SOLON ROBINSON, 1841 237 



Odds and Ends — No. 3. 



[Albany Cultivator, 8:151-52; Sep., 1841 1 ] 



[July 15, 1841] 

 Post and rail fence, or board fence with posts set in 

 the ground, can never be made to be durable upon our 

 prairie land. The soil is so rich, deep and loose, that in 

 the spring of the year the posts will be continually "on 

 the lean." In my opinion, the best way to make such 

 fence is to use posts with heavy butts sawed square and 

 set on the ground, and make the fence crooked, like the 

 common rail fence. It will be much more durable, and 

 the loss of the land in the fence corners is a small item 

 where land is so plenty and cheap as it is in the West. 



"Sod Fence." 

 Upon this subject I have bought some wit — my conclu- 

 sions are, that all attempts at fencing with sods, or banks 

 of earth upon such a loose friable soil as ours, is buying 

 wit too dear. The only fence that can be made of the 

 earth, must be made in the earth. A deep well made 

 ditch may answer a good purpose for a fence, and in al- 

 most all places, will be a lasting benefit to the land. But, 

 eventually, the "Chinese system" must be adopted upon 

 all of our large prairies. Whole tracts of country will 

 be cultivated without fence. There are now upon the Con- 

 necticut river many thousand acres of land enclosed in 

 one common field, and cattle when permitted to run at 

 large are tended by a shepherd. The same plan must be 

 adopted on the Western Prairies. 



Secret of Soap Making. 



Many persons are much troubled to make soap come; 

 but there is no art or mystery or "luck" about the busi- 

 ness. The whole secret consists in having strong lye — 

 and it must be strong. If the ashes are clean, the soap 



1 Reprinted in Nashville Agriculturist, 2:248-49 (November, 

 1841). 



