CHAPTEE V. 



FIELD FENCES. 

 Turf. Stone. Dead- wood. Post and Rail. Wire. Live fences. Gates. 



THE earliest fences required for the protection of our 

 domesticated animals were erected from the materials most 

 readily available on the land stone, turf, and timber ; and 

 these have continued more or less in use up till now. 



Turf. In many parts of the country sod mounds pro- 

 vincially, turf dykes are still common. The method of 

 construction is simple : the base is set out a width of three 

 to four feet, according to the required height, that being 

 generally four feet. On each side of the base the surface 

 soil is cut into sods eight inches wide, eighteen inches long, 

 and six inches deep ; the first row is placed edgewise on the 

 base with the grass side outwards, and the same on the 

 opposite side; the space between is filled up with soil 

 excavated from each side ; and the outsides are built up as 

 the work proceeds. The centre is well beaten or pounded ; 

 and each side is carried up with a slope of one horizontal 

 to two vertical, finishing with a width of one foot or 

 eighteen inches at the top. The sides are well beaten, and 

 unless constructed in the heat of summer, the turf soon 

 takes root, forming a serviceable fence for many years. 

 For a fence four feet high, the surface of the land on each 

 side requires to be removed a width of four feet, six 



