SOLON ROBINSON, 1846 11 



besides all the profit of the other stock mentioned. It is 

 easy to see which capital pays the best interest. Why, 

 then, does he continue the cotton business? — simply, be- 

 cause he has not been able to get rid of it. He sold out 

 when the business was much better than it is now, but the 

 purchaser failed, and he had to take back the whole again. 

 If Mr. Cockrill would tell us his experience, it would be 

 far more valuable to your readers than these scraps and 

 items which I have picked up by the way. 



I have some more scraps of interesting matter in my 

 notes which I have taken during my travels that I may be 

 able to give you at a future day. Solon Robinson. 



Fence and Other Matters, 

 by solon robinson. 



[Chicago Prairie Farmer, 6:151-53; May, 1846] 



[April ?, 1846] 



Messrs. Editors: Although I do not intend to com- 

 mence the office of 'commentator,' yet I am tempted to 

 comment a little upon some articles in late numbers of 

 your paper. 



And I will commence with that in the last number upon 

 'Fencing the Prairie, by Mr. Kennicut.'^ It is one of the 

 most sensible, plain, common sense articles you ever pub- 

 lished. 



It is passing strange that such men as Mr. K. and every 

 other sensible man that reads such articles as that do not 

 become completely disgusted with our whole system of 

 fencing, and have their eyes opened to the enormous and 

 unjust tax annually levied upon industry in fencing 

 against "other folks' cattle" ; but time alone can correct 

 this evil, and only when our fertile prairies are needed to 

 raise sustenance to a population as dense as that of China 

 perhaps — for the means and method of fencing these 



^ Hiram Kennicut, of Wheeling, Cook County, Illinois, writer of 

 a series of articles for the Prairie Farmer on fencing, prairie 

 breaking, plowing, and wool growing. 



