Farm and Garden.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 40, 28 October 1871, Page 9

Farm and Garden.

FENCING AND IMPOUNDING. [From the Leader.] Defective fencing leads to impounding, and impounding, besides often resulting in every serious pecuniary loss, is the fruitful source of nine tenths of all the bickerings, evil speaking, lying, and slandering that takes place among neighbors in country districts. In short, impounding is the great destroyer of the settler’s peace of mind, and this fertile source of annoyance and loss—loss of money, loss of j temper, and loss of neighborly feeling—as we 1 have already said, owes its origin to defective fencing. It becomes, therefore, a subject of vital importance to every one taking up land, seeing, how intimately it is connected with the proper management of the land and the social intercourse of the occupiers, in what way our legislators may deal with the bills on fencing i and impounding now under the consideration jof Parliament. This being the case, no wonder | then that while these measures drag slowly on j through the tortuous windings of the legislative machine, the parties interested out of doors j should discuss the subject, and settle them each according to his own views of what would | best suit his own interest. The Fencing Bill 1 has at length found its way through the Assembly to “ another place,” where, let us hope, it will be dealt within a wise and liberal spirit, and amended so as to meet the requirements and serve the interest of the community at large. The sum and substance of the bill as it left the Assembly was, that a two-rail fence or such other erection as would prevent “ large cattle” from straying, should be considered a legal fence, from which the occupier may impound and claim damages on live stock of all sizes, large and small. Thus calves, sheep, swine, and even small cattle are left to roam at large, keep alive heart-burnings and animosities, and continue the waste of time and money occasioned by impounding. The bill further provides that any one desirous of keeping sheep on his farm must, at bis own cost, make all his boundai’y fences sheep proof, but should his neighbors at any time keep sheep on their land, he may recover half the cost incurred in doing so. This cheap form of fence is, no doubt, kindly enough, meant to enable small farmers possessed of slender means to establish themselves on the land, but will it do so ? This apparently cheap fence will like most so-called cheap articles, we fear, be productive of nasty consequences. Where only cattle and horses are kept, and the land is used for grazing purposes alone, leaving calves out of the question, a two-rail fence may serve the purpose. Where, however, any cultivation is carried on, any one having experience of stock and crops must know how troublesome and annoying calves are, and also how cattle being tempted reach through a tworail fence, and often break it down in doing so. The wanderings of a few calves or the raid of a herd of cattle through a growing crop as it approaches maturity, the loss of time spent in driving the trespassers to pound by die owner of the crop, and on the other hand the expenses that have to be paid by the owner of the stock, in many instances amounting to more than would have made the fence a substantial one, will make these apparently cheap fences dear in the end. According to the bill as it now stands, provision is only made for fencing in full grown animals of a large size, and not for keeping in or out small ones.. We fear this will hardly serve the interests of those whom it is intended to benefit. Divisional fences may be of any description the owner or occupier pleases ; but boundary fences, to serve the purpose they ought to serve, must be so constructed as to prevent trespass from without as well as within, otherwise they will be the means of retarding the progress of cultivation and of perpetuating discord and • strife. As regards retarding progress for instance, sheep in conjunction with cultivation in many districts throughout the colony is the most desirable form that husbandry can assume, and the times are becoming more and more favorabla for its adoption. Yet the framers of the hill it. would appear, wish to discourage sheep farming. Does a prudent farmer wish to maintain the fertility of his soil by rotation cropping, the growth of root and green orops, and keeping, sheep to feed off the same, he must, first of all pay the heavy penalty of fencing in tho grass paddocks of his adjourning neighbors. Surely it is an undesirable law that would compel this, and thereby put a stop to progress. It should be the aim of wise laws to encourage, and not throw obstacles in the way of the development of the resources of the country, and the increase and preservation of national wealth. Inasmuch, therefore, as the new Fencing Bill is calculated to prevent farmers from entering upon sheep farming, it is unwise, if it i 8 Dob positively unjust. The cost of making boundary fences should be borne equally, and adjoining proprietors should have the power of compelling the sheep farmer to join them in making their fences sheepproof, but he should not have the whole burden thrown upon his shoulders. This is too much, and it is undesirable that it should be so. Every true settler, however small, has a direct interest in seeing the fencing law made as perfect as may be, and fences constructed of such a character as will, if that be possible, do away with the necessity for impounding. And that the cultivator may be enabled to reap the reward of his industry in peace, we trust yet to see this bill so amended as to fit it to meet all requirements, and promote the progress of the colony. None but those who have experienced the annoyance and cost of trespass and impounding can know how desirable it is in every way that the law of fencing should be clearly defined, and equable, and the fences substantial.

THE EFFECTS OF CULTIVATION ON FRUIT TREES. The following from the Melbourne “Leader,” of October 14, will be found of interest to our fruit growers : Mr W. D. Christian, the proprietor of the Upper Macedon saw mills, is also a skilful and enterprising fruit grower. Having felled the monarchs of the native forest, converted them into timber for economic uses, and cleared a goodly tract of land around his home in the bush, he is now planting up the cleared ground with fruit trees of various sorts. The climate is moist and cool, owing to the elevation of the locality above the sea level, and judging by the growth of trees planted some ten or twelve years ago in the small orchard adjoining his residence, as well as younger ones more recently planted, Mr Christian is fully justified in extending his planting operations. The soil is a rich chocolate of volcanic origin, in which trees make a free growth. Small fruits, such as the gooseberry, currant, and raspberry, which, owing to the heat and dryness of the climate in the Melbourne district do nob bear so freely as they should do, are quite at home in the neighborhood of Upper Macedon, where they grow as luxuriantly and bear as profusely as in the most favored spots in England. The apple, tho pear, and the peach grow well and bear splendid fruit, but that curse of the orchardist, the American blight, has found its way to the Upper Macedon, as it does to most orchards in the colony ; and it is in reference to the efforts produced by cultivation in developing this pest that it is our present object to bring under the notice of our readers. In the month of August, 1868, Mr Christian planted several acres of land with fruit trees. A road runs through and divides the orchard into two parts, and on one side of this road the ground, among the fruit trees, has been regulary cultivated. On the other side no cultivation has been done, and the ground has been left undisturbed since the trees were first planted. In pruning they have all been treated alike, and the following circumference measurements of the stems of the same varieties of fruit trees under the opposite conditions mentioned show the influence exercised by cultivation in promoting growth : APPLES. Cultivated, Uncultivated French crab 8£ inches 6| inches Ribston Pippin Gravenstein... 9£ „ „ Herefordshire Pearmain 10 „ ’6£ ~ PEACH. Noblesse 7£ inches 5J inches APRICOT. Hemskirke 11 inches 7 inches PEAR. Beurre Ranee 8£ inches 6 inches It will thus be seen that the plants grown on the cultivated land, as might have been expected, have made by far the most rapid growth ; but the most remarkable fact in connection with these plants, divided only by a road, and in every respect growing under precisely similar conditions, is that those on tho cultivated land, both apples and peaches, aro badly blighted, whereas those that receive no cultivation are clean. How is this to be accounted for ? Certainly not by supposing that the same variety had more of lime in its composition on one side of the road than on the other. It would rather seem to show that tho more luxuriant and free growth due to cultivation was the cause of blight; attacking the on© lot of trees and not the other. This seems to bear out the view propounded by Mr Duncan in the paper he read at the last monthly meeting of the Horticultural Sociey, in which he attributes the cause of aphis, ani indeed parißitic insects generally attack ng plants, to the abnormal condition of the plants attacked. The slower growth made on the uncultivated ground was more natural and healthy, and hence free from tho parasites engendered by disease. It will be found that there is much more of truth in the views propounded by Mr Duncan as to the true cause of apple blight than was ever dreamt of by some of our philosophers. Rank luxuriance of growth ia often paraded as being the perlection of cultural skill, whereas in reality it is an unnatural and diseased product. The true gardener knows at a glance when he sees healthy growth and his aim more especially in growing fruit trees is to pi’oduce it. Let it not be understood, however, that because we have cited the case of Mr Christian’s trees, and shown tha result of not cultivating the soil, as warding off the attack of blight, therefore the best plan is to leave orchards to nature. Upper Macedon, both as regards climate and rainfall, is exceptional, and the soil, as we have said, rich. The non-disturbance of the soil prevented an over luxuriant, and produced a healthy growth. To attain this end in the gardens and orchards of the colony generally a widely different course of practise, and such as we have frequently pointed out, must be pursued. Still the trees in the orchard at Upper Macedon serve to point a moral and afford food for thought. At a future time we may have something to say about the means adopted by Mr Chistian-to keep the blight in check, for after all we fear in this forcing climate it is not to be got rid of by one fell swoop.