COST OF FENCINQ. 19 



III. The Cost of Fencing: in Maine. 



By Peter W. Ayer^ Freedom. 



You have bad this question of fences so ably handled in the 

 two papers preceding me, that I would not present my efforts in 

 this direction, did my duty demand more than some statistics and 

 estimates of cost which have been obtained largely by the assist- 

 ance of intelligent land-owners. 



The total area of the State is 31,Y00 square miles. Estimating 

 three-fourths of the same, including lakes and ponds, as unim- 

 proved, leaves 7,940 square miles, or 5,080,600 acres of improved 

 occupied lands. This if fenced into thirty acre lots will require 

 nine rods per acre, but inasmuch as more than one-third of this is 

 line or division fence it is reduced to a trifle less than seven rods 

 per acre actually built by the owner. This estimate of the size of 

 lots is made up by comparing large farms with small ones in 

 widely different localities, and makes an aggregate of 40,644,800 

 rods of fence in the State — not considering ornamental fence at 

 all. From the Report of the Seventh Census and other data, I 

 find about one-fourth to be highway fence — at least seven-eighths of 

 which only separates fields from roads harboring all sorts of weeds, 

 and helping to perpetuate the pernicious practice of pasturing 

 them, thus becoming worse than useless ; the other eighth cannot 

 be dispensed with, enclosing pastures as it does. 



I have said there are 40,644,800 rods of fence for all practical 

 purposes in the State, and it is divided nearly as follows : High- 

 way fences, 10,161,200 rods; line or division fences, 15,288,000 

 rods; partition, (including lanes and orchard) 15,195,600 rods. 

 Estimating the cost of this fence at one dollar per rod, shows 

 $40,644,800 to be the first cost of fences now on our farms. For line 

 or division fences, $15,288,000; for partition fences, $15,195,600; 

 for highway fences, $10,161,200. Now add to this as the annual 

 cost, interest at six per cent., $2,438,688 ; repairs or deteriora- 

 tion, six per cent., $2,438,688; taxes, two per cent., $12,896; 

 snow bills about one-tenth of the municipal taxes — $360,000, is 

 fairly chargeable to cost of repairing highways in winter. Ilere 

 you have the sum of $6,050,212 as the annual cost of our fences 



