Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-05-03
KEEPING UP FENCES.

N"o PASue1f ouN AN"NS D'''NA"
was merely a matter of labor, the
expense of keeping up long strings
of useless fence was not consider
ed, for while the average farmer is
economical in the expenditure of
money, he knows and thinks little
of the economy Of labor. Now,
however, the time has come when
fences cost money as well as work.
Material is scarce and valuable,
and every year it becomes more so.
1t is time for us to begin to con-
slider the cost of fences, and adopt
some means to curtail it.
In the first place, l would sug.
geSt that to begin the reduction OF
this item OF expense 1t would be
well to curtail the amount of fenc-
ing every farmer keeps up. No
doubt every man thinks he has
only such fences as are absolutely
necessary to the successful car
rying on of his business but |
belle We that by a little study he
could devise plans whereby a very
material cutting off might be
practiced, and still result In not
particle of Inconvenience to HIM.
l know farmers that are crossed
and cbeckered over with long
strings Of fence that every year
require an enormous outlay of
money and labor, and are of no
benefit whatever to the owner
They are, in fact, nuisances, in
cumbrances and an aggravatiOn.
To my mind nothing detracts
more from the farm than the prac-
tice some men have of dividing
aud subdividing it by means OF
cross fences into lots and patches.
1t gives the farm a narrow, scrimp-
ed appearance, and somehow i'm
presses one with the idea of close
ness. On the other hand, the
Farm, with its fields and pastures,
seems to have an air of freedom
and liberality that is enticing and
pleasant.
But to the practical side Of the
question. The less fence one has
the better. 1t IS better because it
reduces the expense of keeping
them up, and it is better because a
considerable amount of tillable
land is saved for producing pur-
poses rather than taken up with
weeds and brush that too often
flourish along the fence rows. 1t
is better because your fields are
larger and the per cent. of waste
land lying around the outer edge
Of every cultivated spot is ma
terially reduced.
Ny idea Of a farm is something
like this: | would decide on what
proportion of my acres wished to
cultivate in cereals, what proper
tiOn l wished to SOW in meadow,
and what proportion l wished to
use as pasture. Then l would
divide my land as nearly as pos
Sible according to ITS adaptation
to these crops, and so arrange it
that it would lie as nearly as pos
sible in regular squares. In this
way l would secure the best APP
pearance, and give to my farm
broad, healthy look, and, with two
or three lines of straight cross
fence, supplant the many zig-zag
fences that are too often seen
winding about over a farm, cutting
the few acres up into patches and
narrow strips.
1t depends a great deal on the
location of the house as to the
amount of fence one can get along
with on the farm. II possible, the
house should be so situated that
the pasture land will lie adjacent,
and thus do away with the neces-
sity of a lane leading back past
the fields and meadows, to the
pasture on the remote part of the
farm.
Every farmer should lay ont his
farm systematically, and, with a
little care and study, he can easily
form plans whereby large amount
of fencing can be saved. Indeed,
there are few farmers who could
not, by proper consideration of the
subject, soon arrive at means by
which large per cent. of the
fences they now have could be
done away with, and their own
convenience greatly enhanced
I thereby. There are not many
farms free from the curse of too
much fencing, and the sooner this
annoying surplus is done away
with the better.
Mar your farm with just as little
fencing as possible. Do away
with patches and scraps, and in
every possible case throw your
acres together. Save the expense
of keeping up fences. and at the
same time, add to the value of your
farm by enhancing its beauty and
convenience, and by turning the
fence rows to producing purposes.
Thomas p. NoRgort, in Prairie
Farmer.
The Yipor and health OF q hog