COST OF FENCING IN NORTH CENTRAL STATES. 



AREAS COVERED BY THE INQUIRY AND FARMING TYPES. 



Data were obtained from the 12 North Central States as shown in 

 figure 1. 



In Areas 1, 2, and 3 the type of farming followed is the growing 

 of corn, small grain, and forage crops, and the marketing of the 

 greater part of these crops by feeding to live stock on the farm. 

 The stock kept is maintained principally on pastures during the 

 pasture season. Sometimes the pasture field has a regular place in 

 the crop rotation and is changed about from season to season. An- 

 other practice is to allow the land to remain in pasture for a long 

 term of years, in some cases indefinitely ; the term " permanent pas- 

 ture " is applied to lands handled in this manner. More fences are 

 required on farms 

 where the pasture 

 forms a part of the 

 rotation than on 

 farms where perma- 

 nent pastures are 

 used ; however, on 

 most farms much of 

 the land is pastured 

 after the crops have 

 been removed, and in 

 some instances the 

 live stock are turned 

 into the field to har- 

 vest the crop. It is 

 in these areas where 

 much stock is kept 

 that considerable fence is required to utilize the land to the best 

 ad vantage. 



Area 4 typifies a country where extensive farming is followed. 

 There are two distinctive types of farming in this area ; one is grain 

 growing and the other live-stock farming. The grain farms carry 

 little stock other than the horses required to do the farm work, while 

 on the live-stock farms a relatively small area is in field crops and 

 the stock is carried during the growing season on permanent pas- 

 tures. Both of these systems require very little farm fence as com- 

 pared to the fence required on farms in areas where an intensive 

 system "of mixed farming is followed. 



METHOD OF INVESTIGATION. 



The data here presented were obtained by circular letter from 

 farmers in the area designated. The data in the tables were com- 

 piled from the report* of 5,837 farmers. Great care was taken not 



Fig. 1. — The territory covered by the investigation was di- 

 vided into four areas, as shown here. These areas are 

 referred to by their respective numbers. 



