FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 99 



that fences of some kind must be erected and maintained in our country, in 

 order to raise sufficient food for its inhabitants. Tlie question then naturally 

 arises, what kind of fences shall we build? This, I apprehend, is a very diffi- 

 cult question to answer. Where timber of good quality is abundant, or where 

 stone is an incumbrance to the soil, these materials might be used to good ad- 

 vantage. But a large portion of our vast domain is almost entirely destitute 

 of these valuable products. Even in our own State, many locations are already 

 nearly destitute of timber, and the ruthless ax is producing sad havoc among 

 the primeval pine forests of the northern counties. Some farmers are making 

 ditch, and others, wire fence, but as yet no substitute has been found to take 

 the place of the rail and board. Very few persons have any adequate idea of 

 the immense cost of fencing the tillable lands of this country. It has been 

 said upon good authority that the fences in the U. S. have cost more than all 

 the buildings. At a moderate estimate they cost, annually over $150,000,000. 

 In the State of New York, alone, more than 810,000,000 is required for their 

 support. The amount expended in the State of Michigan every year, is prob- 

 ably greater than the original amount paid for all the enclosed land in the 

 State. In order to more readily appreciate this vast outlay, we will premise 

 that every farm of ICO acres, ought to be fenced into 20 acre fields for con- 

 venience and profit. This would require 960 rods, or three miles of fence, 

 ■which would be twelve miles, or 3,840 rods of fence for every section of land 

 enclosed; multiisly this by 36, and you have 432 miles, or 138,240 rods of 

 fence in every improved township. Again multiply this by 20 and you have 

 8,640 miles or 2,764,800 rods of fencing in the county of Washtenaw. 



A few days since an intelligent farmer belonging to the Manchester club 

 informed me that he owned twelve miles of fence which was worth one dollar 

 per rod ; that sum probably being about the average value, would give $138,240 

 as the present worth of fences in this town, and $2,764,800 as the amount now 

 invested in Washtenaw county. In this estimate no account has been taken 

 of road fences (which are almost wholly unnecessary), or of those around 

 gardens, yards and orchards, and in villages and cities, so that the actual value 

 is much greater than we have computed. Now, it is very evident that the 

 present fences around and upon our farms cannot be rebuilt with the same 

 material without a greatly increased expenditure, in consequence of the 

 enhanced value caused by the increasing consumption of timber. 



We now have nearly 100,000 miles of railroads. The annual consumption 

 for ties alone is probably 50,000,000, or 30 years' growth of 80,000 acres of 

 timber. To fence these roads would require 150,000 miles of fence. We have, 

 perhaps, about the same number of miles of telegraph, which would require 

 1,000,000 trees, while the annual repairs must take 400,000 or 500,000 more. 

 The little lucifer match consumes annually in its manufacture over 300,000 

 cubic feet of tlie best pine. The brick that are annually burned require more 

 than 2,000,000 cords of wood, which would take the entire timber from 50,000 

 acres. Shoe-pegs are important articles, and to make the requisite annual 

 supply consumes 100,000 cords of fine timber, while the manufacture of lasts 

 and boot trees takes 500,000 cords of maple, beech and birch, and about the 

 same amount is required for plane sticks and tool handles. The packing boxes 

 manufactured in the United States six years ago amounted to $12,000,000, 

 ■while the timber manufactured into agricultural implements, wagons, etc., was 

 more than $100,000,000. Onr consumption of timber is not only constantly 

 on the increase, but our exportation of it is also rapidly increasing. Our 



