The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-26
OLD FENCE LAW
Was Adapted to old Condition,
 TEror The Advertiser


 land in cultivation, much of the remainder being public land, end trees so abundant that to get it out of the way, immense piles of the timber had to be burned, the system of placing fences around cuiti- vated land and allowing all people to let their domestic animals run on the Wild and other unoccupied land was, at that time. adyantageous and no one sunered by such a system.
 The range was so large that stock found sufncient to eat and there was ht- tie or no disposition to preaA ih'o eui'i-
 Present Conditions.
 Now we are confronted with complete ly changed condition. SuDstanllaliy du goou lana IS taken up for cultivation anu the value of cultivated crops ana Lane is,e up and carefully protected are worth ~ least 1000 times more than stock Mhlch. under this antiquated system Is aiio"ee to roam at large.
 Now there is no public land and practi- cally no grazing on lands which are not owned by indiylduals and In use, ana nee. essarily stock which roam at large must either suffer for food or else break into cultivated enclosures.
 Serious Evils.
 The consequence is that in every neigh borhood some stock become adepts m breaking fences and what IS eaiiet et ta a such animals, and when broken the en- tire herd enters and in few hours oIten destroys crops nearly equal 10 the Value of the herd. The early morning occuPa- ton of farm boys has been to un 3tock out of the fields and put up the broken fence. In doing this, the stock are oItsn injured neighborhood quarrels result and it Is this which has caused most of l the bad feeling and feuds. often lasting | and frequently bloody.
 Again, no rail fence Of the extent neS- r,o1a cd fields made so as to keep out uIIruly stock, ex- | cept at a cost beyond the means Of the majority of our farmers, and no wire | fence will keep out pigs. Rail fences are | burned nearly every time the sedge takes ire.
 Immense Cost of Fences. ] l see it is officially reported that the annual expense of keeping up fences m the year lS99 was $2, ,426, ,O0S. .00, and tha. | is about the annual average in that State. | and 1t is estimated to be about the same | Tn Alabama.
 Two million of this could be saved by a law requiring people to keep their stock | on their own land.
 Great Benefit of No Fence Law.
 fn every State where such law pre- vails, the best results obtain. Farmers prepare one or more grazing lots, gen, | orally including some numbered land anu sufficiently large for their own stock and | the stock of men who work land on theli l the stock is cared for and Is always in good condition. The enclosure is com paratively. small and the farmer can aT- ford to make such strong ana close tences for that purpose that nothing can break or penetrate it. It is all near his house and can be easily watched and kept in repair and can be guarded so as not to pc | burned by sedge grass fires; Under sucn | a system stock is not bitten by dogs while | being drived from fields, there Is no more hard feelings quarrels and law suits or stock or damage to stock by neighbors' dogs and farming immediately becomes al least 50 per cent 9ore profitable.
 Imperative tS Preserve Timber.
 Another important point is that the scarcity and increased value of timber now makes it impossible to replace burn ed and worn-out fences and the absolute necessity of preserving what timber is left is becoming every day ia more and more serious question. The amount oi railfal in every section varies very little from one year to another. and where there is sufficient timber 1t is so distributed dur ing the year as to be most advantageous for farming, but when too much timber Is removed while the rainfall for a year remains about the same, the country be. comes subject to long drougths followed by destructive floods This Is so fully appreciated by all civilized countries thai they enact laws and use great efforts tc preserve forest trees and to encourage their growth.
 In some countries in Europe 1t is se rious offence for man to cut tree or his own land without permission iron officials of a forestry commission, the theory being that trees are essential tt the well-being of the entire community.
 It is not an GKtravagant estimate tha the destruction or use of the timber nee essary to keep farm lands fenced in Ala bama during the next ten years would SC impair the value of farm lands by caus ing drougths and floods as to reduce theil value very many million dollars; some estimate the loss as high as $50, 100000 tC $100, ,000, 900.
 Moral Crime to Turn Stock Loose tt
 Depredate.
 There is another view of this subject Five hundred years ago the state of civil ozed government was such that every ont had to depend upon his own prowess fol the protection of himself, family anC property. .' When. approe ched by hostil bands or clans, he droye W his oast,a snimaI a other habitation. raised his draw-bridge and fought in defence of all he helt dear. The advance of civilization resulted in the enactment of laws by which tn
 State" became the protector of the Tiff and property of all its citizens and tn first and most valued expression In tn constitution or fundamental law state that the government is formed to protec
 the lives, liberty and property of its citi zens. so that now in all civilized coun sources of the State are immediately. ex
 ercised to hunt down the criminal and re
 store the stolen property.
 It does seem that in our present ad
 vanced civilization of Alabama this Stat
 should give protection to products 0
 farms as well as to protect life, libert!
 and other property.
 Damage by Stock Worse Thai
 Stealing.
 Early in my planting experience
 found that my manager in conformit! with the prevailing custom turned ou
 the stock. and it often happened that the!
 Joined neighboring herds which included
 animals which it seemed could break an.
 fence.
 Fields in the vicinity were invaded ant
 crops eaten, tramped down and destroyed
 It is true my stock got the benefit of { very good feed. but l could not help bu realize that the corn they ate wa another mans property and could no , rid myself of the conviction that Whel
 permitted the turning out of my stocl did 1t with knowledge of the probabilit. / that led by some unruly fence -breake they would feast on corn which did no , belong to me. It is true 1 was not Violat . ing any law of the State. but I coul !, not help but feel that the practical eftec i of this action was to break the com ) mandment, Thou shalt not steal' My stock was getting food which be longed to my neighbor and 1t seeme = to me that my stock getting feed il . that way was as much a moral wron as it would be for me to go into tn , field, gather the corn and feed 1t to m aa stock. It would certainly do my neigh ' bor less harm because as before state the stock would tramp down and destro
 ten or twenty times the amount the :, | vvould Therafore for I hay