent them on
much better terms, and could also
we'll afford to allow their tenants {
mall lots free of rent, for pastures,
md would at the same time lie
imply compensated by the benefit
which would be derived from the
aving of large quantity of manure,
which would greatly enrich their I
ands. While large farmers would S
70 greatly benefited by the policy
We advocate, men of smalli means :
md limited possessions, we contend, {
would also be benefited in the same
for it is we'll known that
,oor farmers are often compelled to
'uild and keep up large amount of +
encing in order to enclose a small {
mount of land that is suitable for q
Utilization. Let eUery man take d
are of his 0,0n, is a general principle I
hat will hold good, and it is no less =
very ones duty not to trespass a
pom the rights of others then if a
nan has stock, let him keep it at /
Iome and take care of it, and if it :
not worth the trouble, let him dis
'ose of it and give his attention to q
that will pay better. i
Ouch good would result from it. S
luch time, timber money, vexation
nd litigation would be saved by it; -
nd, in our judgmnet, there is no t
God reason why our people should Il
e compelled to exhaust the forests, o
nd spend their time and money in y
their farms against a lite 7
e. almost worthless stock atf Y
The Winchester Home journal ?
links it a slittle strange that here :
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