228 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



lighter than the two wires, but the amount of metal is not 

 largely different, as shown by the price. 



The Chairman. One would think by looking at it, that 

 there was much less metal in the ribbon wire than in the two 

 twisted wires. 



Mr. Smith. I think where the barbs are put on the ribbon 

 wire, it weighs a little more, but the. plain wire weighs a 

 little less than the barbed wire. 



Mr. Shepard. It has been stated by a number of per- 

 sons here, that they have never known of horned cattle being 

 injured by the barbed wire. I have some barbed-wire fence, 

 and I had one cow injured by it. She had recently calved, 

 and was put in the pasture, and wanted to get home to her 

 calf. She jumped the barbed fence and tore her bag pretty 

 badly. She was turned into the same field the next day, 

 but she never attempted to jump the fence a second time. I 

 have had strange cows put into my droves, and I have had 

 them go through a barbed-wire fence where I had four wires, 

 but they kept away from it after they had been through it 

 once. I have seen calves go under the fence a number of 

 times, when they did not get their backs scratched at all, 

 but they would not make the attempt after they had felt the 

 barbs. I have had cows that have got scratched by going un- 

 der a barbed wire, and if a rail was put up so high that they 

 could go under it very easily, they could not be driven under 

 that rail, they were so afraid of getting their backs scratched. 



Mr. Cheever. There is one point that has not been 

 touched upon this afternoon in connection with the barbed- 

 wire question. I have hesitated to introduce it, rather hop- 

 ing some one else would. In my Western exchange papers I 

 have noticed for several years past what I may call a prejudice 

 against the manufacturers of fence wire in New England. 

 Massachusetts has to take a great deal of scolding from West- 

 ern farmers. They all favor the fence, but they condemn 

 the manufacturers or the price — especially the price. I 

 would like to ask the speaker, who I presume knows about 

 these matters well, if there is any prospect that the price of 

 barbed wire will be largely reduced, perhaps before very long, 

 on account of the expiration of patent rights, royalties, or 

 from any cause whatever ; or perhaps another question may 



