DISCUSSION ON FENCES AND FENCINa. If 



rial to the pasture fences, and have the line fences, whore they 

 are necessary, good ones, (for poor \we fences make a good deal 

 of trouble.) If we can do this we shall have taken a step in ad- 

 vance, worth more than anything we have done for the last five 

 years. 



Hon. C. J. GiLMAN. I should like to inquire of Professor Car- 

 michael whether all the fences in England, Ireland and Germany 

 are simply for ornament. I have an impression that their haw- 

 thorn hedges are almost impervious. 



Prof. Carmichael. They find from the experience of centuries 

 that it is unprofitable to have fences — that it is easier to take care 

 of cattle than to keep up fences. There are many fences in Eng- 

 land, but to mark the terminus of land I saw but few. There are 

 no lines of demarkation except such as the crops give, and these 

 lines run with mathematical accuracy. So far as I have seen in 

 Germany and in England there are no fences, as such. You may 

 see a beautiful prospect from the top of Mt. Ilolyoke, in the 

 neighborhood of Amherst, and the example set by taking down 

 the college fences, followed as it has been to a great extent, has 

 had much to do with making it what it is. Village associations 

 are taking hold of this matter of improvement, and they see that 

 the fences are in the way. It is like buttons on the coat tails. 

 Formerly coat tails were made so long that they had to be but- 

 toned up. There is no longer any necessity for the buttons, but 

 we keep them there. I sa}' that any unprejudiced person, parsing 

 through those villages where attention has been given to beautify- 

 ing the landscape, and where the grass can be kept cut by asso- 

 ciation, without expense, will say that they are much prettier. 



Mr. Gilbert. I am glad that the discussion has taken the 

 course it has. It has proved to me that advanced ideas are 

 prevailing and that we are taking steps forward. I speak from a 

 farmer's stand-point, and many of the speakers have spoken from 

 the stand-point of the villager, and we are agreed in the main, 

 although the distinction has been made. Now as to the useless- 

 ness or usefulness of these road fences on the farms, the practical 

 working of their abandonment, as I know from experience and 

 from a somewhat extended observation, is this: If you wish to 

 protect your farm from your neighbors' cattle take down the 

 fences ; when you do that, your neighbors feel compelled to take 

 care of their cattle. All over the State thej'^ are practising this, 



