FENCING. 



147 



Fia. 18. 



SECTION 1. Stone Walls. 



Where stones are plentiful, nothing can be better for a fence than a 

 good stone wall. It is expensive at first, but ultimately it is the 

 cheapest of all fencing. If properly put together, it affords more direct 

 shelter than any other kind of fence. It takes up a small space of 

 ground, and does not afford any refuge for vermin, or encourage the 

 growth of weeds, and costs the least in keeping it in repair. Stone 

 walls are of two kinds, the one being built with lime and stones, the 

 same as plain rubble-work ; and the other being built of stones alone, 

 without mortar, or what are usually called dry-stone dykes. I need not 

 give any description here of the first-mentioned, but will describe the 

 mode in which I have usually built the dry-stone walls, as they are the 

 kind usually erected for farm or plantation fences, and are the cheapest. 



In fig. 18 is given an end view of a dry- 

 stone wall, five feet high over all. The foun- 

 dation should be laid with large flat stones to 

 the breadth over all of thirty-two inches, and 

 made properly level. On these foundation- 

 stones the building should be commenced, 

 making it twenty-six inches broad, thus leav- 

 ing a scarcement of the foundation equal to 

 three inches on each side. The wall should 

 be built in regular layers to the necessary 

 height say fifty inches, exclusive of cope 

 gradually drawing it in in breadth to fifteen 

 inches at the top just under the copestone. 

 There should be at least two layers of " through- 

 band stones " to bind the whole together, as shown at a a on the sketch. 

 The first layer of through-band stones should be laid one at every four 

 feet in length at least, and about eighteen or twenty inches from the 

 ground. The next layer should be put in at similar distances, but 

 alternately with the others, at a height of three feet six inches from the 

 surface. After the wall is built to the point 6 on the sketch, it should 

 here receive a layer of mortar upon which to bed the copestones. This 

 coping with lime secures the whole wall, and binds it firmly together. 

 It is an important point, in building this kind of wall, to have the centre 

 well packed with stones, as, if this is not attended to, it will not stand 

 well. Some kind of stones are much better suited than others for build- 

 ing walls of this kind. On many estates stones cannot be got for the 



