166 



THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE. 



the ditch goes on at the same time, and the soil from the ditch is gradu- 

 ally put behind the turfs as they are built. In laying the turfs in their 

 places, the natural or grass surface is put lowest, excepting the last row 

 on the top, which is laid in its natural position. 



The ditch outside is made forty-eight inches broad at top, and eighteen 

 inches deep, sloping the sides down, leaving the bottom one foot wide. 

 At the point a on the sketch a ledge of five or six inches is left between 

 the ditch and the foundation of the wall, to prevent the wall giving way. 



After the wall is finished, a two-barred paling, or, what is better, a 

 wire fence, should be erected on the top, to prevent sheep springing over. 

 The posts for a two-barred paling may be made three and a half feet 

 long, and sawn to the dimensions of three and a half inches broad by 

 two and a half inches thick. One-half the length of the post should be 

 driven into the wall, and in a sloping direction, and five feet apart from 

 each other. The rails are nailed to them one along the top of the post, 

 and the other four inches from the top of the wall. 



This kind of fence, when completed with ditch, turf wall, and wooden 

 paling, or wire instead of rails, will stand six feet six inches high. 



Another kind of turf fence is to build turf up four feet high, one upon 

 another, so as to make a fence on both sides. This is not a convenient 

 fence, and therefore need not be described here. 



But a turf fence may be made a very substantial one by raising a turf 

 or sod wall to a height of about three feet, and then fix a low wire fence 

 on the top, by driving in posts into the centre of the wall, cutting them 

 first four feet long, so as to admit of two feet being driven into the wall, 

 and two feet to stand above it, on which to fix two or more wires or 

 rails, as may be thought necessary. Fig. 44 gives an idea of such a 



Fio. 44. 





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fence, and at the same time shows the patent winding-pillar as manu- 

 factured by Messrs Morton and Company of Liverpool. 



