The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1882-06-15
THE FENCE QUESTION
Atlanta Constitution.

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took trip to Coweta and saw thu
+ practical workings of the new no
fence law in that county, which wen
into operation on the first of Jan
uary.
The people are almos. unanimous
" pleased. Those who voted agains
it are now almost a uni! in its praise
aud now admit that it ia the yer,
best thing that has ever been adop
ted.
Some of the advantages are tina
it will enable a man owning lsrge
plantation to divide up their lands,
aud sell them off in any quantity that
they may desire. This they would
not be able to do if they had to keep
up their fences. Another advantage
is the ability to cultivate any piece
of ground that is desired. For in~
stance man may have several rich
spots in very large tract, yet he
cannot cultivate peaches because be
is not able to fence the whole piece.
How does the country look where
fences are not built around the cropsT
the whole face Of the country bears
different aspect from what it had
before. There are oats, wheat and
corn kelds right up to the roadside,
and watermelon vines, tomato vines
and everything growing right where
you can stand in the road and reach
them. In the towns the back streets
are covered with vegetation and the
uncultivated land in the country is
one sheet of flowers. The sight is
perfectly enchanting. 1t is noticea'
bic also that the best part of the
crops is where tho fences stood -
There is streak of good ground
wherever fence was before the new
law went into OBJECT
DO the farmers plant right up to
the roadside 2
'They do. They don't lose foot
of ground. l saw oats, wheat, corn,
etc, growing so near the roadside
that | could have reached out my
hand and touched the growing crops
One of the advantages of the new
law is that it brings into use thons-
ands of acres of the best land that
has heretofore been inaccessible and
enables a man to plant just what he
pleased. The marshes are generally
fenced 10 for pastures and on plan
tations where there are no marshes
a piece of other land 10 set aside for
a pasture. The stock has better
grazing than heretofore and conse
quently we have better, fatter and
finer looking cows and stock of all
kinds. Many farmers have sold Oft
their surplus stock and only keep
what they need. think that the
tendency is to run all sorry stock out
of the country, and to substitute in,
stead the best breeds of every sort
Does any trouble come from stock
getting Outf'
No. There is not as much as
there was before because we have
better fences. We do not need as
many rails on the farms now aud we
make our fences higher with the rails
we used under the old order of
things
But suppose stock gets loose in
spite of all these precautions
Under the law every man who
sees stock loose is required to pen it.
If q COW from an adjoining county
comes into Coweta she is penned up
Immediately by tho first man who
sees her and the owner is required
to pay the expenses of keeping her
until che is reclaimed and taken
away
you spoke of the difference in the
quantity of rails used now as against
those required formerly. What is
the difference Y
Il suppose that as things are now
managed in Coweta county not more
than one-third or one.fourth as
many rails are required as we're used
before
How much pasture is generally
required p
THAT depends, of course, on the
man. Some men will have twenty
or thirty acres OF land that is too wei
to cultivate, and 10 such cases it ii
generally fenced in and the stock o.
their tenants is allowed to run on it
Where there are no wet lands, it ii
generally the old fields that are taker
10. Usually the farmers have sow
down their pastures in winter it
barley or rye. This furnishes graz
ing for the spring and part of the
summer, and later on in the fall and
winter the natural vegetation fur
nisbes what is needed for stock.
There can be no doubt that 10 a
very short time the grasses will be
largely cultivated, and there will fol-
low as a necessary sequence bloodcd
stock. l look for Coweta county to
make great strides in this direction
now
Does the law work hardship on
any one3'
The trouble comes in the towns
The people there have nowhere to
keep cows, and have to pay a little
something for the privilege of pas
turing, but beyond that | hear of nc
complaint. The colored people were
to,c.ht to baliava that the law would