THE WALLED GARDEN 



feet or more below the surface of the ground. Not 

 only must it be below the frost line, but deep enough 

 and broad enough to support firmly any wall of extra 

 height; and all buttresses and pilasters between 

 panels of concrete or cobble formation should have 

 special attention given to firm foundations. 



It is frequently argued that our American estates 

 will never possess the many miles of walled en- 

 closures found in all parts of England, for the reason 

 that even when we are convinced of their desirability 

 we will find their expense too great because of the 

 excessive charges of skilled masons. The fact is too 

 often overlooked that skilled laborers are not re- 

 quired for this work and may indeed be undesirable. 

 In their wish to do a " good job, ' ' they will insist upon 

 dressing the stone according to their rules of expert 

 labor, in spite of all directions on the part of the 

 owner to leave the wall in the rough. When our 

 forefathers struggled to secure fertile acres from 

 the rocky soil of New England they built the finest 

 sort of garden and field enclosures by throwing up 

 walls of the rough stone accumulated in clearing 

 their fields. These cheapest of old time walls are 

 to-day examples of durability and picturesque at- 

 traction. An amateur in wall building may spend 

 his odd moments in building an inexpensive wall 

 from materials at hand that will prove more de- 



37 



