AGRICULTURAL OBSERVATIONS 273 



from the owners of the abandoned open lowlands 

 round about. 



After getting well started the Company also 

 rented 640 acres of land adjoining at 25 cents per 

 acre; but soon after this the fence laws were so 

 changed that the planters were compelled to fence 

 in their livestock instead of fencing in their crops. 

 This produced a shortage of young cattle in the 

 country round and compelled the company to 

 change its business radically. We had been hand- 

 ling from 800 to i ,000 cattle yearly, buying in 

 lean cattle and selling as soon as the butchers 

 would take them. The change in the law com- 

 pelled us to give up the cattle business practically 

 and to take up cotton raising. 



About this time Professor Gulley sold his fifth 

 interest to Professor Law and the land was then 

 divided into five equal parts in value, I taking over 

 two-fifths and Professor Law three-fifths which in- 

 cluded the buildings. Meanwhile I had purchased 

 640 acres adjoining at $6.00 per acre upon which 

 my son now built a small house and barn and sev- 

 eral cabins for tenants. This gave the Robertses 

 somewhat over one thousand acres, one-third of 

 which was woodland, useful only for providing 

 firewood. 



