18 The Pence Question in the South. 



have had their place in fence customs since the earliest settlements of this 

 country, and are still provided for in many states, in the statutes concerning 

 " common fields." 



THE FENCE REMEDY. 



We come now to a part of the discussion which we desire to present as little 

 as possible in the language of the manufacturer anxious only to press upon the 

 consumer his article of production. The question has certainly to do with 

 public facts and public benefits, and touches something wider than the interest 

 of the wire maker, when we come to present the reasons why within the past 

 twenty-five years a new fence material, iron and steel wire, has received such 

 general substitution for all other fencing material. Already over FOUR 

 HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND MILES of wire fencing have been used in the 

 United States, and, in the more modern form of Barb Fencing, it is to-day being 

 supplied at the rate of from 80,000 to 100,000 miles of finished fence annually. 



Wire was first commended for fencing purposes sixty years ago, though at 

 that time it was a comparatively scarce and costly article, drawn by hand, the 

 workman's daily stint being from fifteen to forty pounds a day, in place of the 

 present daily yield to each workman of from 1,800 to 2,500 pounds. 



In 1816 the Memoirs of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society contain a 

 paper read January 8th, in which instances are given of Wire Fencing already 

 in use, which had demonstrated a great saving of cost to the farmer, in the 

 following estimates : 



" Cost of a common fence for 100 acres for fifty years, $3,080 ; cost of a 

 Wire Fence for the same period, $1,751; leaving a profit of $1,329" the 

 same writer adds : " With regard to the strength of a Wire Fence, we do not 

 hesitate to express our belief in its sufficiency to resist any attack that may be 

 required. We have given it a fair trial at the Falls of Schuylkill (Pa.), with 

 the most breachy cows of the neighborhood, and it is remarkable that even 

 dogs avoid passing over it." For greater protection, the wire was coated with 

 a preparation of linseed oil. The whole article is re-published with illustrations 

 in the Plough, Loom and Anvil, for September, 1849. 



In 1821 the American Farmer, of Baltimore, complaining of the cost and 

 wastefulness of existing fences, urged wire as an " economical and effective 

 resort." 



In 1845 the transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society declare 

 wire fencing successful, and urge its " growing necessity." In the same 

 volume, Edward Clark, in the reports of the New York State Agricultural 

 Society for 1845, describes wire fencing and praises its efficiency. He says 

 he " saw it check a furious Bull." He declares that for protection it should 

 be galvanized. The same authority declares hedges *' under growing disfavor, 

 as they shelter field-mice, and the enemies of the crops." 



In 1847 the New York State Agricultural Society awarded a silver medal for 

 wire fence, as *' cheaper and more effective for farm use than wood." 



In 1849 among the transactions of the same Society, a wire fence brought 

 out in Niagara County was highly commended as " secure against all animals ; 

 a great saving of land ; giving no shelter for briars and nettles ; proof against 

 high winds ; makes no snow drifts ; DURABLE AND CHEAPEST AMONG MATERIALS." 



In 1849 The Plough, Loom and Anvil, of Philadelphia, sharing in the dis- 

 cussion of the period, uttered this wise and far-seeing opinion, that " setting 

 aside merits, the demand for wood fences would increase the price, while the 

 demand for wire fence will diminish the price, as the greater the demand for 

 wire the cheaper it can be made." This was speedily realized, and has remained 



