Year: 1877

of fencing on the Landlord premises, anu cau
spend his time in preparing compost and more
thoroughly preparing his land for the crop !;
and if this time is properly occupied, he can
make enough additional crop to each field
hand to support one cow for year. he
could also select the best ground on the plan.
tation, without regard to having a fence
around it, and thereby be greatly the gamer
in many instances. He would also find that
by cultivating the land now occupied by fen
cling, he would be able to realize very hand
some yields for two or three years, even with
out fertilizing. By the best of estimates, it is
said that if the land now occupied by fences
in this county, was planted in corn, it would
yield enough to supply the whole county.
Another way in which the tenant would be
benefited is, that he would be aule to SOW q
larger amount of small grain, for as he could
plant without fencing, he could put in wheat
and oats to larger amount in the fall months
and oats in the spring, and then work full
crop of corn and cotton besides. The result
of this would be to advance the interest of
both landlord and tenant. The fear expressed
by some that rent would advance is without
foundation, for the amount of land that could
be cultivated would be increased, and as the
number of tenants would be the same, the
tendency would be to rent lands cheaper.
The pasturage question is not so serious as it
at first appears, for one acre to the head OF
cattle, properly cultivated, would keep them
in splendid order, and the increase of butter
and milk, or of meat, would pay for the cost
of keeping them up. An ordinarily good
cow, if allowed to run at large, does not give
more than gallon of milk, and will not
keep up to that amount long; but if put up
and cared for, it will give about three gallons
a day, which would furnish milk and butter
for large family, thereby saving meat and
afording better living, which would pay of
itself for the trouble and cost Of keeping up.
Cows which run at large, in great measure,
exhaust themselves in hunting up poor food.
If the change is adopted, the amount of stock
will be reduced, probably, at first, but the
half of what we now have would be worth a
great deal more than all as they are.


Hogs and sheep being cared for, would be.
come much more productive, and the yield
from them would be much more profitable
than at present. Besides all this. tenants
must remember that landowners are to fur
nish their stock pasturage, and if they cannot
get satisfactory terms from one man they can
from another. It will also benefit thrifty and
industrious tenants by enabling them to pur'
chase, and become landowners. A great
many persons would be willing to sell of por.
tions of their farms upon reasonable terms,
if they had woodland enough to spare. If
the fence law is changed, a tenant could then
secure land for himself, and by economy, for
few years, save up enough to pay for it; while
under the present system he cannot buy be-
cause men will not sell their timbered lands,
and cleared land cannot be used now unless
it has woods sufficient to erect and maintain
fence around it.


Fourthly, we favor the change because it
would be of social benefit by removing fruit.
full source of discord between neighbors. If
the fence system is changed, the contentious
about poor fences, and the differences about
Joining line fences would be removed. These
troubles have not been very serious in the
past, but they are increasing, and will con-
tinue to increase as timber becomes scarcer.


These are some of the reasons why we ad'
vocate the change, for as will be seen from
them, it is measure calculated to advance
the prosperity of our whole people, without
any class distinction whatever.