Agricultural Column. FARM FENCES.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 54, 22 July 1875, Page 7

Agricultural Column.

FARM FENCES.

One of the most serious obstacles in'--the way of establishing the most thrifty kind of farming in our agricultural .districts is the costly nature of the. fencing. This is the case in all parts of Jjie colony, 'but. is most intensely felt in- ' our inland wheat districts, where fencing ; timber is generally scarce. But even in g0,0d.. maize and potatoes districts nearer the coast, where timber is /Usually abundant, the cost of erecting fences and enclosing garden and paddocks against sheep, pigs, and other .small; stock, as well as cattle and horses, is quite .'beyond the means of men of the classes which are usually expected to settle down to farming, either as' tenants or. free selectors; if indeed it cannot be said also that, it is sufficient '.to prevent the investment of capital by the wealthy. Under ': the most favorable circumcumstances the. only fencing* that can be afforded by the ordinary beginner is such as will suffice to keep cattle and hordes from his crops. He is thus "unable to keep small stock, unless it may be, as is not uncommon, a few pigs and some poultry, much to his discomfort and pecuniary loss instead of profit, and a constant source of annoyance and loss to his neighbors. It is tlie latter feature which really causes the greatest detriment, and makes the want more obvious, A settler may take it into his head to keep a herd of pigs or a flock of turkeys or geese, all of which can gain the greater portion of .their sustenance by rambling about the bush. This settler cannot, . of course, cultivate farm crops of any kind unless in paddocks securely fenced against this kind of stock. His culture " therefore, if he cultivates at all, must be confined 'to these secured fields ; and, on bis account, all his neighbors within two or three miles will be in the like position, whether they possess the like stock or not. This tends to prevent much cultivation that would otherwise take place. On most of our small dajry farms, for instance, there is great inducement to cultivate various green crops for winter fodder, but the practice mentioned, in the absence of a kind of fencing cheaper than that which is now. usually _ employed, utterly precludes . it unless in a few exceptional instances ;: and this also hinders the introduction of many other small cultures, that would, soon be added if that of green fodder were generally practiced. It is a common practice to keeci a few pigs on farms. on which dairying and oaten hay: and wheat culture are carried on. In such cases the animals are kept penned up for a short time while the milk lasts, and the crops are ripening* ; but as soon as the supply of milk fails or the crops are harvested, they are, set at liberty to roam where tiiey please, and procure their food as best they can, whether on tlieir ovvner's land or the land of others. Such being the case, it is clear that, without sufficient fences, only those cultures can be undertaken which occupy the land at the season when the. pigs are secured from trespassing. Now, if good hedges could be established, instead of our present inefficient, costly, and ephemeral post.and rail fences, it is not unreasonable to anticipate a total revolution in our modes of turning our agricultural lands to.accounfc. We should have grazing combined witb agriculture; bur rich natural pastures would be turned to "a more profitable account than they are now, because stock sufficient to consume them when abundant could be kept with the intention of supplying them with the produce from cultivated fields at times and seasons when the natural pastures were diminished or had failed. In seasons favorable to Ihe; growth of our natural grasses and other! fodder plants, enormous quantities of nutritious matter is allowed to go to! waste, and worse than waste, that under good management might be turned into; beef, butter, mutton, or wool ; while, at' the same time, a larger portion of the fertilising substances taken from the soil by the developing vegetation would be returned to it than if left nnconsumed by stock, tb be burned or carried away to the sea by flood-water during heavy rainfalls. 1 Besides, these heavy growths of grass, when left to .wither on the land, interfere very injuriously with the succeeding growth, . unless -indeed they be burned off, and then all the fertilising substances, except mineralr— such as potash, &c. — are dissipated, instead of being returned to tbe soil for the use of future growths, as they would be if utilised for stock feeding. " •''-,.