The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1884-03-13

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 meetin gs prescribe what shall
be legal fence in each town. Asses
sors and commissioners of highways
perform the duty of fence viewers; four
and 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 a 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 rs above.
In Maine and New Hampshire the fence
is four feet high. In Rhode Island
stone or wood fences must be four and
half feet high; hedges and bitches are
elaborately described. Delaware, four
feet, with a 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 Vir-
ginia, legal fences are four and half
feet high. South Carolina fences must
be six fee high, of wood or hedge, or
bitches equivalent as barriers. Missouri
hedge five feet, or fence four and a half
feet. Kentucky, ''all sound or strong
fences five feet high, so close that stock
cannot creep through" is the definition
of legal fence. Ohio, "a fence of
whatever material, constructed in all
respects such as good husbandmen
ough to keep" statute of 1865. Illi-
nois, 'fences four feet high, of whatev-
er material the fence viewers may
deem sufficient" Michigan, "fences
four and half feet high, Of rails, tim
ber, boards, stone or other things
deemed equivalent thereto in the judg-
ment of the fence viewers" Wiscon-
sin, "fences four and a half feet high"
etc. By act of April, 1873, barbed wire
fence is defined rs a legal fence Min
nesota, "fences four and half feet
high" ETC. Barbed fence defined by
the act of 1877. Iowa, "fence four and
a half feet high, or tifty-four inches,
Barbed wire prescribed as legal fence
in 1876. Texas, five feet high. Barbed
wire defined as legal fence. Kansas,
worm fences four and half feet; turf
four feet with bitches; wire fence, posts
twelve feet apart. In Nebraskaa 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 foot apart. Colorado, Ari-
zona, Montana and Utah, four and
half feet high. In Washington terri
tory barbed wire fence must carry q
top rail of wood. Indiana, any struct-
ure in the nature of fence such as
good husbandman generally keeps.
THE sHOEING OF HORSES.
At recent meeting of the American
Street Railway Association, the follow
ing was reported on the above subject.
The hoof of the horse in its natural
state is adapted only to the soft and
yielding soil; and so when we wish to
put them to practical use on common
roads and paved streets, it becomes
necessary to protect the foot from the
unnatural wear they become subjected
to. The practice of protecting the hoof
in some manner dates back for centu-
ries, and from the rude devices then
used we have come down to the pres
ent day, in which many forms of shoes
are made, all of which have their claims
to superiority.
In selecting the shoe the kind Of
foot should be considered; but as rule.
in our judgment, fiat shoe that will
leave the foot in the most natural state,
allowing the frog to receive q portion
of the weight or blow, is preferable es-
pecially for the forward foot; the natu-
raj formation of the frog being Of
soft, spongy growth with elastic prop
critics, would seem to be made for that
purpose.
AS a rule horses coming fresh from
the pasture have sound and healthy
feet with broad frogs, and we should
so adapt the shoes as to retain the nat
ural formation as near as possible.
Too much care cannot be used in pre-
pairing the foot for the shoe. The frog
should mover be cut; the shell requires
more or less cutting. The shoe should
always be fitted to the foot and not the
foot to the shoe, ~ is often done.
T j