Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-13
Drcncliy Cattle.
Dwale, Va. January II,

Dwale, Va. January II, 1898.
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
As "A Farmer" of Allegheny county,
seems to take exceptions to my article in
your issue OF December 31st in regard to
law for the protection OF the crop
raiser against breachy cattle. hogs, etc,
! wish to express myself still further upon
this point
"A Farmer says doubtless, with a
sheer. only ii doesn't show i'm prinD, that
he can't imagine what kind of law / am
looking for: and then tries to assure him
self. with a shudder 1 imagine, that II
can't be that / want a law to make all
owners Of stock keep IT inside their own
enclosures. Yes my dear sir. strange as
1t may seem to you from your standpoint
that is exactly what ] think we need
in this section. and what l believe every
one must acknowledge in the premises
TO be right. What right have l or you
10 turn our stock out upon our neighbors'
premises, even if il should do nothing
more than range? Our neighbors own
and pay taxes upon their lands. and ii is
a settled proposition that everything upon
the surface belongs TO them. / think the
statute of this State makes 1t a trespass
for any one TO hunt upon the lands Of
another. Now. while the game is not
permanent fixture" of the land, the law
even recognizes an ownership I'm IL by
virtue of owning the land. Then. why
allow the range" which Is as certainly
n part of the realty as timber. etc. 10 be
trespassed upon with impunity? In this
section acorns are depended upon largely
for fattening hogs. and / know a number
Of landowners i'm this neighborhOod who
have their entire boundaries" fenced up,
and in the fall will turn their hogs out
10 thrive upon the acorns upon their
neighbOrs' lands, and when the acorns
upon the commons" have grown scarce
they turn them into their own "bounda-
ries." where the acorns have been kept
fresh and clean"
But this is not the burden Of my COM
plant; we can stand the loss Of our
acOrns and range" better than we can
the loss Of our crops, the growing Of
which requires an outlay of money and
labor. As 10 the fence law, "a Farmer"
refers to, it is a poor place Of refuge"
as he is pleased TO term it. In the first
place. ! have seen sheep and cattle that
would go over your lawful fence" by
taking advantage of a hillside upon which
the fence was built. l have seen hogs
that could root" down your drawbars,
or force your gates open. Besides, when
breachy stock trespasses where you think
you have a so-called lawful fence, how
easy IT is for the owners of the stock
TO find a place where tree has fallen
across il, or a few rails off. thus bring
ing the height below the standard" AS
"A Farmer" says. ii would require a
great deal Of "elbow grease" TO put the
law into effect. The brsachy stock will
tear down your fence, and then it will
not be n lawful fence.
My friend. "A Farmer" says that such
law as he thinks l would propose would
virtually destroy the cattle and sheep in
dustry. Now. ! have some cattle. and
usually a few sheep, but if the industry
cannot take care of itself along what /
conceive to be fair and legitimate lines,
say let 1t go.
Let the General Assembly enact a law
making the owner Of breachy stock re-
sponsible for all trespass and damages
that may be done by it, There is hardly
State in the Union that does not recog-
nize the rights OF planters more sufficient
ly than Virginia does. Yours very truly,
FRANK VI. BEVERLY.