The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1916-02-12
THE HOG LAW AND
THE COST OF FENCES

4 ~
by G. T. Nesom. supt. Live stee
Extension Service. L. 3. ID
The cost OF fencing agaIns, hog
running al large Ia attracting con
stderab!e attention from farm owners
Very few men who own their farm
have less than 40 acres. aud when sucl
farm lies In the form OF sixteenth
section one-fourth Of mile square, /
| will require one mile Of fence 10 EN-
close It. A good hog fence that vii
also turn cattle and horses. usual,
consists OF posts set at intervals oI
about one rod tl6hft.l With "a. to 30
| inch hog wire at the bottom and one to
three strands of barbed wire at the top
The cost will vary with the quality oil
materials used. but assuming tina, the
t'os's are cut on the farm, hauled. set
and the wire stretched by farm iahaf
at cost of 10 cents per post, the cost
| Of the fence would be- about an follows
800 posts AT 10 cents each. In.
elnd erection. ,...,.....s 3a0o
f2a rods Of hog wire ut soc rod $500
miles u strandsi harbed wire
at sl2 per mile. 49,. 2ioo
Cost Of hog proof fence per mile sis2 90
The cost VIII vary from about slao
10 sle5 per mile. and will probably
average about $50 for good fence
III the barbad wire be omitted at the
top and aidewo wire tigh, enough
10 keep ont hogs and high enough to
turn cattle and horses DO used. IL will
eeai from s2oa to s27s per mile.l
Where hogs do not run at large and
II In only necessary TO fence against
horses and cattle. four.wire fence
will serve every purpose, aud would
cost about az fellows,
saa posts nj 10 cents each, In.
Gliding erection. ,..,..s sa.eo
1 miles Il strandsl bafbed wire
mt si2 per mile. ....,.. 90 90
Cost Of fonrswlre horse aud -~r--
cattle fence. ......... $50 40
Saving over hog.proof fence
per mile, ...4.,.....,..s T2 10
Az the eest for pests and labor
would be less for the erection OF -four.
wire than for the hog proof type. ssa |
per mile would be fair average cost |
From these calculations II can be |
readily seen that the necessity for
fencing against hogs doubles the cos. |
II farm fences, This eos, falls heaviest |
On the small farmer and decreases an
he size Of the farm increases, Al the
shose rates IL would cost about $3.50
Der acre for q 4aaere farm. and a5e
eer acre for square section of $40
leres enclosed In a gprool fence,
fhe fonr-wire fence would cost 81 per
tcre Ter the 4a.acre farm aud so cents
or the a4o.aere farm.
There facts indicate that the qaes.
Ion OF Law prohibiting hogs from
nhnIng at large In no longer a political
but one OF farm economy, and
fleets the small farmer much more
han II does the large plantation owner.
In order to ilnd the comparative COS.
o farmers for fencing against hogs
nrnIng al large. 70 to the tax records.
nd out the number and the value OF
he hogs In the parish. estimate the
lumber of miles of fence required to
eep them out OF the farms. multiply
bis by sTs0a and II may be found that
he excess cost of the fences is greater
han the value of the hogs. II such Ii
be case. the farm owners could better |
ford TO buy up tbs hogs and destroy
hem than to keep on paying out money
. fence against them,
The farmer of to-day In deye.ing q
lore attention 10 the economic side Of
is business than ever before and like (
ne manufactures. he liz scanning the
rnRt sheet" TO see where excessive
osts and useless expenditures occur
b that he may eliminate them. just (
on hundreds OF them are discovering q
lat the cost to farm owners for {
'neIng against hogs running nj large +
! the vicinity ri their farms In a very /
Sorbitaat tax To continue eustom Of
ie frontier days when mast fed" A
egs we're about the only kind that b
aybety raised. Is
Now conditions have changed. the Il
mher In rapidly disappearing. the ris Il
IL generation knows nothing about |,
iiittlng rails. most OF the good farm. p
~. - 4