FARM FENCES. 



237 



importance in the special bulletin of the United States Census for 

 1880, whose returns are now coming into our hands, setting before 

 us the material features of our industries. According to that report 

 the cost of building and repairing fences in the United States in the 

 year 1879 was not far from eighty millions of dollars ($78,629,009.) 

 The States leading in this expenditure were 



Pennsylvania $5,507,456 



New York 5,201,660 



Illinois 5,925,425 



Iowa 4,678,773 



Ohio 4,863,063 



Missouri 4,614,416 



In this list, as would be expected, Maine ranks among the least, 

 yet presents a figure not onl}- to be respected but carefully regarded 

 in the best light that can be thrown upon the subject. The expendi- 

 ture in the period above named, in the New England States, was as 

 follows : 



Maine $633,069 



New Hampsliire 334,410 



Vermont 607,962 



Massachusetts • 618,433 



Rhode Island 130,555 



Connecticut 643,375 



Whatever value in accuracy we may be disposed to accord or to 

 withhold from these figures, they are the best we have and upon 

 these we must proceed. But confining our view to this State in the 

 present comparison, there must have been some loose work in 

 making figures or some excellent economy in fencing realized since 

 Secretary Goodale's Report for 1859, which gave the annual cost of 

 erections, changes and repairs in fences in Maine at $1,250,000. 



But either figure is enough to challenge attention to this subject, 

 an attention that manifested itself many years ago in this country. 

 A few facts of fence history may be of interest. Be^yond all ques- 

 tion the fence as a factor in farm and home life has more close 

 connection with tlie English speaking people, than with any other 

 race. We are continually being reminded by letter-writers and 

 theorists, taking their facts from the continent of Euro{)e, that other 

 nations have better modes, but for the past five hundred years, since 

 the era of a better husbandry began in Great Britain, the fence and 



