36 Fences, Walls and Hedges 



as some stones are bound to project be- 

 yond others it would be necessary to bring 

 the mortar to the outer faces of these. 

 But this would probably cover up many 

 of the stones that did not project. How- 

 ever some charming walls have been built 

 where about 50% of the surface showed 

 stone and the other half was cement. The 

 appearance here and there of a stone con- 

 trasting with the cement makes an interest- 

 ing color effect. 



This brings us to the question of color, 

 an extremely important consideration in 

 any wall. Most field stones are gray in 

 color which if assembled together without 

 some relief would prove uninteresting. 

 To avoid this, search for stones that are 

 either darker or lighter than the general 

 run and by placing them judiciously the 

 needed sparkle and contrast is acquired. 

 If the joints are not so deep but that the 

 mortar shows, then another chance for 

 contrast is obtained. If the mortar 

 should happen to be, when dry, the same 

 or nearly the same color as the stone it 

 may be lightened by adding a small per- 

 centage of lime putty, not over 10%, or 



