218 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The next year, a pair of valuable carriage horses that were 

 stabled with me were turned out for exercise. One of them 

 took a turn around in this same direction, and caught in the 

 fence in the same way, and in the same place, and, in strug- 

 gling to get away, the barbed fence sawed into his shoulder 

 worse than in the other case. The veterinary surgeon was 

 sent for, and, after examining the horse, he said that he could 

 not be saved, and the horse was knocked in the head. That 

 was my experience in two years with six rods of barbed 

 fence, which I thought was sufficient for me. I have taken 

 down the fence, and substituted something else. 



I do not say that this may not be a desirable style of fenc- 

 ing on the broad prairies, or where extensive tracts are to 

 be enclosed ; but it does seem to me that it is unsafe for us 

 in Massachusetts, where we have small enclosures, and where 

 cattle and horses are liable to come in contact with it; and, 

 if these facts that I have named had been brought to the 

 attention of the society for the prevention of cruelty to ani- 

 mals, it seems to me there would have been some action 

 taken before this time in regard to this matter. I have 

 never spoken of this in public before ; I have spoken of it 

 to my friends frequently ; but it seemed to me that this was 

 the occasion where it should be mentioned. I believe the 

 gentleman courts the experience of farmers, and the certifi- 

 cates of farmers, as to the merits of the wire fence, and 

 therefore I add this, my certificate, to the merits of barbed 

 wire fence. 



Mr. HillmajST. I want to give an account of three years' 

 experience in the use of barbed wire. I think a gentleman 

 who has lived as Ions: as brother Ware has, and who i^ as 

 intelligent as he is, should have known better than to allow 

 a horse that he kept in the stable to be turned out loose, and 

 run at larore in a field that was fenced with barbed wire, with 

 which the horse had no acquaintance. 



Three years ago I wanted to get a driveway from my barn 

 to my pasture, in order to get my cows conveniently across 

 a meadow. I had a great deal of work to do, and very little 

 time for making fence. I bought barbed wire, took a few 

 old posts and stakes that I had, put them in about three or 

 four rods apart, and strung the wire across. That answered 



