The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-03
Stock Law Items.

. Ii Is probable that the puOllc IN gen
eral has little idea of the strides which
the Stock Penning sentiment has made
in various parts of the State. Tue
countyof Mecklenburg, with its thrifty,
intelligent, Scotch Irish Presbyterian,
population, first dared to try the
experiment Of demanding that a mans
property should be protected by Law,
and not by bolts, bars, or fences.
The experiment was IN risky one, Tor
although the large farmers, both Re
publican and Democratic, favored 1t,
the majority of the negroes and ten
ants did rot; and the law was finally
put on the county by Legislative act,
against the vote Of the writer. whs
as one of the county Representatives
favored the law. but opposed the adop,
ton Of it without submitting the qnes-
ton to a vote of the people as all OF the
candidates had agreed, to do either
directly or tacitly, during the canvas.
Time has shown, however, that the
''arbitrary" plan was the ~speediest, and
perhaps the wisest; for now the entire
county supports the law, and the an
nual outlay of time, timber, and labor,
for fence repairs" is a thing of the
past.
Even the Exterior County Fence
has been largely reduced by the adop-
Of Union, portions of lredell, Rowan,
CASTOR, Lincoln, and Cleveland.
Meantime, the success of these expe-
riments soon waited the stock Law"
seed into other sections, and there are
Iow some 80 or 40 townships in diff.
j feren, parts OF the State that are ''fenc-
ed in" We note some of the late items:
The Fayetteville Examiner say.
Stewards Greek Township in Harnet'
has just passed under the Stock-I.au
very much to the satisfaction of the
farmers who live within the prescribed
limits. Geo. f. Thagard, Register,
and Noah Cashwell and w. III. Nc
Donald, as pol holders, held an cleo
ton in a portion of CEDAR Creek Town
ship, fronting on Cape Fear river or
the 7th inst, to determine the question
Of adopting the %no-fence, only thre,
!. sides of the tract required fencing. anc
!. the election was SO close, it suggest
!, the possibility of a new trial of thu
question.
One fact is very significant and tina
is, 1t takes no step backward. Though
] its progress is slow it is forward all thu
time. No township or country after
trial of its workings goes back to tn,
old fence system. Commencing Will
Mecklenburg county, on the Soutl
Carolina line, a few years ago 1t ha
gradually extended to contiguou. town
:hips and counties until quite a larg,
S area of the State is embraced within
its lines. These facts are worthy o
r consideration by all who favor the oil,
!. fence system.-N c. Farmer.
Marion Lamp Post says. I'm bis ad
: mirablc address before the State Agri
cultural Convention of Georgia, Col. A
r P. Butler, Commissioner of Agricultur
iof South Carolina, held that the agri
cultural interests of the country wer
So much greater than the stock, tina
the latter must give way to the former
4 The cost of boundary fences alone, il
y ooutn o"ioh~~, was $14. 900, 40 KEEP
4 UP az an annual cost OF s., 565 81 -"
abolition Of fences in south Carolin'
amounted TO two year. remission of al
the taxes in the State. He thought th,
abolition of fences would be equal,
advantageous to Georgia. He had n
doubt that the annual cost of bulldin:
and maintaining fences in Georgit
amounted te, if it lid not exceed, th,
value ef all the stock in the State. Tn,
no fence law had now become 50 pop
ular in Anderson county, where it wa
first adopted, that not a voice can b,
found in favor of its repeal"
Greensboro Bugle says: Quite
considerable number of friends of til
stock law met at Muir's Chapel las
Saturday afternoon and agreed to cir
culate a petition calling for a vote upol
the question within the district bound
ed by the lands of G. w. Jackson, Mis-
Mary Houston, j. r. Bulla, w. A
Caldwell, to Delphina street, Ceda
street, to Martinsville road, theme
North to and including the lands 0
Van Boklen, Geo. Albright Philil
Thomas, DIR. William Albright. DAME
Albright, Robt. and Frank Cald we'll
U. &. Wheeler, A. p. Boren, Jobr
I Cook, S. w. II. Smith, r. G. Smith
Stephen Macy place, along south sid,
, of public road to Cornelius Knights
around Asa Knights, thence to Alb,
kirkman. thence to Wakefield, theme,
J to John Hunt and Thos.E Cock, theme,
to f. A. Kitchen, thence to Enos Cum
mings, thence to 4. Armfeld's Mill
Van Open place, w. w. Patterson
w. II. Mccormick, back to Jackson
which would place gates across tn,
Hiram Worth road, the West Greer
! road at Jackson's house, the New Gar
den road at Bulla's, the Martinsvlll,
road at the New Cemetery entrance
There would be scarcely u fencing t.
do, following these boundaries. as tn,
lands are already fenced, the only ia,
would be to repair til: fences and al
the few vacancies and put us gates.
The Lincoln Teacher saws 1.-THE
Stock Law gates, which were recently
erected IN CataNba Springs township,
were torn down last week and burned
We are informed that several fight.
ave taken place in that section on the
stock" Question"
In Eastern South Carolina the ne.
proes have burned the barns of promi-
nent planters who favored the law.
Since the stock law went into opera
ton in South Carolina, says the Flor.
ence Times, the butchers of that place
have raised the price of beet two and a
half cents per pound, saying as excuse
that the farmers who have pastures are
independent and refuse to sell at old
prices.
H. N