408 Expense of live and dead Fences. 



Thus without considering the expense of hauling, 

 which is often very great, the loss on account of 

 defective posts, and broken rails, it appears that the 

 post and rail fence will cost, within a fraction, 137 cts. 

 a rod, and must be renewed every twelfth year, with 

 the expense of erecting, new posts, and some new rails. 

 We cannot count upon the duration of the white oak 

 post for more than twelve years, but a farmer desirous 

 to have good fencing, must reset in ten years, by which 

 time a great proportion of the posts are rotten, and 

 many broke. The cedar rail, very tender and liable 

 to break, will last two sets of posts, by shortening the 

 pannel to eight feet, and by continuing to shorten, if 

 they were originally thick rails, will even stand a third 

 set of posts, but they will have become extremely thin 

 and tender. 



From the comparative estimate it appears, that S 349 

 24^:, the expense of putting up 255 rod offence, will 

 pay for planting, and bringing to near maturity, more 

 than 530 rod of permanent live and ornamental fencing. 



I am inclined to believe that the Virginia thorn has 

 but one advantage over our black or cockspur thorn. 

 The seed will vegetate the first year, but the spines or 

 thorns, in which the strength of the fence consists, are 

 much smaller and weaker. Plant none but healthy, 

 well rooted seedlings of the black thorn, cultivate and 

 manure them with equal care, and you will have a fence 

 quite as soon, and more impenetrable. 



Mr, Quincy's reserve of plants should be strictly 

 attended to. I can say, from repeated experience, that 

 it is scarcely possible to fill up the missing places, in 

 old hedges, with young quicks, or indeed with any. 



