46 Fences, Walls and Hedges 



chance allowed to weather or at the most 

 receiving a stain more as a preservative 

 than as a finishing surface. But as we 

 smooth down our piers ; set the stones more 

 regularly, our wood becomes more formal 

 and perhaps playful and the surfaces 

 smoother and the angles sharply cut. 



In the most trivial of building opera- 

 tions as in the mightiest, the foundations 

 are the first and one of the most impor- 

 tant considerations. 



Very few walls are heavy enough of 

 themselves to cause the earth beneath to 

 give way or to be pushed out of place. 

 Even the poorest soils will bear from three- 

 quarters to a ton of superimposed weight 

 to the square foot. By this is meant nat- 

 ural soils, for of course, some kinds of 

 made land have little or no bearing power, 

 also quick-sands. If your wall is to be 

 so heavy that you fear for its stabil- 

 ity in consequence of poor ground, then 

 by all means call in an expert and take no 

 chances. While the wall may be in little 

 danger of settling from its own weight yet 

 such conditions might arise whereby the 



