Description of a Double Sunlc Fence. 335 



Garbally adjoins the town of Ballinasloe, one of the most 

 clean and comfortable of the minor towns in Ireland, forming 

 also a part of the family estate ; and His Lordship, with his 

 accustomed liberality, throws open the principal parks of the 

 demesne for the exhibition and sale of the sheep driven to the 

 great annual fair of this town. The spacious mansion of Gar- 

 bally is just finished, and the dressed grounds around it are 

 in progress. The fence under consideration was formed to 

 protect these grounds from the depredations of cattle grazing 

 in the adjacent parks, as also from the vast concourse of the 

 fair. As stated in the heading of this article, it is simply a 

 double sunk fence, and of the following form and dimensions. 



The centre wall (y%. 87.) is 1 ft. 8 in. in thickness, coped 

 with two sods reversed, that is, laid on roots to roots, by which 



87 



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means the upper sod grows better than if laid on the bare 

 wall. It is raised so high as to present to the eye, at a little 

 distance, an unbroken continuity of surface. I need scarcely 

 add, that this fence forms an effectual and unobtrusive barrier, 

 and, in my humble opinion, is well calculated for many situ- 

 ations in the park and demesne, when the subsoil easily admits 

 of excavation. The expense is, no doubt, considerably greater 

 than that of the common ha-ha ; but in extreme cases, such as 

 the situation at Garbally, that will form no objection. 



The sunk fence in question might be improved, by sloping 

 the sides a little more. They now form with the wall an 

 angle of about 65° ; but, if they were sloped so as to produce an 

 angle of 75°, they could be grazed to much more advantage; 

 and, what Is of more moment in wet weather, the surface 

 would be less liable to be injui'ed by cattle. To obviate the 

 exposure of the wall, the ground might be gradually raised to- 

 wards the edge of the sides, {^g 88.) 



As the formation of sunk fences constitutes no inconsider- 

 able part of the gardener's business, a few observations on 

 their construction in places difficult of excavation, may not be 

 considered as an irrelative sequel to this paper. 



In the course of my practice, it has more than once hap- 

 pened that the line of sunk fence lay over a continued mass of 

 rock, so near the surface, as to render the excavation difficult, 

 and, consequently, expensive. In which case, I have substi- 



