46 HANDY-BOOK OF HUSBANDRY. 



need not be more than two and a half feet deep) to remove the 

 water of saturation. Then the earth has been plowed up into a 

 ridge a foot above the general level of the ground, with a good 

 water furrow at each side. On this ridge, after it has had a year 

 to settle, the foundation course has been laid of the largest stones 

 well bedded, well " chocked up," and with " broken joints " 

 wherever the stones were not long enough to reach entirely across 

 the wall. 



If some of the stones are so large as to reach six inches or a foot 

 beyond the wall on each side, there is no objection to their use 

 next to the ground. Above this course the stones should be well 

 selected and so laid (on their best faces) that all of the smaller 

 ones shall be bound together by long ones which reach entirely 

 across the wall, or at least have a good bearing on each side of 

 the joint between them. This "locking" is the most important 

 part of the whole operation, and without it, no wall, even if built 

 of square blocks of hewn stone, will withstand the movement 

 against which even the best foundation cannot entirely protect it. 

 The cap-stones, selected during the building of the wall, should 

 reach entirely across the top. They had better be even six inches 

 too wide than one inch too narrow, and the heavier they are the 

 better will be their binding effect. 



Concerning the face of the wall, it is worthy of remark that, 

 as a genera! rule, too much smoothness should not be sought after. 

 The general line of the face should be true, and the crevices 

 should be sufficiently well chinked to give each stone a firm sup- 

 port, but the smooth faces of the stones had better be laid down 

 than toward the face, as solidity is of more value than smoothness. 

 In a park wall a smooth surface is very desirable ; in a farm wall 

 extra smoothness should be sacrificed to solidity. 



If a stone wall is built in the manner last described, the chief 

 care that will be necessary for its preservation will be to prevent 

 boys from accepting the invitation which its broad, level top offers 

 for a run ; if the cap-stones are not disturbed, and if its chinks 

 are not loosened by climbing, it will not need repairing for many 

 years. 



