LIVE FENCES. 3 



it rises to a forest hight of sixty feet. It is really 

 one of the handsomest of the forest trees of the 

 southwest. The wood is very durable, and said to be 

 more valuable in shipbuilding than live oak. It is 

 otherwise of great use because of taking on a fine 

 polish for furniture. The Indians found it so elastic 

 and tough for bows that they called it bow wood, 

 and the French termed it Bois d'Arc. About 1800 

 Mr. Choteau of St. Louis planted seed of this tree, 

 and Mr. Landreth of Philadelphia planted it in 1803. 

 Hedges were first tried about 1840. In 1845, tnat 

 genius of horticulture, Professor Turner of Jackson- 

 ville, 111., reported that it had proved hardy with him 

 during six years of trial. The seed soon became 

 "valuable, and was so sought for that the speculative 

 price went up to $50 dollars a bushel. From 1850 

 to 1870 there was no subject of more importance 

 to agriculture than live fences. Everywhere the 

 best material was sought for, and nothing seemed 

 to be better, especially for the prairie land, than 

 Osage orange. The prairie farmers went wild with 

 excitement. In 1868 alone, Texas and Arkansas 

 received over $100,000 for seed. One nurseryman 

 of Illinois had 400 acres of plants. It was estimated 

 that 60,000 miles of fence were planted in 1869. 

 The cost was figured out at $48 a mile for the first 

 year, about $20 for the second year, about $12 for 

 the third, and after that very little beyond the 

 expense of trimming. But, alas, here was where 

 the trouble came in. Not one mile in ten was ever 

 properly trimmed. The fences grew out of all 

 bounds. The lower limbs died, breaks occurred, 

 while upper limbs threw out ferocious arms to 



