[Woven Paling Fence.]
A Washington firm of patent solicitors write us, as we suppose they have all the agricultural papers, warning readers against persons claiming of them a fee of $500 and upwards for alleged infringements of a patent upon a so-called “Wire and Picket Fence.” Our informants say that, “It is quite true that there are a number of patents for wire and picket fences, or so-called ‘woven paling fences,’ but all these patents are limited in their claims to the detailed construction of the woven fence, and there is no broad patent on this class of fence. Indeed it was invented as long ago as 1829, when Chauncy Hall, of Meriden, Ct., on November 27th, of that year, obtained the first patent for a wire and paling fence. All recent applications for patents which have endeavored to claim the woven fence broadly have been rejected, as we find by an examination of the records of the United States Patent Office, on the old patent to James Moore, of Pittsburg, Pa., for a woven picket fence, which was granted June 30, 1857, and therefore, expired in 1871, so that it is now public property. There is another patent of the same year granted to J. B. Reyman, of Bloomington, Ill., No. 18,301, dated September 29, 1857, which, also, shows a paling and wire fence, or picket and wire fence. This patent has, also, been frequently cited as a reference against applications of subsequent patentees who endeavor to claim broadly the invention of the combined wire and picket fence. In 1849, one, Lucius Leavenworth, obtained a patent for a method of constructing a fence by fastening pickets or palings upon the wires by means of a series of links formed on the connecting wires and adapted to receive or hold the pickets or palings. All of these patents have long ago expired, and are now public property, so that no person can claim to have a broad patent on the, so-called, woven picket fence, and any man who, by virtue of a pretended claim covering broadly that class of fences, asserts such a right may be put down as an impostor, and should receive treatment as such. Of late years a number of patents have been granted for this class of fences, but, as soon stated, the claims of all these patents are confined to the detailed construction of the fence, i. e., the precise weaving of the pickets between the wires. A number of machines have, also, been patented for constructing this kind of fence, one of the first being that which was patented by Fletcher on Nov. 17, 1868.”
We have heard of no trouble from these patent agents in the West, but give our readers for what it is worth the information vouchsafed by the Washington firm.
[Illinois State Fair.]
This fair, as we have before announced, begins at Chicago on the 8th of September. The Superintendents of Departments for 1884 are as follows:
Class A, Cattle, Mr. Reynolds; Class B, Horses, Mr. Lewis; Class C, Sheep, Mr. Vittum; Class D, Hogs, Mr. Gore; Class E, Poultry, Mr. Griffith; Class F, Mechanics, Mr. Chester; Class G, Farm Products, Mr. Skeavington; Class H, Horticulture, Mr. Haskell; Class I, Fine Arts, Mr. Pearce; Class K, Textile Fabrics, Mr. Savage; Class L, Science and Education, Mr. Rush; Class M, Speed, Mr. Lewis; Class N, Farm Machinery, Mr. Schuttler; Marshal of the Ring, Mr. Judy; Superintendent of Grounds, Mr. Gillham; of Forage and Stalls, Mr. Virgin; of Press Department, Mr. David; of Permits and Privileges, Mr. Washburn; of Purchasing Department, Mr. Pullen; of Gates and Tickets, Mr. Dysart. Auditors, Messrs. Funk, Pearce and David; Committee on Reception, Fair—Messrs. Landrigan, Scott, Gillham, Reynolds, Judy, Pearce, Washburn and Vittum; Com. on Arrangement, Fair, Messrs. Landrigan, Scott, Gillham, Reynolds, Vittum, Gore, Haskell, Pullen, Dysart, Washburn, Lewis, Virgin, Schuttler and Fisher; Com. of Arrangements, Fat Stock Show, Messrs. Landrigan, Gillham, Reynolds, Gore, Pullen, Dysart, Vittum, Funk, Virgin, Schuttler, Savage, Scott, Washburn and Judy; Com. on Printing, Messrs. Savage, Dysart and Fisher; Com. on Finance, Messrs. Pearce, Pullen, Gore, Lewis and Chester; Com. on Crop Reports, Messrs. Gore, David, Skeavington and Fisher; Com. on Agricultural and Industrial Education, Messrs. Scott, Reynolds, Washburn, David and Rush; Com. on Museum, Messrs. Gillham, Scott, Haskell and Savage; Com. on Library, Messrs. Haskell, Rush and Fisher; Com. on Transportation, Messrs. Landrigan, Vittum, Judy, Schuttler, Griffith and Fisher. Jury on Pedigrees, Class A, Messrs. Reynolds, Dysart, Judy, Funk and Skeavington; Class B, Messrs. Lewis, Virgin, Griffith, Pearce and Chester.
The same arrangement of Superintendents and Committees is followed in the management of the Fat Stock Show which takes place at Chicago in November.