The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-09-18
SIX MILLION MILES OF FENCE.
Costing $4,000, 900. .oOo--A History q
Fence Building.

| ohO A|Ooboh A1OI dlo WllUCS budb, dCCO1o~
ing to the best estimates, there are g.
900, 900 miles of farm fences in the
! United States, costing over So, 900, 000,-
600. In many states the fences on
farm cost more than the buildings
standing on it, and that, too, whers
/ lumber is abundant and cheap. The
amount of labor and money consumed
annually IL building and repairing
fences-few are aware of its just SO
much taken from the productive inter-
ests of the country. Both law and
custom prescribe fencing. 1t is an
ancient tradition. The Plymouth col
onies in Massachusetts gave us the
first fences known in this country in
1852. They were erected to protect
planted crops against damages from
creatures going at large. 1t was said
before meeting of the American In
stitute Farmers Club at New York, in
| 1859, that the farmers in this country
were educated under the system of
fences; under the notion that a man is
bound to protect his property by fenc-
ing out the world, that the law has no
power, and that there is no general
respect for the right of property, but
that you must fence out all intruders,
and guard your property with walls
and fences.
1t is all founded on fiction. The law
does protect mans property. His
real estate and its products are his, and
whether fenced or unfenced, they lie
under the protection of the law. In
continual on of this matter the cores
pondent says that most of our New
England farms are inclosed with
fences-straight, crooked and irregu-
lar-good. bad and Indifferent Most
farms are so subdivided as to resemble
a checker-board. Everything seems
to be fenced. The fences are almost
as varied as they are abundant. The
Virginia rail fence is the pioneer: then
the log fence, stone wall, stump fence,
pitch pole fence, worm fence and the
post and rail fence. Not less than
four feet in height constitutes the law
full fence. Stone wall is the main
fence in Maine and Massachusetts,, and
perhaps in Connecticut also. Maine
also has the rail and the board fence,
and the bush fence. Rail fences are
the cheapest. The roots and stumps
of large trees, set up edgewise, make
most effective fences. The stone wall
would last forever, if it were we'll and
carefully laid in the first place and
the frost did not play havoc with it.
AS commonly built. the stone wall
will keep out all kinds of stock except
sheep. 1t is insisted that stones could
be more cheaply disposed of than by
laying in wall form.
Good fences, says a Kennebec far
mer, as reported, make good neigh
bors, yet he refuses for himself to be-
lieve in them, There are over $4,000
farmers in Maine, he sa d. Their farms
have an aggregate of $4,000, 900 rods
of fence. or more than 13l, ZOO miles.
Ornamental fences, merely, are not in
cluded in these. nor are upwards of
1000 miles of railroad fencing. In the
entire state there are II, ZOO, 900 rods
of b ghway fences, 5000, 600 rods of
partition fence., and some 5000, 900
rods of division fences At a cost of
81 a rod, which the speaker considered :,
a far estimate, the total cost of fences
nearly as much as all the farms and
and buildings are worth. It is twice
and a half the value of live stock in
the state, and nearly as much as the
whole state has invested in manufac-
lures. Reckoning changes and repairs,
loss from yearly decay, the cost of
breaking roads through snowdrifts
caused by high fences, and the inter-
est on the first cost taxes, etc., and he
est mated that the fences cost the state
not less than $4,000, 900,
which he sets down as SO much yearly
loss in cash and labor to the farmers
of Maine, 1t seems ke useless and
expenditure.
Being asked what he would do. he
sa d tha4 fences should be confined ex-
clus vely to pasture; the rest should be
abol shed. Road fences only cause the
snow to drift in the W nter. Fenc ng
= moving field enables the
farmer to feed his stock in it during :.
she spring and fall. His idea is, that
Ill the fencing farm should have
should be IMPLY to confine animals
where they are placed. The farmers
would rid themselves of a heavy tax by
loing away with their road fences, en-
forcing the law respecting roaming
cattle. The law does not compel the
'armers to fence the roads, but
heir occupied or improved lands only.
The law respect ng the liability of own
RS of cattle is vague and obscure.
other Maine farmers would abol'sh
ences altogether. 1t takes 5000, 900
'ods of fences for the pastures alone,
n which are kept 900, 600 head of neat
took. While owners of adjoining
ands are requ red to maintain parti-
on fences. bearing the expense equal
y, there is no law oblig ng them to
'u:ld fences to prevent trespass by
e:ghbors' cattle. The law requires
Inimals to be fenced in, not fenced
'ut. The highway belongs to the trav-
ling public, and the owners of stock
oam ng in the public highway are LA
lie for damages. Fences are being dis
,ensed with in the old countries, and
hey should be in the news
CHIcAGo.-Wheat, No. 2spring, size; No
spring, 73c; No. 2 red, S7Kc; No. red, SIC.
;orn, cash, 45Zc. Oats, 26k@27Ac. Rye,
70. 2, 56kc. Flax seed, No. 1, S1.2O. Mess
,ork, cash, $s.65@SS.75. Lard, $6.1O@
'6.12. Butter, creamery, 16@19c; dairy,
L1@16c. Eggs, 10@11Ac. Lard 2A cents
higher.
M1LwAUKEE.-Wheat,M Milwaukee No. 2,
,1ac. Corn No. 2, 1870. Oats, No. 2, 26&c.
Rye No. 1, 56kc. Mess Pork, SS.62A. Lard,