1905.] 



Fences and Hedges. 



77 



Stone Wall. — This is a good fence and durable. The cost 

 varies considerably, owing to the distance the stone has to be 

 carted and the ease at which it is obtained. To build a wall 

 4 ft. 6 in. high, with two rows of throughs, tapering from 2 ft. to 

 10 in., and limed top and throughs, costs about 3s. 6d. to 4s. per 

 yard when carting and material have to be paid for. If the cost 

 of carting and material is not considered, then the price would 

 be about 2s. per yard. 



Creosoted Fence. — The cost of erecting a fence of creosoted 

 redwood to turn heavy sto:k is as follows : — Two top rails, 

 12 ft. by 4 in. by I Jin., at iod. each ; two bottom rails, 12 ft. by 

 3J in. by 1 \ in., at 8d. each ; two posts, 6 ft. by 6 in. by 3 in., at 

 9jd. each ; erection at 2^d. per yard ; making a total of is. 4^d. 

 per yard. It is advisable to obtain, if possible, material free 

 from knots, as the rails are so easily broken at the places 

 where the knots are, besides which many of the knotty rails 

 are either cut out of young trees or from the tops of old 

 ones, and are therefore immature, decay sooner, and are lighter. 

 In erecting a fence of the above material, the rails having 

 the least knots should be nailed on the upper part of the 

 fence. 



Seasoning of Fencing Material. — The object in seasoning is to 

 get rid of all the moisture or sap, and to accomplish this 

 various methods may be adopted, but only that of drying in 

 open sheds, i.e., admitting a free current of air and protecting 

 from rain, will be referred to here. In order to check decay, no 

 time must be lost in placing sawn timber under cover. It should 

 be allowed to remain so protected for at least one year, and 

 during this time should be restacked or turned over to facilitate 

 drying. The reason why matured timber or heart wood is more 

 lasting is that the vessels become filled with gum (in hard 

 woods) and resin (in conifers) giving a darker colour to the centre 

 of many trees. 



Durability being a most important qualification in fencing 

 material, the primary object must be to obtain matured timber, 

 which is the best to use, either seasoned or unseasoned. 

 Matured timber contains less sap than immatured, consequently 

 there is less shrinkage and less liability to attack by organisms 

 which hasten decay. In the case of timber which is used for 



