May, 1914 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
379 
Some of the best modem English and 
German wood fences are as good as any 
done before them. Whether acting as 
fences in the usual form, or as screens, ar¬ 
bors or backgrounds for planting, they are 
most appropriate for their setting, and never 
seem out of place or style. 
The more complicated the fence is in de¬ 
sign, the more complicated it is in construc¬ 
tion. This is self-evident. The more parts, 
the more care necessary in connecting them, 
and the larger the parts, the more members 
to be assembled. 
When a post becomes over five inches 
square and has panels and molding it should 
be built up of different pieces, which 
should be, if possible, tongued and 
grooved into one another and have 
the joints set in white lead. Hard¬ 
wood splines are an additional secu¬ 
rity at miters to keep them from 
opening up. Rails, if over 4 by 4 
inches, should also be built up. Clear, 
white pine is by all odds the best 
wood for exterior work not in con¬ 
tact with the ground. But it is ex¬ 
pensive. Cypress and cedar are 
used, and in the West, redwood. 
Fences of any height should be 
well braced. To brace lengthwise is 
comparatively simple, but to get a 
brace at right angles to the fence is 
not usually possible, and it is apt to 
look ugly and to take up space that 
interferes with other features. It is, 
therefore, quite necessary to thor¬ 
oughly secure the uprights in the 
ground. Bracing is important near 
gateways, as at these places a greater 
A plan and elevation and section of a 
post and fence giving all necessary de¬ 
tails for its construction 
strain is borne. The gates themselves 
should be especially strong, and the con¬ 
struction here is more elaborate, as fre¬ 
quently the gate is the principal feature of 
the whole. It is the point of interest of the 
general design. The braces are to be worked 
in as part of the composition. They should 
not look like independent members, but 
should tie in with the general arrangement. 
Equal size, rectangular parts intersecting 
may be halved together, although care must 
be taken not to weaken a structural part. 
Corner gates are bad, for they put an un¬ 
even strain on the fence. 
Remember that a gate acts as a lever, 
and exerts a strain on its support 
proportionate to its length. In wide 
gates various devices are resorted to 
to establish an equilibrium so that 
all the weight is not borne by the 
lower hinge or fastening. Braces and 
balances serve for this purpose. The 
balanced gate is structurally better 
than the braced gate, for it can be 
made to be absolutely counter-bal¬ 
anced and divide the load equally. 
The weight is generally a box filled 
with stone, and the member holding 
it may be a section of a tree trunk, 
which is pivoted on the top of the 
post to which the gate is hinged. 
If the braced and balanced gates 
are not appropriate for your fence, 
ones with concave tops may be sub¬ 
stituted, as they act on the same 
principle as those that are braced. 
Gate hinges may be cast or wrought 
(Continued on page 413) 
Two common methods of laying stone walls in 
lasting and attractive manner 
The brick wall fits the formal place. Not only does it lend itself to 
various combinations of ornament, but the bonding affords many 
opportunities for surface patterns 
