Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-05-23
Fences on the Farm.

Not long since [ read, in an eastern
paper, an article which gave figures to
prove tho cost of fences used on the
farms in the State of New York. The
aggregate value was immense, and at
first 1 was inclined to doubt the truth
of the statement. But, on looking into
the matter, l came to the conclusion
that the writer knew what he was
about, and that he had not exaggerated
in the least.
1t is a fact that cannot be denied that
many fences on the farm are entirely
unnecessary. What need is there of a
fence between the wheat and corn field?
The land it occupies is wasted. If it is
a rail fence it covers a good deal OF
ground which might be turned to valua.
bic uses. The fcnce-corners harbor
weeds which scatter seed upon the al.
joining land, and to keep the new
growth down each eason necessitates a
good deal of labor. If this fence were
removed all the land could be used,
and as the weeds would be refused q
place to grow in and ripen their crop OF
OF them to be found, for one OF
two seasons of careful cultiva.
ton will effectually destroy most of the
weeds we have to fight against. The
use of the c%ultivator among corn does
away with the use of the hoe in moder
ately clean sons, but where weeds
spring up, good crops can only be
secured by experimenting the c~ultivato1
with the hoe, and this every thrifty
farmer should avoid as much as pos
sible. On most farms where there are
fences, stones, stumps, and the like,
will be drawn of the field and piled
along the fence, not only disfguring
the tleld and the farm, but atfording a
foothold for bushes which only wait for
a chance to spring up and tiouris III as
l%uxuriantly as weeds. These spread,
and soon encroach on the field, until
you will often find that the fence, and
the land given up to bushes on each side
of it, occupies fifteen or twenty feet OF
valuable land. The fence, if it were
kept cleaned out, would often be moved,
or dispensed with altogether, perhaps;
but when shrubbery is allowed to grow
along it, and stones and other refuse
from the fields are piled there, it be-
comes quite an undertaking to do any
thing with it, and it is generally left to
%undisputed possession.
L would not advocate the use OF any
permanent fence on the farm. except
the line and road fences. l do not see
the need of any others, except those
about the pastures, and a good movable
fence will answer quite as well as any.
If it is desirable to shift the cattle about
from one field to another, the fence can
be shifted rapidly and easily. Between
crops there is no need of anyfence, and
if the land on which these crops are
raised is not used for the purposes of
pasturage, a fence is useless at any
time OF the year. I often wonder why
farmers cut up their farms by fences as
MANY of them do, vhen l never see the
use the dividing fences are put to. They
seem to be there because the farmer q
fallen into a habit of fencing OIL each
6ald, and not from any ne OF them.
Let the farmer calculate the cost OF his
fences, and ask himself how many
can be dispensed with without detri,
ment-rather with beneft-and he will
see that he is spending conside ably
more each year than there is any need
OF. b. Re4Jord. IN Hes'sr~ fso~'
MGzas'