The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-12-27
FIGURES ON FENCING.


A Vast Expense That Must Disappear In
the Near Future.
Fences are neither of ancient nor
modern origin. They are the result Of
transition rom nomadic life to a per-
manent occupation of limited tracts, the
peaceable possession of which was Sc
cured by fencing out all outside stock,
and must disappear with the state of
civilization which brought them into
existence As civilization advances and
the human race increases, an, the land
becomes more thickly INHABITED and
valuable, cultivation must increase and
grazing decrease till the occasion for
fences will, by slow degrees, pass away.
Fences have already disappeared from
continental Europe, at least in all the
most densely populated parts. A trav-
| eler as seldom sees farm fenced il
| Europe as he sees one here unfenced
| The advancement of agriculture "a the
eastern part of the United States is
/ apidly leading to a condition which
| alls for less and less fencing. The
/ tendency. even with dairymen, is
strongly toward grazing less and STALL
! feeding more. They find it more profit
able to contract their pastures and sup
port their herds more on cultivated
crops because so much more food can
be produced by cultivating than by
grazing given surface. They not only
reduce fences by diminishing the size of
| their pastures, but they are fast doing
away with inside fences, and throwing
all their grazing fields into one lot. In
the best dairy districts of New York
State single pastures are quite general
and are believed to be best. Their
adoption is one step toward reduction
of fencing.
Another step in the same direction
might well be made in abolishing fences
along highways. which are built for the
most part not for the convenience of the
landowner, but to fence intruders out,
and in all snowy regions at least, had
better be out of the way than remain.
Fencing the highways involves an ex-
pense the magnitude of which few will
| appreciate unless they take some pains
to figure it out, and the same is true
with respect to farm fences. The high
price of fencing material and labor make
the cost of fence about one dollar per
rod, whether of boards and posts or
rails and stakes. At this rate a man
who has mile of road fence to huild
must invest 1920 in labor and material,
and be subject to an annual tax of ten
per cent of its cost for annual repair,
which together impose upon him a
yearly tax of S5l. 20, reckoning inter-
est at six per cent, a pretty severe tax
to pay for a nuisance, and one which,
| if applied to the roads of the whole
State, becomes surprisingly large. By
| tracing the lines on any OF the later
State maps which lay down the roads in
detail, it appears there are about IS, 900
miles of road in the State, requiring
10000 miles of fence to fence them, in
volving an investment of S41, 800, 900
| for building, and an annual tax for in
terest and repairs of $4,650,000.
| The farms of the State, the census
shows. average about 100 acres each,
and are supposed to be fenced into ten
acre lots. This would require eight
rods of fence to the acre, and at the
| above rate of cost would require annual
| ly for interest of outlay and repairs, SIPS
per acre, or 1928 for 100-acre farm,
and for the 100000 acres of improved
| land in the State, would make an an
nual expense for interest and repair of
| fences of $40, 100000, to say nothing
about the 10000, 600 acres of woodlands
and other lands included in the farms
| If the fences along the highway are
counted with the rest it would probably
be safe to say that one-half the fences in
the State are continued from the force
| of habit rather than from economy,
l l. Ian l. ,a lot # Nnx
| York farmers of some $40, 000 900
year, besides the waste of ground the
! fences occupy, which is no inconsiderable
| item. The waste of land will vary with
! the style of fence. The average is a
strip of land one-fourth of a rod wide,
making for 100-acre farm having 800
rods of fence, waste of 200 square
rods. or II acres, and for the State,
| 200,0 600 acres, which, at $40 an acre,
make an investment in land occupied by
fences of IS, 100000. Look at it as we
will, fencingis an expensive luxury, and
little thought bestowed upon the sub
| iect must make it apparent to every re-
| tiecting farmer that the most important
| question in regard to fencing is how to
| get along with the least of it.
If fences must be built it pays to make
good ones, and withal as cheap as pos
sible. A poor fence, like a broken beam,
is a deception and snare, having the
appearance of protection but without
any. There is no single kind of fence
which would be best everywhere. The
| style to be preferred must depend on
locality, and the materials that can be
made available. Where rails of lasting
| timber are within reach they are the
| cheapest and best, but they are not to
be had everywhere. In other localities
posts and boards are the best that can
be used, and falling of these, posts and
wire must be resorted to. However, the
real question as already said is not so
much how fence can best be made as
how one can best get along without it.
Fences, as shown above, are expensive
| convenience to be avoided wherever this
| is possible. Some fence, farmers who
keep stock think they must have, but it
is wise to reduce the necessity for it to
the smallest possible amount, especially
permanent fences which become nui-
sance by being rigidly in the way, and
a fruitful resort for propagating all sorts
of trees and bushes, and foul weeds to
grow and ripen their seeds to scatter
over the adjacent fields. By having
fences movable so that their site may
be cultivated occasionally, such I'M
slightly and communicating accumula-
tons may be wiped away.--Prof. l.. 3.
arnold, IN ~ y. Tribune.
| CONvENTIONALlSM.