110 
AMERICAN AG-RICURTURIST. 
run the plow deeper when raising oats and Win¬ 
ter grain rather than when breaking up for corn. 
Corn is an aristocratic plant, as you might 
know by its tasseled head, silk gloves, and long 
ears, and like such gentry it must have good nurs¬ 
ing in the beginning, and the best living the land 
will afford. It sends its roots about, near the 
surface where it can find plenty of food, and where 
they can grow comfortably near the warm sur¬ 
face. If you plow deep enough to turn up the 
cold and hard subsoil, the seed planted at the 
usual depth will germinate where they meet with 
a cold reception, especially if the season be wet. 
Scarce any crop seems to be more benefitted by 
an early start, or to be more injured by a slow 
painful growth in the commencement. The young 
plants seem to be discouraged, and not having 
force enough to dig down to find a good living 
they are apt to grow up sickly. 
In cultivating this crop I have therefore prac¬ 
ticed turning up all the soil, gaging my plow to 
run just on the subsoil, and let the corn have the 
full benefit of the manure and clover which were 
plowed under. The corn crop is followed with 
oats, which can stand a wet and cold soil better. 
Then I drive the plow deeper, about an inch, as 
you recommended in your last number. The soil, 
mellowed by the previous hoed crops gives the 
oats a good chance, and they bear the subsoil 
mixture on the top quite well. The following 
crop with me is rye and seeded down with clover 
and timothy, especially the former. Now I give 
the gage another turn, and bring up say another 
inch of subsoil, and the rye and clover dig for their 
living—and mine—most admirably. 
Jonathan. 
Written for the American Agriculturist.—Prize Articles 
Farm Fencing.IV 
STONE WALLS. 
Having sufficiently discussed hedges to show 
that in this country they are yet an enclosure of 
doubtful expediency, where years of satisfactory 
experience has not established their value, we 
proceed to the next most substantial ard perma¬ 
nent fence—the stone wall. Of the policy of 
adopting the wall, the proprietor of the land to be 
enclosed must be the proper judge. It is a mat¬ 
ter of dollars and cents in cost, as well as conve¬ 
nience in obtaining the material of which to build 
it. In a stony country, where either loose sur¬ 
face stones abound, or in quarries beneath the soil, 
the simple question of cost is easily settled, and 
the builder must be his own judge whether to use 
that material or not. As a general rule, loose 
surface stones must be picked up and carried 
away somewhere. The natural conclusion of the 
proprietor is to build them into fence, so far as 
fencing is needful, and they are of the proper kind 
for that object. We advise no man to build di¬ 
vision fences through his fields for the simple 
purpose of getting rid of his superfluous stone. 
An unnecessary fence is a nuisance. The less 
fences the better, so long as the proper cultiva¬ 
tion of the farm is accommodated. Better dig 
pits and bury them, if no better storage can be 
found, than to go into the extra expense of work¬ 
ing them into useless walls. 
Quatry stone usually make better walls than 
loose boulders of any size. They are more shape- 
able, with flat surfaces, lie more compactly and 
evenly, and not so apt to fall, or be disturbed by 
frost, and where not too expensive, even if sur¬ 
face stones are at hand, are to be preferred. Yet 
surface and quarry stones do not always abound 
on the same premises, and the farmer is in most 
oases compelled to choose either one or the other. 
In this his own judgment, and means must be his 
guide. Now, as to 
THE MODE OF BUILDING THE WALLS. 
In this the quality of the soil is to be somewhat 
consulted. The old fashioned mode has been to 
simply clean off the surface or turf, and then make 
the foundation of the wall of the same material as 
the whole structure. On many soils, after a few 
years, be the walls ever so well built, the frosts 
heave it awry, the stones become loose and dis¬ 
placed, and in a few years more they are in a state 
of dilapidation requiring constant repairs, and in 
frequent cases rebuilding in part if not altogether, 
although pronounced “ a good job ” when first 
finished. On light loams, sands or leachy gravels 
that mode answers a tolerable purpose. But all 
soils are not such. We have heavy clays, deep 
loams and moist or “ springy ” soils oftentimes to 
contend with. 
The main rules, therefore, which we shall lay 
down for a permanent wall are—1st: A perfect 
drainage of the soil. If there be not a natural 
drainage, such as to permit no standing water on 
the surface ; or at frost depth below, there must 
be an artificial one to such depth, so as to allow 
the accumulating water to freely pass off under 
the wall, that it be not affected by its action in a 
frozen state. Frost expands every thing it touches 
and its action is far greater in a wet soil than in 
a dry one. 2d. If the soil be lieave-y or a stiff 
clay, holding water, an ample ditch dug down be¬ 
low frost-level, should be thrown out, leading to 
lower levels and giving free passage for the water 
to a point where it can readily be turned off from 
the line of the wall. 
Now, n.o matter whether the stones be surface 
boulders or quarried, this ditch should be filled 
nearly, or quite to the surface, with small or 
broken stones, compactly placed as a firm founda¬ 
tion. This preparation gives a perfect drain for 
the water beneath the small stones whether by 
rains, melting snows, or the issues of springs 
and keeps the adjoining soil in an equable condi¬ 
tion Winter and Summer, while the earth at the 
bottom of the ditch is uninfluenced by Winter’s 
cold or Summer’s heat—like the cellar walls of a 
house. The provident owner, we premise, has 
already drawn his stones to the line of the wall 
and distributed them in proper quantity on each 
side of the line. To make the lest wal-1, the two 
sides are to be simultaneously built, with a line 
on each side to work by, and if two good wall 
builders can work together, one on each side, the 
same length of wall will be better and cheaper 
built than if but one work alone. 
In first placing the lines let them be eight inches 
or a foot above the ground strongly held at each 
end by a peg driven into the ground, that the first 
tier of stones may be laid below them. The width 
of the foundation will depend somewhat on the 
kind of stone, and the bight of wall when finished. 
Quarried stone being better shaped, requires less 
width at the foundation than boulders. In the 
former the lower strata should not be less than 
two feet for a substantial wall, four and-a-half feet 
high. If five feet high, a four inches wider base 
will be needed. The wall should not be less than 
one foot wide at the surface in any case, for a good 
farm fence. 'With boulders, when stones are 
plenty, the foundation may be two and-a-lialf or 
three feet wide—and as much wider as you choose. 
The contraction of width should be uniform and 
gradual. Put in the largest stones first, making 
as close joints as possible, and if large gaps are 
left between, then fill them in evenly as possible 
with small ones, having an eye always to the im¬ 
portance of laying every stone so as to bind the 
wall together as firmly as can be done. 
■ SS "7 "iV r * 1 "i, 
BREAKING JOINTS. 
A farmer wanting a stone wall built, advertised 
for a man to take the job. A builder appeared. 
“ How do you build a stone wall!” asked the 
farmer. “ Why, by laying one stone on another.” 
“ You won’t d o for me,” replied the other, and on 
the jobber went. Another came. “ And how do 
you lay stone wall,” again asked the farmer! ‘‘ I 
^ay one stone on the top of two stones,” was the 
answer. “ Very well then go to work.” That is 
the main secret of laying a good wall, and with 
this part continually in mind a strong wall is easi¬ 
ly secured. 
In every successive layer as the wall progress¬ 
es upward, put in enough substantial hinders ; 
that is, stones reaching through from one side to 
the other, and let the last tier of binders alternate 
between the binders below so that there be a con¬ 
tinuous bearing throughout the whole line. As 
the wall works upward the line is to be shifted, 
keeping it always a little above the tier on which 
you are at work, still making the batten or indraw¬ 
ing course uniform, and reducing the size of the 
stones gradually if possible, and holding on to 
the abundant distribution of binders but keeping 
the stones sizeable. 
As the work goes on, two, three or four com¬ 
mon laborers can be profitably employed in heav¬ 
ing over and lifting the stones from the adjoining 
heaps to the builders by which their more valua¬ 
ble time may be devoted altogether to laying 
them in on the wall. A little practice will soon 
enable any common hand to select the proper 
stones to come in as wanted. Even one expe¬ 
rienced wall builder will make a good job by hav¬ 
ing a handy common laborer with him on the 
opposite side, with others to hand them the stone. 
If the wall be on a side hill, a broader surface 
will be needed on the doivn hill side, but they 
must be laid flat, and worked in with a regular 
batten. If the line of wall runs down hill, the 
ditch or bottom should be made in short steps, so 
that the foundation be always on a level. A cant¬ 
ing stone is easily displaced, therefore every one 
should lie in a horizontal position. 
Each wall builder should have a short crowbar 
three and-a-half or four feet long, and a good 
stone hammer at his side for occasional use in 
knocking off an ugly corner, or splitting an ill¬ 
shaped stone to make a perfect job. As the wall 
approaches completion let the stones be more 
sizeable if possible, than further down, as they 
give it a more finished appearance ; and if the top 
is to be a smooth and level surface, a tier of thin 
flat caps, if to be had, should make the finish. 
In fields where breacliy cattle, sheep, horses 
or mules are to be kept, some people adopt stakes 
on each side of the wall, with a rail or two on the 
top. This looks bad and unsightly—temporary 
too, and may be obviated by placing a continuous 
chcvaldefrisc of these quarried stones set edge¬ 
wise a foot apart, letting them down between the 
cap stones four to six inches each. We have seen 
long lines of this kind of fence in Central Ken¬ 
tucky arouivl their mule pastures—a most breacliy 
animal. The walls there are of quarried stone 
chiefly, and built about five feet high, in the most 
substantial manner—apparently for ages. 
Thus we have a complete stone fence. Those 
who only want a half wall, with a rail top, can 
make there own choice: but in no case should 
the wall part be slighted, or left to chance. Every 
part should be icell and thoroughly done. 
As to cost that will depend on circumstances, 
how much, if any ditching, the convenience of the 
stones before drawn for the wall, and the kind 
used. A dollar at the least, to two, or two and- 
a-half dollars a rod at the outside, and the farmer 
