The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-05
BIG SAVING TO THE COUNTY.
INCALCULABLE ADVANTAGES THE
RESULT OF THE NO
FENCE LAW.


Amounts Both on Fences and on
Their CrOps-A Pigs Night in a
Truck Patch as Bad ms a SO Cow
in Field Garden for a Week.
The Advantage to the County
TwO-FOld The Increase of Tax
nbIe Property aud the Saving In
Continual Repairs to bitches and
Drains - Much Land Has Been
Drained Since the Law Went Into
Eject, and Is Now Being Planted.
Mr.. j. f. Guilmartin Talks on the
Benefits Derived.
It is a hard. matter for those who con-
fine themselves almost altogether TO the
city to conceive the improvements which
Chatham county has undergone since the
no-fence law went into effect by a vote of
the people. The vote which made it a
law was taken in July, 1895, but the law
by its terms. was not effective until jan
uary. 1896. The improvements, however,
within the short space Of eight months
have been incalculable.
The passage of this law will mark
distinct period in the progress and ad-
u
benefit to the formers, and especially the
truck farmers, about the only kind Chat
ham county has, in two ways: 1t has
saved them many a dollar in fence re-
pairs and fence building, particularly the
truck farmers near the CITY, VINO had to
use expensive material in their fences, and
it has saved their crops and enabled them
to increase their planting without heavy
expense.
Some idea of the expense farmers were
put to may be gathered from the fact that
they had to so construct their fences as
to keep out small pigs. A pig could do as
much damage to a market garden in one
night as a So COW in fence time would do
to ordinary field crops in a week.
These have in part been the advantages
to the farmer, but there have also been
advantages, more important ones, per-
haps, to the county itself. Much land that
has heretofore been allowed to go to waste
in ponds and weeds is now in cultivation,
and not only is 1t paying the owner well,
but it is also paying the county well, in
that increased valuation brings more
taxes. A trip along the White Bluff road.
the Waters road, the Augusta road. or on
the electric lines running out of the city
will convince any one of these facts
Many acres that have not been under Gull
tivation for years will be seen planted
without fences, and similar additions are
being made to the farming lands all over
the county, as the result of the no-fence
law.
The other advantage to the countyshas
been the immense saving in repairs to
bitches and drains, formerly made nee
eSsary because they were so badly tram
pied by loose cattle. Many a dollar of
the peoples money has gone to pay for
these repairs in the past, which has now
been rendered unnecessary for all time to
come. because of the passage of this law.
zone of the most important works in
this connection" Mr.. j. +. Guilmartin,
one of Chatham countys best known
truck growers, said, lis that done by the
county convicts in opening miles of
bitches and draining hundreds of ponds
to the south and east of the city, which
before the no fence law went into effect,
were allowed to stand full of stagnant
water and decaydng weeds, to breed
fevers and chills. 1t was useless then to
do this work, for the scrub cow and the
Tazor-back hog held sway, and while the
one trampled the other rooted, so that be-
tween the two the bitches and drains
were destroyed almost as soon as they
were dug.
1.-THE drainage work done now opens up
these lands to cultivation and makes
them taxable. The drains will last, and
in time the convicts will be fully able to
look after road work and the drainage as
we'll Before the law went into effect
there was not convict labor enough in
the county to keep up with all the dam
age done to the drains by stock.
Farming without fences gives us more
land and clearer farming. In the places
where the fences used to stand there
grew numerous weeds which scattered
seed and caused extra work and expense
in getting rid of them. In these places now
there are growing paying crops. Chatham
county will never have a fence law agan.
Even II the issue could come up again,
everyone, even to the old darky who rents
his half acre of 'tater and rice land
would be against fence"
Mr. Guilmartin undoubtedly voices the
sentiments of every truck grower and
market gardener in Chatham county The
city, of course voted almost unanimously
in favor OF no fence, and those who did so
are now in a position to congratulate
themselves. In another year the bene-
FITS and advantages will be far more ex-
are now. There win be still more land
under cultivation; and the ditches drains
and canals that are now put in good shape
will need very little repairing when an
other year rolls around There is no way
of estimating exactly the money value of
the advantages derived to, the people by
reason of the passage of The law, but 1t
is safe to say it will not fall far short, If
any, of $4,000 for the first year, and the
second will no doubt more than double II.