302 MY FARM. 



boughs, otherwise worthless, or to pine-pickets of 

 simple cost in the paling of a yard, or the tracery 

 of a gate, as shall catch the eye by its grace of out- 

 line, and suggest imitation by its easy construction, 

 and entire feasibility, there is some hope of leading 

 country tastes in that direction ; but if work shows 

 great nicety of construction, puzzling and complicated 

 detail, immense absorption of labor and material, it 

 might as well have been so far as intended to en- 

 courage farm ruralities built of Carrara marble. 



Again a stone wall, or dyke, is not generally 

 counted an object of much beauty, except it be laid up 

 in hammered work ; this, of course, is out of the ques- 

 tion for a farmer who studies economy : but suppose 

 that to a substantial stone fence of ordinary construc- 

 tion, I am careful, by a choice of topping-stones, to 

 give unbroken continuity to its upper line ; and sup- 

 pose that the abutments, instead of wearing the usual 

 form, are carried up a foot or more above this line in a 

 rude square column, gradually tapering or ' battering ' 

 toward the top ; suppose upon this top I place a flat 

 stone nearly covering it, and upon this a smaller stone 

 some four inches in thickness, and again, upon tlie 

 last, the largest and roundest boulder I can find. At 

 once there is created a graceful architectural effect, 

 which gives a new air to the whole line of wall. Yet 

 the additional labor involved is hardly to be reckoned. 



