284 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 5 



lish feet. The bed of chalk in which they have 

 for so long been engaged, is not yet iraversed, 

 but the numerous ilinls, which were unceasingly 

 met with at lesser depths, have now disappeared. 

 The city of Paris has determined that the boring 

 shall continue to the depth ol' 2295 English fijet, il 

 the spouting water be not ibund sooner. It is pre- 

 sumed that the water which will issue Irom so 

 great a depth will possess a temperature of be- 

 tween 93°2 and 95° Fahr., and, in that case, it 

 might be employed for hot baths, &c. But how- 

 ever this may be, we shall now adduce the ther- 

 mometrical observations which have been made 

 at the depth of 1312 English feel. On the 29th 

 of April, at 7 P. M., four instruments were sent 

 down, viz. two of M. Bunten's self registering 

 thermometers, one a diversement thermometer, 

 which M. Magus, of Berlin, had recently sent to 

 M. Dulong, and another of the same construction, 

 manufactured by M. Walferdin. The two first 

 were contained in a copper tube, in which they 

 were secure from the pressure of the water; the 

 third was open at the top, but in such a manner 

 that the pressure could not alter its form; and the 

 fourth was enclosed in a glass lube, which was 

 hermetically sealed. These lour instruments, after 

 having remained for about thirty-six hours in the 

 well or bore, were removed Ironi it on the first of 

 May, about 7 A. M.; they then indicated the fol- 

 lowing temperatures: — 



The first thermometrographc of M. 



Buten, - - - 74°.3 



The second, do. - - 74°.21 



M. Magus' thermometer, a diverse- 



raent, - - - 74°.30 



M. Walferdin's do. - - 74^.66 



Assuming, then, 74 '^.3 Fahr. as the temperature at 

 the depth of 1312 English ti^ef, if you subtract 

 from this number that of 51°. 08 Fahr., which indi- 

 cates the mean temperature of the surface of the 

 earth at Pans, 23° .22 will remain for the increase 

 of temperature, corresponding to 1312 English ft. 

 of depth, or, what comos to the same thing, 1°.8 

 Fah. for 101.2 English ft. If we take the case of 

 the observatory as the starting point for the tem- 

 perature where it is at 53o.06 Fah. 21°.24 Fah. 

 will then be given as the augmentation for 1222.5 

 English teet, which corresponds to 103.348 Eno-- 

 hsh feet for each centigrade descree. 



From the Farmer and Gardener. 

 BUILDING STONE FENCE. 



Much error has prevailed in the manner of 

 building stone fence, and error in this matter is at- 

 lended with serious loss to the fiirmer, since there 

 (3 no kind of fence, in ordinary use, so e.xpensive, 

 und if well built, so cheap in the end. A i'ew ob- 

 servations upon this subject may not be amiss to 

 those who are desirous of constructing this fence. 



The first material error, but too common, has 

 arisen from giving to the wall too wide a founda- 

 tion, as much as 3 feel, 3|, and sometimes 4 feet, 

 and then by drawing it in, or to use a mason's 

 term, battering too much. Two evils spring from 

 this mode of building; the fence is very apt to 

 bulge, or split in two, and the facility for sheep or 



hogs to run over it, is as obvious as the fiict itself 

 is conmion. Again ; fijnce built after this man- 

 ner takes more stone than is really necessary, and 

 however abundant the material may be, the mode 

 of construction is radically wronof. The fence, 

 which I have as yet built, about 200 yards is idler 

 this fashion: 2.^ feet wide at bottom, and \\ at 

 top — height A}y feet — a trench over 2-i feet wide, 

 and about 5 inches deep, is first made, and rarely 

 more so, unless on ground liable to wash, as by a 

 road side, ascending a hill, where a deep gully 

 has been made: on stony ground, it may be dis- 

 pensed with ; but otherwise it is safe to dig a 

 shallow foundation, as the action of the frost is 

 thereby prevented, and which, I am v&ry confi- 

 dent, has proved injurious in a higli degree, when 

 this precaution has been overlooked. 



A fence of these dimensions, of good stone, and 

 built by a skilful workman, I feel well assured, 

 may endure for ages. But the laying of the stone 

 aright is an object of the greatest importance ; 

 without especial care in this, serious mischief will 

 follow. As a general rule then, indeed almost in- 

 variably, the stone ought to be placed crosswise 

 and not lengthwise of the fence (a very common 

 practice to give it a pretty facing) and although 

 in comparison, but few will be found long enough 

 to go through and thus serve as binders yet many 

 will pass more than half way, and so by overlay- 

 ing alternately from side to side, the middle will 

 be kept well bound, and the whole structure solid 

 and compact. It is obvious to reason, as it has 

 been often proved by experiment, that by laying 

 stones lengthwise of the fence, and filling in the 

 centre with small pieces, speedy dilapidation must 

 take place. In short, with some modification, the 

 rules, which govern in masonry, should be ob- 

 served in the construction of this fence. I^ow the 

 only material variation, which I would suggest, is 

 this: the masons (to adopt their terms) use 

 stretchers chiefly and headers occasionally to bind 

 the wall ; but they use mortar, and that without 

 stint, to consolidate the structure. As masons 

 use stretchers to give a handsome facing, and 

 mortar to impart Strength, let the stone fence 

 builder use headers altogether, or nearly, as he 

 cannot be allowed any cement. Let me give an 

 example. Take a stone 15 inches long and 4 

 wide, or 2 feet long and 6 inches wide, and \n\i 

 them across the fence, instead of lengthwise ; is it 

 not manifijst, that they will be infinitely less liable 

 to be displaced? I grant that stones may be 

 placed lengthwise with great safety, provided es- 

 pecial care be taken to have the next course put 

 on transversely ; but it should be borne in mind, 

 that it is not easy always to procure stone for this 

 purpose of sufficiently good quality, for in this 

 case, the stone should pass entirely through, 

 whereas if all pass inwards or across, stone of an 

 inferior quality will make a very substantial fence. 



Thus you have the breadth at bottom and top, 

 and the height and mode of building as practised 

 by myself. Some of my fence has been built 9 

 years, and is as good in all respects as when first 

 made. In passing, it is to the eye apparently per- 

 pendicular. No animal will attempt lo leap over 

 it. On top I place flat stones the width of the 

 fence ; this prevents the smaller stones from being 

 knocked ofl. if stakes and rails were put on, 

 they would serve nearly the same purpose ; in 

 which case, the height might not be quite eo 



