FARMERS' REGISTER— LAW OF ENCLOSURES. 



451 



shoulders? Or (hat any of my teams should be 

 harnessed by another, when not actually ]aborin<i; 

 for my benefit ? Whoever leaves his land without 

 an enclosure, at once excludes himself (according 

 to the provisions of our laws) from its use — at 

 least to the full extent of the difference in num- 

 ber, between his own grazinjj stock, and all the 

 stock in the nei2;hborhood. 



I am pleased that you have one correspondent at 

 least, (in Fairfax,) who raises his voice against the 

 present laws of our state, in relation to enclosures. 

 I hope others will be found, who will dare to think 

 and speak of this violation of private property, or 

 perhai>s, I should more properly say, the want oi 

 protection lor private property. Why, as has 

 been before asked, should my land which I may 

 choose to turn out to improve by rest, be taken 

 possession of, and imj)overisr.ed by other people's 

 stock? Or, why should I be compelled for th.e 

 protection of my own crop, (o be at a greater ex- 

 pense to enclose it, than my nci2,hbor's stock , which 

 would otherwise prey upon it, would sell for? 

 When, perhaps, my own stock, (as every farmer's 

 should be,) are kept in an enclosed pasture, and 

 are an expense to no one but myself Why do 

 not our laws protect our property, even though it 

 may not be in our immediate use? In many parts 

 of Virginia, and even in many neighborhoods in 

 this county, it is notorious that those frequently 

 have the largest stock, who h.ave the least land to 

 graze; and many are in the habit of buying up 

 poor caltle at a reduced price, to sell out as beef, 

 after being fattened on their neighbors' lands. I 

 understand that in the northern states, where the 

 rights of property have always been better under- 

 stood, and better protected than with us, men arc 

 expected and compelled to support their slock at 

 their own expense. If they are iound on the com- 

 mons, they are subject to a tax. I think it highly 

 probable, moreover, that the disease called the 

 Carolina distemper, which desolates many of our 

 farms, may be kepi up by the mixing of the herds 

 on the commons. 



It is in vain that we improve or.r lands by marl 

 or other means, without some better leg;d regula- 

 tions, whereby the industry and enterprise of som.e, 

 shall not be thrown away for the benefit of others; 

 otherwise, Virginia must ever feel the inconvenien- 

 ces of improvement, hov/evcr slie may beast of 

 her superiority. 



It has always been a matter of surprise with me, 

 that our legislature, composed as it is of so much 

 intelligence, and of men too, taken from tlie farm- 

 ing interest, should while away so many long win- 

 ters in proposing, and in gravely discussing the 

 enactment of laws, many of which, with the well 

 informed and practical farmer, only to serve to 

 excite his risibility. Examine our code, and the 

 still more useless proposals for enactments, and 

 you scarcely find one for the protection of the farm- 

 ing interest; and yet legislators and all, are ever 

 deploring* the depressed state of agriculture. 

 When I look over the list of our representatives 

 for the next legislature, I see men who could do 

 much on this subject, and uhy may we not expect 

 that tiiey will? 1 know that the subject is a new 

 one, and that it requires some independence to urge 

 such innovations. But I hope th.at we have men 

 who liave other, and higher objects, than mere 

 popularity. Such a scheme might at the first 

 blush be thought ruinous and impractieaM" ' m^ 



some reflection and calculation will convince the 

 better informed of the contrary. 



In the first place, on the score of right and equity, 

 no man should be iiermitted to use his neighbor's 

 properly, because Ae docs not choose to be at the 

 expense to enclose it — for what is his neighbor's, is 

 not his, though it be nothing more than grass. It 

 Vi'ill be found, moreover, that every farmer spends 

 at least one 12th part of his lal.or, (to say nothing 

 of the waste of tindier) in keeping up fences, not 

 for the exclusion of his own, but his neighbors' 

 stock; for I will venture to say, if there were no 

 other stock than his own, he would make some 

 other arrangement, V.' hereby he would save labor 

 enough (aiid with a farmer, time is money,) to buy 

 double the pork he uses. I have no hesitation in 

 believing', that the time which is now spent in 

 fencing, in Virginia, would be so employed as to 

 buy double what the stock in the state would sell 

 for. A fiirm for instance, v.hich would yield an 

 income of :§2,000, under the present necessities for 

 expending labor, would, were those necessities re- 

 moved,' be capable of bringing in by fair estimate, 

 one 12th more, or 5^2,166 (36. This additional 

 amount of '^IQQ 66, would buy 3,320 pounds of 

 jiork, which under ordinary circumstances, would 

 1)6 sufficient to supply tlie family of such a farm. 



I have gone upon the estimate that no hogs 

 should be raised on our farms ; but that is by no 

 means necessary. It is believed, that every farmer 

 will find it to his interest, if he will make the ex- 

 periment, to enclose a certain portion of his lands for 

 grazing and pasture, and leave unenclosed all that 

 which is under cultivation. In that way, each 

 man labors for himself, and reap." the profits of his 

 own labor and of his own property. Although the 

 thing may appear to be a novel experiment to 

 many, yet it has l;ecn put into practice in oth.er 

 states, where the interests of agriculture are better 

 understood and the profits more abundant than in 

 Virginia. 



The estimate which lias b.cen made of one 12th 

 of the profits of the fiirm which is now taken for 

 fencing, any intelligent and practical farmer will 

 allow to l;e moderate enough. Every farmer 

 knows in what way he could spend that jjortion of 

 his time most profitably. Were each one to de- 

 vote one 12th of the year to the making manure, 

 in addition to t!ie time now given, our farms would 

 exhibit a very different appearance, and we could 

 all very well afford to buy the whole of our pork, 

 even if we should determine not to raise it. We 

 should then not feel tliO absolute necessity of marl 

 as a manure, however valuable it may be. 



The value of the timber which is annually con- 

 sumed by fencing, is no inconsiderable item in the 

 calculation, particularly in the tobacco growing 

 district of Virginia, and should the present de- 

 structive system be continued a few years longer, 

 the timber alone will be consideretl a heavy ex- 

 pense in fencing. 



No public enterprise has ever been undertaken, 

 witliout first having it brought before t'le public 

 mind for consideration and discussion. It is with 

 this viev,',that these suggestions have been made, 

 and I hope that some persons more competent than 

 I am, will take up (he subject and press it upon 

 the atten.lion of our legislature. It is time for 

 justice to be done to that portion of our community, 

 vvhich is the very nerve and lifeblood of the com- 

 ■rionwealth. By it all (ho burdvns of governmenl 



