The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-09-09
The Removal of Fences.


A Maine farmer is reported as
putting the ease thus strongly IN IA
vor Of the abolition Of fences I'll i
had my way / wouldn't have fence
on the farm. There are over 64,OOOI
farmers in Maine. Their farms have
an aggregate over AZ, 100000 rods OF
fence, or rising 131 900 miles. This
is outside of ornamental fences, and
does not include some 1900 miles
or more of railroad fencing. There
are II, 600 rods of highway fences,
100000 rods of partition fences
and come 100000 rods of division
fences. Estimating the cost of these
fences at 81 per rod, and that would
| think be fair estimate, and the.
total cost of fences in Maine Is over
s42,OO00O0. This is nearly as much
as all the farms and their buildings
are worth. 1t is more than twice
and half the value of all our live
stock, and nearly as much as the en-
tire capital of the State invested IN
manufactures.
We have no means of verifying
the statistics here presented, but 1t
is fair to presume that they are
measurably correct The immense
saving to agriculture that would fol
low the removal OF fences, as sug-
gested in the foregoing remarks, is
surely a matter worthy of consider
alton. A work ofthis kind has been
going on for some years In small
towns and villages where front yard
fences have been discarded, and Of
ten the rear and side fences as well.
In most States the laws in regard TO
cattle and other animals found at
large. if enforced, are sufficient to
protect unenclosed grounds from
depradations from this source. If
it came to be the general practice to
trust TO these laws entirely and
promptly punish violations of them
it would soon be quite unnecessary
to go to the expense OF building
fences around lawns and gardens.
The expense OF keeping cattle in
bounds. or compelling them to be
kept there, would be insignificant in
comparison with the amount spent
in building fences mainly for the
purpose of protection. While 1t
seems idle to talk of dispensing with
fences altogether, it appears as
though it would be entirely practi-
cable to do away with them except
for the purpose of limiting the range
of domestic animals. If the grazing
lands, yards and pens for cows,
sheep, etc, were securely guarded
there would seem no longer any
need of division and highway fences
nor of partition fences intended
merely as such. The farms in many
parts of the country are divided up
TO a much greater extent than is nee
essary in any case. In places where
the ground is very stony, about the
only way to dispose of the surplus
rocks and cobbles is to build them
in walls, and this may sometimes
afford sufficient excuse for cutting
up a farm into great number Of
small enclosures. But where such
reasons are apt TO be adduced, it APP
pears like waste of time and labor
10 divide up small farm into three
and five and ten acre lots. 1t costs
money to obtain the material and
put up the fences; it costs to keep
them in repair,and last but not least
it costs time and labor to let down
and put up pair of bars every few
rods in going from one part of the
farm to another. And then there is
waste of land that always goes
with fences. If the farmer who
computed the statistics we have
quoted had added to them the
amount, in acres, of land rendered
useless by the proximity of fences,
and thus practically withdrawn from
the area Of tillable soil. the results of
his computation would have been
still more astonishing. Especially
so would they be in district where
the zigzag rail fences are still in use.
But even with the best construction
and the most skill and care in cult
walton, there is always a wide bor-
der of land along every fence that is
practically wasted. And TO these
items are to be added the trouble
and annoyance of cultivating small
enclosures, the difficulty of plough
ing them properly. following all the
turns and sharp corners, and the
damage to such crops as corn and po-
tatoes that is almost unavoidable
where the rows are short and crook
ed and the planting done close up
to the fences. When horse culti-
vator is used in such small fields
the growing crop must always suf-
fer more or less damage by tramp
ling. Other reasons than these
might be given why fences are often
positive loss to the farmer and a
great hindrance to the successful
cultivation ofhis land. Without GO
ing SO far as to say. with the Maine
farmer that fences should be discard.
ed altogether, it certainly seems as
though it would be measure OF
wisdom and economy to have as
few of them as possible and restrict
their use mainly to enclosures fol
stock and grazing purposes.
Househosd Hints. ll