34 Fences, Walls and Hedges 



these slabs are held together by cement 

 mortar. 



The life of any stone wall or pier is in- 

 creased if it is carried below the frost line 

 which should be from 3 to 4 feet. But 

 this is too expensive in proportion to the 

 cost of a dry wall. In a wall of cut stone 

 laid up in mortar it is more necessary as 

 any settlement or heaving will show cracks 

 in a wall of this character. 



The texture of the rough, natural sur- 

 faces of the stones in a dry wall gives it 

 its principal charm. Stones selected with 

 a covering of moss, stones having varia- 

 tions of color and occasionally a huge rock 

 taking up the space of several smaller 

 ones, add to the wall's interest. Place 

 these large rocks at the bottom. They 

 give stability. 



The final effect of a stone wall depends 

 much upon the arrangement of the stones ; 

 the proportion of large to small ones. If 

 the stones are of all the same or nearly 

 the same size the result is sure to be mo- 

 notonous. Have plenty of long stones. 

 Get a vertical feeling occasionally by put- 

 ting in a few stones that are considerably 



