Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-07
THE OTHER SIDE.
A Voice From Wilbarger in Behalf of
The "fenced Out" Party.
Cause Of the Fence Cutting Troubles and
The Remedy.

Austin, January CHANGING to
meet prominent and intelligent citi-
zen from Wilbarger county this morn
Ing, your correspondent engaged him
in conversation on the condition of
that section, as relates to the fence-cut-
ting troubles as well rs to the probable
causes and possible remedy for the
prevalent lawlessness. His views
are important as coming
from county and section
yet in It's chrisalis state, and which
has suffered only to II limited extent
from the tence-cntters, and they derive
additional interest FROM the iuct that
they are the utterances OF n. calm, in
telligent, conservative lover of peace
and order 70 pertinent inquiries
these facts were developed
Wilbarger has no fences 20 cut. The
county has been organized Only a little
more than a year, and no land has ever
been sold there 10 individuals till the
opportunity now offered through the
processes of auction by the land board
appointed by the act Of the
last session Of the legislature.
This is the first chance agriculture has
had to purchase and cultivate the soil
of Wiibnrger, but about one half OF
the entire county has been given away
To railroad syndicales TO develop other
sections of the state. During the pres
ent month there will he disposed of
about one bundled sections of the
school lands in the county to actual
setllers, by the land-buard, and ali
will be Immediately Tut in cultiva-
ton, from which industrious hus-
bundry viii certainly reap az remuner-
alive rewards rs usually come 10
pianaries in the most favored sections.
The soil is chocolate colored
sandy loan and is exceed
ingly fertile The face OF the country
is level and an abundance of water is
available at depth of eight to
twenty feet. There is no sod and the
old grasses are all gone. The sedge
and mesquite are grasses of the past
in that region, and III theIr place there
is very good growth of summer
grass. but worthless Tor winter graz
ing. When il dies in the fail the
winds blow IL away and the soil Is left
bare. The agrlcuituralist will have TO
.aise his own winter food for stock and
adopt the ensilage or some other sys-
tenn of preserving But even at this
cost an agricultural population can
raise more cattle and cheaper beef, and
ut less cost, than berding popula
ton can, and pocket the profits
of the farm in addition.
indeed it Is well-known fact, that
there are vast areas OF fire farming
hand in the Panhandle, which, if sold
in single sections to actual settlers,
would sustain population OF half n
al
more cattle raised than by the large
pasture system. II is estimated that
an agricultural popui" zion, distributed
on the school and other public Ian
at the rate OF no more than n section
to the settler throughout the Panhan-
die, commencing with the Wilbargor
tier OF counties, would produce four
times the number ana value Of cattle
that can possibly be produced by the
barbed wire pasture system, and n
huudred-fo!d more IL the values OF
farm products. This would not come
in day or two, however, but It's
growth would DO rapid, and within u
decade the income TO the state from
that section would more than double
all the present. taxes on all the
pastured cattle in the state.
WilhaIger has no large pastures ana
consequently no fences To cut, but
in the counties Of Wichita and Clay,
lying east All here. there are Immense
pastures ami nearly all the lands are
fenced up. Going from Wiibarger to
the railroad the barDed wire Is en-
countered many times and many
gates have 10 be opened.
New roads are to be found 10 new
gates us often AS II suits the plans Of
the pa-turemen 10 change them, and
1t rarel occurs that changes are made
to shorten the distance. The rule Is
rather TO Inconvenience the travel and
drive IL in other directions. Ramon-
STRANGE with pasturemen IL futile, and
Is more apt to be met by abuse, ins =
lence aud threats than by neigh borly
or manly explanation and courteous