The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-15

"Horse Nigh, PlG-tIght, and
oull-strong"--as yo ancient
Statute Calls for

Something ''of interest for farmers"
is the heading Of Messrs. Julius Lewis
& Co.'S. new advertisement, and as we
passed along the side walk, no ticing the
large roll of barbed wire rolling out of
| their mammoth establishment into the
country wagons the thought occurred
that here i. visible and practical proof
of Southern Progress. 1t proves that
sixteen years of serious experience has
at length began to inculcate the pre-
cepts of kconomy, and Farming for
Profit" In former days, when both
| land and labor were SO plentiful as to be
almost q drug on the market, the South
ern planter was usually content If he
made "a good, easy living" and sup
ported his negroes, and kept a reAsona-
bic credit At the stores. And as the
years rolled on these i.abits entailed 50
much waste that We have no doubt tina;
the cost of keeping up carriages, fence,
and dogs, on the average farm t tie
south, would more than pay all Of the
expenses of the average farm at the
North.
But a new era has come. Southern
farmers are learning to Farm for PROFIT,
not simply to make a living" and have
q big plantation. The srst lesson, of
course, is in the direction of economy
cutting down expenses. This is done in
two ways: LIST, by investing in labor
saving Implements, 50 that one man
can do as much work as three negroes
and three mules, plows, hoes, etc: End,
by reducing the actual yearly waste, by
securing better articles to start with.
This brings us to one feature of econ-
omy, namely 1.-The fence question"
Many a Southern farm costs more to
keep it under fence for ten years, than
the actual value of the land. By the
statistics of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, it appears that the fences
of this county cost 81, TAT, $40, 93I, and
a yearly outlay Of 500, 963, 1877 to keep
them in repair. The cost of fencing in
North Carolina is put at Is cents per
rod; giving a total of $37, 1892, PIT for
our State fences, an average of nearly
adollar per acre to the land surface Of
the State.
But the actual first cost" is only a
fraction Of the real cost. Our Southern
fences are generally the worm" or
stake and rider" style which occupies
four feet III width, 50 that every mile of
fence wastes nearly two acres of ground!
Think Of that, We small farmers who are
wishing for more soil!
The waste of land, however, is not so
great as the waste of time and timber.
North Carolina has about 80, 200
farms" and they will acreage more
than $50 rods, or one-and-one half
miles. of fencing to the farm, which will
require ut least 2 1000, 600. 600 rails and
therefore compel the destruction OF at
least $1,000, 900 of good sized trees,
suitable for rail timber. Moreover there
is needed an average of 200, 600, 900
neO rails tor annual repairs SO hat we
may safely estimate the demand for rail
timber at ten millions of trees a year. Is
it any wonder that our forests are wasting
away?
The Secretary of the Iowa Agricul-
tural Board last year estimated the cost
OF fencing as greater than the cost of ali
the farm buildings. The child is already
born who may see similar scarcity in
North Carolina.
1t is for these reasons that the Barb.
cd Wire" fence is coming into such gen.
eral use; more than 500, 900 miles of it
in use. 1t has the advantage of
not rotting, nor burning, like the rail
fence; it.does not harbor birds, cater
pillars, slugs. snakes, etc like the
Usage Orange, or hedge fence and after
the first cost it is far cheaper.