Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-12-27
FOR THE FARMER.
What Constitutes a Legal Fence in
the Different States and
Territories.
ReDort OF tie American Street Rail
way Company on Shooting
Horses.
Protecting Tools and Farm ImpIe-
mcnts---What to do with Straw.
WHAT CONSTITUTES A FENCE.

In Pennsylvania, towns and counties
secure special legislation for fencing
railway lines and to prevent the run
ming Of stock at large. In New York,
the town meetings prescribe what shall
be legal fence in each town. Asses
sors and commissioners Of highways
perform the duty of fence viewers; four
and a half feet is the usual height pre-
scribed. New Jersey fences are to be
four feet two inches high, of wood,
brick or stone, and four and half feet
if of other materials In Massachusetts
the legal fence is four feet high. A
sufficient barrier" only is demanded
whether the equivalents be furnished
by streams, bitches, live grOWths, or
constructions of wood, stone or other
material Vermont and Connecticut
legal fence is five and half feet high,
with provisions essentially as above.
In Maine and New Hampshire the fence
is four feet high In Rhode Island
stone or wood fences must be four and
q half feet high; hedges and bitches are
deliberately described. Delaware, four
feet, with ditch within two feet, is
lawful. Wood or stone fence, or hedge,
four and half feet high. Maryland,
Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Flor
ida, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee,
legal fences five feet high. West Viz
ginia, legal fences are four and q half
feet high. South Carolina fences must
be six feet high, Of wood or hedge, or
bitches equivalent as barriers. Missouri
hedge five feet, or fence four and half
feet Kentucky, ''all sound or strong
fences five feet high, so close that stock
cannot creep through is the definition
Of a legal fence. Ohio, "a fence of
whatever material, constructed in all
respects such as good husbandmen
ought to keep" statute Of 1865. Hi
nois, ''fences four feet high, of whatev-
CT material the fence viewers may
deem sufficient. Michigan, ''fences
four and half feet high, of rails, tim
Der, boards, stone or other things
deemed equivalent thereto in the iudg-
ment Of the fence viewers" Wiscon-
sin, .'fences four and half feet high, :"
etc. BY act Of April, 1878, barbed wire
fence is defined as a legal fence. Min
nesota, ''fences four and q half feet
high, " etc. Barbed fence defined by
the act Of 1877. Iowa, ''fence four and
hall feet high, or htty-tOur inches.
Barbed wire prescribed as alegal fence
in 1876. Texas, five feet high. Barbed
wire defined as a legal fence. Kansas,
worm fences four and a half feet; turf
four feet with bitches; wire fence, posts
twelve feet apart. In Nebraska a legal
fence is described as ''such fence as
good husbandmen generally keep"
California, the legal fence is described
with great particularly, Wire, post
and rail, brush, picket, ditch and pole,
and hedge wire fences, not less than
three separate strands, the first eight
cen inches from the ground and the
other two 4 foot apart. Colorado, Ari-
IONA, Montana and Utah, four and a
half feet high. In Washington terri
tory barbed wire fence must carry a
top rail Of wood. Indiana, any struct-
IRE in the nature of fence such as a
rood husbandman generally keeps.