COST OF FENCING IN NORTH CENTRAL STATES. 13 



The fence requirement of two farms in the same locality may differ 

 if the cropping systems followed on these farms are not similar. 

 Factors influencing the amount of fence needed by the farm are the 

 number and kind of stock kept, the pasturage customs, and, as 

 already stated, the length of the rotation and the size of the farm. 

 Many farms have fields which are not easily accessible or are too 

 rough for cultivation, and such fields are often kept permanently in 

 pasture. If all the stock on the farm is kept on this permanent 

 pasture during the entire growing season, much less fence is required, 

 there being no division fences necessary between the crop fields. On 

 other farms the pasture forms a unit of the crop rotation, and on 

 many farms having small acreages in permanent pasture it is supple- 

 mented by pasture in rotation. Often it is the custom to turn stock 

 into the cultivated fields after the crops have been harvested in order 

 that they may utilize such feed as is left on the ground after harvest. 

 There are very few farms in Areas 1, 2, and 3 on which stock are 

 confined entirely on permanent pastures during the entire pasturage 

 season, and such a practice is not generally feasible. In order to 

 utilize all farm land to its fullest extent in these areas it is necessary 

 for the farm to be suitably fenced. 



The field arrangement of the farm is a big factor in influencing 

 the amount of fencing required on the farm. Field arrangement is 

 governed by the natural topographic conditions of the land, the 

 shape of the farm, the roads running through or around it, and the 

 cropping system followed. When the farm is located in a hilly or 

 rolling county it is quite essential that the field arrangement be 

 such as to make it as easy as possible to work over the uneven land. 

 In a level country the question of topography will not have to be 

 considered. The cropping system and the shape of the farm will 

 be considered jointly. The length of the rotation will determine the 

 number of fields on the farm. If a three-year rotation is to be fol- 

 lowed, three crop fields will be required; if a five-year rotation is to 

 be practiced, provision will be made for five fields. The arrange- 

 ment of these fields should conform to the shape of the farm in such 

 a way as to make each field readily accessible to the buildings and to 

 permit the farm work to be done with a minimum of travel. Also the 

 layout of the farm should be such as to make the amount of fence 

 required as small as possible and still retain the other essentials. 



In much of the area covered by this investigation the land is 

 divided into sections. Each section is a mile square and contains 

 CIO acres. The highways follow along the section lines, and nor- 

 mally each section is entirely surrounded by roads. A farm must 

 furnish the entire amount of road fence about it, but only half of 

 any fence separating it from another farm. Hence the location of 



