The Forrest City times., 1900-11-30
On the Fence.

Shall we nave law making ioui- wire fenca lawful fence in certain parts of St. Francis county, and shall calves under one year old and sheep, goats and hogs Of all ages be prohibited from run ming at large.
 Fencing Is the heaviest tax the Ameri can farmer has 10 bear. According to re cent statistics from the Department of Agriculture. Washington. D. C.. the total value of al fences in the United States. is S4 050 000 900. exceeding the value of live stock Sl ,T14, 900. .Oo0-this excess abnut equals the bonded debt of the Uni ted States.
 Now, II t be remembered that the life Of pos; and rail, board or picket fenc, i. our climate. Is from six 10 eight years the astounding fact presents itself thai the farmer has 10 deal with financial problem greater than that with which iae stait enasn las lo deal, because iht statesman votes away millions that has very little II any effect upon the indiviau al. while The farmer must expend billions of dollars every half score years and earn every cent of it with his own hands.
 Farmers. have you ever figured to see what the feuces on your farms have cost youe There are very few farms in a well settled country on which the fences have not cost more than all of the live stock on them is worth. Every eighty acre farm has about 300 rods of fence There being eight eighties to every sec iion, making 4000 rods to every square mile, and in six square miles, the aver age size of township, the enormous amount Of IA, ,000 rods. Our county has seventeen townships, this makes the more astonishing amount Of ? ,44s, 900 rods of fence. or more than g. 300 ,000 worth.
 This enormous tax comes directly out of the pockets Of the farmers of our county or any other county that fences agans, all kinds of stock.
 Of course our county is not all under fence, but the tax is just as heavy on those who do fence as though the whole county was fenced
 Fencing against scrub hogs Is failure in a climate where we have those frequent heavy down-pours of rain and where the soil washes aud the water tears great ra,ines in Ithe slopes along Crowley gaps closed against them.
 Hogs at large are hardship on the tenant farmer, especially those who pay cash rent. The landlord will get his rent if there is enough raised on the place to pay it, and the crop that is dis troyed by stock is the loss of the tenant farmer. This law would be direct ben. eft to him. as he would probably raise a few pigs of good stock on kitchen and stable wastes at hardly any cost, and in the fall have more, better and healthier meat than by raising dozen sIckly. half-starved scrubs on the outside. This law would also save many hundreds of dollars annually to the people of the county in prosecuting cases for hog steal ing as well as the annoyance and loss of time 10 witnesses in attending court.
 In summing up we have first Fences a.e the farmers heaviest tax.
 Second. Fencing costs more than all the live stock is worth.
 Third. The farmer alone must pay this tax,
 Fourth, Fencing against hogs proves a failure.
 Fifth. Hogs at large are hardship on al farmers, but more especially on the tenant.
 Sixth. This law will i'm prove stock and make meat cheaper and healthier.
 Seventh. ltsaves court costs and terms 0. penal seryitude.
 Eighth. It is progress.
 St. Francs county is no longer riding at anchor In mimic eddie by the side of the mad, rushing current. She is right in the stream Of progress, fast coming to the front with everything that is pro- gresslve and modern, and if she wants a hog law she ought to have it. It's mod ern. HoNESr FARMER.
 Madison. Ark, Nov. 27, 1900.