The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-12-28
Fencing.
Editor of TIE Florida Agriculturist:i

An article by ga" in your issue OF
of Nov. Both, entitled Fencing" is
Just what have been wanting to see
agitated. Five years ago was pio-
neering in s. w. Kansas; and during
my brief soiourn in Florida, l have
frequently been comparing the trials
OF the poor settlers here,and in the far
west. | was one of the first settlers
in a new portion of the Arkansas
Valley, and saw a country grow up
around me, almost like a mushroom,
in night.
People came in by families, carry~
ing all their worldly goods in wag>
on, often with only $500 or $1,000
to carry them along till they could
get crop in, build sod house, and
then 90 TO some old settlement TO
find work while their "sod crop" was
growing. A man could drive on to
his homestead, unload his goods,
shelter his family with tent,and then
90 TO plowlng ana planting-not
foot Of !ence to be built to
keep ou: his aud his neighbors' cattle
and hogs, (that curse of clvllzation)
and if any of them came around he
could hold them till the owner pad
damages. Hogs were kept penned,
and family COWS and horses were
pickeled with long ropes, made fast
to iron or wooden pins driven into
the ground, and daily changed to
give them fresh grass. These ani-
mails did sometimes break their
ropes or pull up pin, and stray
away, but were soon missed and sell
dom did damage enough TO make the
owner loose his purse strings.
Here a settler comes with small
means and he cannot 90 stroke
toward getting any crops in till he has
fenced out hogs and cattle. 1t strong
and well and clairvoyant enough to
tell which Of these Florida trees will
split into rails, he can, at much loss
OF time build his own tence; it not
he must use his scant means, SO much
needed by his family, and hire it
done. Our home is on lake and
fence built last winter made all se>
cure, by taking nearly all the "cash
on hand" Husband, far too trail TO
do any such work. last summer
bows and I brought vines from a
neighbor's mile away, and set them
cut, hoping to have sweet potatoes
for table in October, and lateT we
all worked hard with spade and hoes,
preparing I acre, which we planted
to sfstand overs" Lake went down
leaving weak spot in ience; hogs
found it and potatoes also, and dug
them up "root and branch" without
out SO much as saying"by your leave"
Husband sick in bed, no money in
the treasury, Myrtle frantic, and no
dog to make them "minus ears" &c.
| dont't think any thing on that
occasion could have soothed my
troubled spirit, but to have been an
eve witness to such scene as when
Christ sent the swine into the sea,
and on condition that all the hogs in
Florida were taking all active part.
Already IN our small endeavor, we
have paid out $50 cash for fencing,
and must pay out as much more as
lake recedes. (We are on a penin~
sula.) Now, it the money thus paid
out by the poor settlers could be put
to use in paying improvements, such
as clearing, plowing, setting out
groves, &c, it seems to me a much
more rapid development of the State
would be the result. In Kansas,
every county was allowed to choose
for itself whether it would have
"ience law" or "herd law" (every
mar keep his stock from disturbing
every body else;) thus in farming
regions there was no trouble from
cattle or hogs, and where stock grow.
ing paid better than farming, cattle
were allowed to roam free over the
verdanL plains. au.-r
From the remarks OF my nelgh-
bors, and my own observations, l
Judge that the cost of annual fence
repairs in this neighhorhood