Omaha daily bee., 1885-07-14
SIX MILLION MILES OF FENCE.
Costing $4,000, ooo, ooo-A History of
Fence Building.

An Augusta (Me.) correspondent o
the Boston Herald writes that, according
TO the best estimates, there are 6,000, 00I
miles of farm fences Ia the United States
costing over 81, 600, 000, 900. In man,
states the fences on a farm cost more
than the buildings standing on 1t, ant
that, too, where lumber Is abundant and
cheap. The amount Of labor and monet
consumed annually in building and re
pairing fences-few are aware of it-ii
just so much taken from the productive
interests of the country. Both law and
custom prescribe fencing. 1t is an an,
cient tradition. The Plymouth colonies
In Massachusetts gave us the frat fences
known In this country in 1852. They
we're erected to protect planted crops
against damages from creatures going at
large. 1t was said before a meeting OIL
the American Institute Farmers club al
New York, In 1859, that the farmers In
this country were educated under the
system Of fences; under the notion that
q man is bound to protect his property
by fencing out the world, that the law
has no power, and there is no general re.
spect for the right of property, but that
you must fence out all fntruders, and
guard your property with walls and
fences.
1t is all founded on fiction. The law
does protect a mans property. His real
estate and Its products are bis, and
whether fenced or unfenoed they lie I'M
der the protection of the law. In con-
tinuatlon of this matter the correspon.
dent says that most of our New England
farms are inclosed with fences-straight,
crooked and irregular-good, bad and In.
different. Most farms are SO sub-dlvided
as to resemble o checksr-board. Every
thing seems to be fenced. The fences
are almost as varied as they are album
dant. The Virginia rail fence Is the pio-
neer; then the log fence, the stone wall,
stump fence, pitch pole fence, worm
fence and the post and rail fence. Not
less than four feet In height constitutes
the lawful fence. Stone wall IL the main
fence In Maine and Massachusetts,, and
perhaps In Connecticut also. Maine
also has the rail and board fence, and the
bush fence. Rail fences are the cheap
est. The roots and stumps of trees set
up edgewise, make the most effective
fences. The stone wall would last for.
ever, If 1t were we'll and carefully laid In
first placs and the frost did not play hsv.
oc with 1t. AS commonly built, the stone
wall will keep out all kinds of stock ex.
cept sheep. 1t Is insisted hat stones
could be more cheaply disposed of than
by laying In wall form.
s,Good fences, says a Kennebec farmer,
as reported, make good neighbors, yet he
refuses for himself to believe In them.
There are over $4,000 farmers In Maine,
he said. Their farms have in the sg,
gregate over az, 600, 900 rods of fence, or
more tnan 131, 900 miles. Ornamental
fences, merely, are not included In these,
nor are upwards of 1000 miles Of rail-
road fencing. In the entire state there
are III, 600, 900 rods of highway fences,
16, 900, 600 rods of partition fences, and
some 10, 900, 900 rods of division fences.
At a cost of 81 a rod, which the speaker
considered a fair estimate, the total cost
of fences In Maine Is over $40, 000, 900
which Is nearly as much as all the farms
and the buildings are worth. 1t is twice
and a half the value of live stock In the
state, and nearly as much as the whole
state has invested In manufactures.
Reckoning changes and repairs, loss from
yearly decay, the cost of breaking roads
through snow.drlfts caused by high
fences, and the interest on the first cost,
taxes, etc., and he estimated that the
fences cost the state annually not less
than Sc, 900, 900, which he sets down as
so much yearly loss in cash and labor to
the farmers of Maine. 1t seems like a
useless expenditure.
Being asked what he would do, he
said that fences should be confined ex-
cluslvely to pasture; the rest should be
abolished Road fences only cause the
roads to drift In winter. Fencing the
moving field enables the farmer to feed
his stock in 1t during the spring and fall
His Idea Is, that all the fencing a farm
should have should be simply to keep the
animals where they are placed. The
farmers would rid themselves of a heavy
tax by doing away with their road fences,
and where necessary, enforcing the law
respecting roaming cattle. The law does
not compel the farmers to fence the
roads, but their occupied and improved
lands only. The law respecting the LA
bility of owners of cattle Is vague and
obscure. Other Maine farmers would
abolish fences altogether. 1t takes
5000, 900 rods of fences for the pastures
alone, In which are kept 900, 900 head of
neat stock. While owners of a adjoining
lands are required to maintain partition
bearing the expenses equally,
there is no law obllging them to build
to prevent trespass by q neigh
boris cattle. The law requires the anil
mails to be fenced In, not fenced out.
The highways belong to the general pub
lie, and the owners of stock roaming In
the highway are liable for damages.
Fences are being dispensed with In the
old country and they should be In. the
new.
--..a--l a. $1,000. - L---:L.L ~