A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vol. XIV. No. 3.36. 



BARBADOS, MAIM'H 13, 1915. 



Pkice Id. 



The Importance of Enclosures. 



IrT i- bhe custom in mosl countries fcoregard 

 •the maintenani e of enclosures an essential 

 Jjurt of estate management, for it is well 

 i i bhe protection afforded to the agricul- 

 turist by hedges and fences is of very great benefit. 

 On West Indian estates and settlements, enclosures 

 are notably conspicuous bj theii absence, and it has 

 occurred to as that an enquin into bhe causes and 

 results of this neglect might have some influence in 



the way of modifying the rathei -sided policy 



hitherto pursued. 



There are bwo systems of agriculture which in 

 a general ua\ arc chieflj associated with the presence 

 of enclosures: stock raising, and fruit or vegetable grow- 

 ing — the former because animals need restraint, the 

 latter because edible produce requires protecting. 

 Both bhese conditions obtain in the West [ndies, 

 and it ma\ be observed bhal in Jamaica where stock 

 raising constitutes an important industry, fencing is 

 compulsory . 



Looking at the subject His! from the practical 

 man's viewpoint, we see several firmly rooted objec- 

 tions, some of them very real, others somewhat 

 imaginary. The most important objection is perhaps 

 the trouble and expense of upkeep which enclosures 

 entail. The amount of labour needed to keep hedges 

 and fences in order on a large estate would undoubtedly 

 In considerable. Then there is the circumstance that 

 the presence of enclosures, especiallj on the large 

 estate, hampers the harvesting and removal of 

 crops. A third objection lies in the fact that hedges 

 take up space which might be devoted otherwise to 

 paying crops: they furthermore deprive the land of 

 moisture, and to some extent help to harbour insect 

 and fungoid pests. These latter objections apply more 

 especiallj to the peasant holding, namely, the smaller 

 properties, and in this connexion it may be obs< 

 that the harmfulness of hedges tends bo increase as 

 the size of the property enclosed gets smaller. The 



possibilities presented by fences i structed oi wire 



natural bj enters one's mind at this point: although 

 this kind of fence is devoid of sm f the disad- 

 vantages attendant on a living fence, their general 

 employment is limited on the grounds of initial 

 expense, and inefficiencj as a barrier to would-be 

 trespassers. Stake fences cornposed ol locallj grown 

 timber are considered scarcely worth constructing 



