The long acre or long paddock is a traditional term for wide grassy road verges. In some places, such as Australia, New Zealand and parts of the British Isles, rural roads are often separated from adjoining paddocks and fields by both a hedge or fence and a wide grass verge. Rather than leaving this verge fallow, farmers often tether livestock on it to use pasture feed (in the form of the grass) that would otherwise be wasted.
Historically, the long acre was also grazed by herds or flocks moving from place to place, either on long journeys, or from one small local field to another. The long acre provided an important resource for such flocks and herds, perhaps forming a significant part of a small farmer's pasture.
In Australia, the most common method of keeping grazing stock off a road is by the use of a portable electric fence, visible to the stock and to passing travellers as a single white tape.
The use of the long acre as pasture has sometimes become formalised. For example, in parts of England, some has been registered as common land.
Famous quotes containing the words long and/or acre:
“You remind me of a child-friend who once wrote to tell me about her sister being married. “Now I will tell you all about Bessie’s wedding.” Then came a long account of bridesmaids, and breakfast, and everything else, except the name of the bride-groom! That of course didn’t matter: the great thing was to get married somehow.”
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)
“Only by himself, with one acre and a house, will a dunce be a dunce. Once he manages to gain power, he’ll turn into a scoundrel.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)