118 Landscape Gardening 



Removal of Stone Walls and Fences 



Except around permanent pastures and to protect fruit 

 and other plantations from trespass, walls and fences are no 

 longer a necessity. The ordinary fence is not ornamental 

 no matter how nicely made, and is very costly to construct 

 and keep in repair. They occupy a great amount of land, 

 and the average stone or wood farm-fence gives harbor to 

 mice, squirrels, and other vermin. It is also almost impossi- 

 ble to keep weeds and brush from getting such a foothold 

 along their line as not to be easily dislodged, and ornamental 

 trees and shrubs are much more subject to insect and fun- 

 gous pests, making it very difficult to grow them successfully 

 where such harbors for these pests exist. If one is located 

 near a large and growing town or city, stone walls can be 

 disposed of for building purposes, and the ''stone crop" of 

 many farms often becomes a large source of income. 



Pond-holes and boggy meadows may be filled up with the 

 accumulating small stones, covered over with soil, and thus 

 land of some value be produced, while the stones are put 

 where they will never cause further trouble. 



