Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-10-05

In the aggregate n considerable per-
centage of the available land. It is a
part of efficient farm management to
see to 1t that this percentage is no higher
than necessary.
In this connection, some in teresting fig
ures are given by the bulletin already
mentioned in regard to the amount OF
land occupied by fences of different
kinds 1t takes, for instance, only 200 rods
Of untrimmed hedge and only pa rods of
yigzag rail or worm fence 10 waste an
acre of what might be productive land.
For the same expenditure of land one
can run i59 rods Of woven wire and 473
rods of barbed wire. Other considera-
tions, of course. may make it desirable
TO use the hedge or the worm fence. but
the waste involved Is IL factor that should
not be overlooked.
Similarly, farm lanes often may he
eliminated by a simple rcarrangement
of fields: headlands, or turning spaces
at the edges of fields, avoided; and the
farmstead itself--the group of farm
buildings with their lots and Yards. the
garden and the orchard-madc com
pact. In the case of the farmstcad.
however, considerations of health and
attractiveness may well Justify slight
sacrifice of economy.
While little planning often will
result in the saving of much land now
devoted to these unproductive uses, a
more difficult problem is presented by
waste Iand-land that is rendered un-
tillable by swamps, ravincs, rocks.
slopes, etc, woodland that produces
nothing salablc, and pastures that are
too poor to be profitable. Some areas
are. of couse hopeless. and in that case
they should be loft out Of the reckon
ing altogether. Before this Is done.
however, it will pay to look into the
possibilities of profitable reclamation.
Many untillable folds. for example. may
be turned into productive pastures. or.
If they will not grow enough grass to
make this economical. they can be used
for the production Of timber ON the
other hand, it frequently happens that
woodlots which yield nothing but a lit
tie firewood for home consumption arc
permitted to occupy valuable land. IN
deciding whether such lots should be
cleared and titled. the cost Of clearing.
the increased value Of the cleared land,
the interest on the investment. the
salable value Of the timber products.
and the added expense for ircwood
which will follow the disappearance of
( the timber must al be taken INTO ac-
count. with unwoodcd areas. the ad-
,s"o''itN VI VI ''- ''I 'H"" "n"er t"'
p'o" may " Wv '''"'u ny 'p'ilP"i 'iE
'ne propa oie COSY WIN '"' MARK price
Oh eoou aiaoio 'a"H !" '"' He'EHooi
hood.
obviously. the higher the price of land
rises the more incentive mere Is Tor the
farmer TO AVOID waste Ia the utlIl@auoh
or IT, 1t Is Significant however that the
7 I,,.s
Investigations OF the department nave
SHOWN that' irrespective OF the price
tenants put Il greater part or the lellu 10
productive use than owners. lhe tenant
pays rent for each acre and ne can not
AFFORD to nave any or them idIe On
the other hand, the man VINO mas no
rent to pay may be able 10 get along
on the produce OF paTt only OF ms
farm and he 49, therefore more Il"elS
TO overlook the potential value OF the
part he wastes Nv 50 dong he Is OF
course, throwing away opportunities 10
make money, but TINS is NOT always APP
preciated by those VINO nave not Gra9ped
the important fact that the average farm