CHAPTER XXIX

FENCING PLANTATIONS

Many different methods of fencing are adopted throughout the country, each one, no doubt, possessing peculiar advantages according to the circumstances in which it may happen to be required.

In hilly districts very efficient fences of stones may be made where these are abundant. Turf dykes may be constructed on high-lying grounds where stones cannot be readily procured, and iron or wood used wherever fancy dictates.

The term “dead fence” may be applied to these in contradistinction to “live fence” or hedge, to which a special chapter is devoted.

To describe even a few of the various wood or iron fences erected nowadays would be by no means an easy task, but typical examples of several kinds will be explained.

[Illustration]

=Stone Walls.=—These make capital plantation fences, but they are at first rather expensive, and unless well built require a good deal of attention in the way of repairing breaches. They possess a great advantage over most other fences in the amount of shelter afforded to the young trees. Two methods of building are usually adopted: firstly, where stones are abundant, the entire wall may be of these; and, secondly, where only a limited quantity are available, the wall is built to a certain height and wires placed atop.

The dry stone wall as this is usually termed, is built without mortar, with the exception of the cope-stone, which in all cases should be bedded in and pointed with lime.

From 4 ft. to 5 ft. is the usual height, the foundations being from 22 in. to 24 in. wide, and the wall 14 in. across beneath the cope-stone, the latter being about 10 in. high and placed on edge. Great care is necessary in building to see that the “throughs” or binding-stones are placed in position, as on this depends mainly the efficiency of the fence. Where wires are used atop, the wall need only be 3 ft. high, 22 in. wide at base, and 12 in. under the cope-stone. The latter are bedded in mortar, and an extra large stone is placed every 6 ft. for receiving the iron standard, to which the wires are attached. Slate slabs, where these are readily procured, may be used for the same purpose as the iron standards, but they should be built firmly into the wall, and reach from the base of the foundation. Two, and sometimes three, wires are used atop of the wall.

=Slate Fences.=—These are commonly in use throughout Wales; in fact, wherever slate quarries are worked. When well erected and of fairly regular sized slates, this fence is certainly not to be despised, and it may be considered as practically indestructible. The expenses incurred for keeping these fences in repair are also very little, as they seldom become damaged, and when an upright chances to get broken, another whole one can easily be substituted, and without interfering with any other portion of the fence. The size of slate pale, or slab, as usually termed, is 5 ft. long, 4 in. to 6 in. wide, and about 1 in. in thickness. In erecting the fence a trench is cut about 12 in. wide and 8 in. deep, care being taken that the trench is cut perpendicular, so as to ensure the pales standing in a similar position. These are placed upright in the trench, about 3 in. apart, with their flat side close to the perpendicular cut and the soil replaced in the trench and made firm with a rammer.

A double wire is then tightly interlaced about 3 in. from the top of the pales, and given a double twist between each, thereby ensuring great stability by uniting the fence and keeping the pales at equal distance apart. The straining-posts are also of slate, 6 ft. long, 6 in. wide, and 3 in. thick.

[Illustration: SLATE FENCES]

=Turf Dykes.=—These were formerly much used in moorland and outlying districts, where stones are not abundant, and where, from the nature of the soil and situation, hedges would not succeed. They are, at best, troublesome fences to keep in repair, and require some adjunct either in the way of wires atop, or, failing this, they must be planted with gorse or other suitable shrubs. One advantage is the great amount of shelter they afford to the young plants, while they are, comparatively speaking, cheap of erection. There are several methods of building turf dykes, the best being to cut or pare the turf 3 in. in thickness in one or more lengths to suit the width of the dyke, and of a convenient breadth: these are laid cross-wise one above the other. Both sides of the dyke should be built at once, giving the necessary batter as the work proceeds, and the grassy surface of the turf placed to the outside. The dyke is usually made 3 ft. in height, 3 ft. wide, and drawn gradually in to 12 in. at top. A two-rail fence surmounts the dyke, bringing the total height to 4½ ft. or 5 ft. Sometimes a ditch is cut alongside the dyke 3 ft. wide, about 2½ ft. deep, and 9 in. wide at bottom, so as to prevent the farm stock getting at and damaging it, the soil removed being used in forming the fence. By sowing gorse and broom seeds on top of the dyke an excellent shelter fence is obtained.

=Wood Fences.=—These are common on almost every estate throughout the country, especially such as are well wooded, and, owing to the low prices obtainable for home-grown timber, it is well that such should be employed as widely as possible. Wooden fences are also much preferred by many owners of property to those erected either of stone or iron on account of their rustic appearance.

Wooden fences are, therefore, sure to be largely employed when the appearance of the property and not too-exacting financial results are points of importance.

There are many forms of wooden fences adopted, these varying chiefly according to the particular use to which they are applied. The following descriptions are of such kinds as are generally in use for woods and plantations.

Here it might be well to mention in passing that only matured and seasoned timber should be used in fencing, the cost of erection, whether the timber be good or inferior, being the same, and every one knows which will last the longer.

A good strong fence is erected as follows:—Posts, 5 ft. 9 in. long, 4 in. broad, and 2½ in. thick; bars or rails, 9 ft. long, by 3½ in. by 1½ in. Four holes are mortised into the posts for the reception of the bars, the ends of which are so formed as to overlap each other tightly. The fence is usually 4 ft. high, and so as to strengthen the horizontal bars a stake is driven into the ground midway between the larger posts, and to this the rails are securely nailed. In some cases the posts are not to be mortised, so that the bars require to be attached by nails.

[Illustration: SAWN WOOD FENCE]

For park clumps, particularly where a substantial and neat fence to keep back horses, cattle or deer is required, the following, though rather expensive at first, is largely employed. The entire fence is made of oak or Spanish chestnut, and is shown on following page.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[Illustration: OAK FENCES]

Posts 7 ft. long, 6 in. by 4 in., and run out with the circular saw. Rails triangular, about 3½ in. to the side. The uprights are rent from oak or chestnut trees of straight grain, and are usually about ³/₁₆ of an inch thick, and 5 ft. high. The posts are erected 6 ft. apart, the rails being mortised into these, and the rent uprights fastened about 2 in. apart by patent rose nails to the horizontal rails. A fence of this kind, when properly erected, will last for upwards of forty years, especially if the butts of the posts are charred before being inserted in the ground.

[Illustration: WIRE FENCE WITH WOODEN POSTS]

Rustic fences for small tree clumps may be of almost any design, but the following is cheap and easily erected. It is formed of larch posts 6 ft. long, and about 4½ in. diameter, driven into the ground at 6 ft. apart. Two flat or rounded rails about 3 in. by 1¼ in. are nailed horizontally to these, the lower at 9 in. from the ground and the other flush with the tops of the posts, which when driven in are 4 ft. from ground level. The uprights are also of larch, split up the centre and nailed on the horizontal bars at 2 in. apart. They extend above the top rail for 7 in., and are sharply pointed so that they cannot be climbed over.

[Illustration: TOOLS FOR FENCING]

=Wire Fences.=—These may be erected either with iron or wooden standards and straining-posts. The form most commonly in use for enclosing woods is that with wooden posts and strainers, these being made of mature and thoroughly seasoned larch or oak. The strainers are 7 ft. long and 6 in. square, or, if round, about 7 in. in diameter, while the intermediate posts are 5½ ft. long, and 3½ in. by 3 in., or, if round, 3½ in. diameter at smallest end. The strainers should be fitted into the ground at 150 yards apart, and the posts driven firmly at 6 ft. from each other. At every sharp curve along the line of fence a stout post, say 5 in. in diameter, should be used. In order to make a stout fence proof against cattle and sheep, six wires should be used, the two top No. 6, and the others No. 7 gauge, the distances between each pair, beginning at the top, being 8, 7, 6, 5½ and 5 in., the lower being 5 in. from the ground. Brackets for straining the wires should be attached to each of the strainers, these having this advantage over the older system of using the straining machine, that the wires can be loosened or tightened at will, when repairs are found necessary. The tops of the posts should be rounded off or sawn on angle so as to prevent the lodgment of water. Iron and wire fences combined are now commonly in use, and there are so many excellent systems that it would be invidious to recommend one kind more than another.

Iron box fencing, which consists of standards with double pronged feet for fixing in the ground and round or flat horizontal bars run through them, has been largely used and looks neat, being also, if properly erected, very efficient. Wrought-iron hurdles are sometimes used for fencing park clumps, and they possess at least this advantage, that they can be lifted at any time and re-erected should it be found necessary to remove them from one place to another.

Unclimbable iron fencing, usually in hurdles 7 ft. long, are now much in use for park fencing, but for general plantation purposes this class of fencing is too expensive.

=Tree Guards.=—These may either be erected of wood or iron; the former is, however, preferred on most large estates where timber is plentiful, and will receive first attention. For large trees whose branches sweep the greensward an elaborate structure is required, which may take the form of almost any of those described under wooden fencing. That entirely formed of oak is to be recommended, or split larch for uprights, with oak posts and rails may be considered more rustic in appearance. In any case the guard should be sufficiently high and wide to prevent cattle and horses reaching over to damage the branches.

[Illustration: TREE GUARDS]

When the trees are destitute of branches for a considerable distance up the stem, say 8 ft. or 10 ft., a very neat and efficient guard is made as follows:—Procure a number of larch, oak or Spanish chestnut poles, 7 ft. high, and about 2½ in. diameter at small end. Thread these on wires by boring holes in the poles at 2 ft. and 5 ft. from the butt end, keeping each couple separate by 3 in-long pieces of the same size of pole, also threaded on the wires. These can be formed on the level, and when sufficient to embrace the tree have been got together, the whole may be lifted up and placed in position closely around the trunk. Another method is to bind the poles together with fencing wire, giving a double twist between each to keep them at a suitable distance apart.

When a more elaborate fence or guard is required, four posts 7 ft. long, 4 in. square, and sawn from crooked oak branches are used. The posts are quite straight for 5 ft. in length, the upper 2 ft. being inclined outwards, which not only gives the guard a neat appearance, but is a great preventive against the encroachments of farm stock. The posts are inserted nearly 2 ft. in the ground, and so as to form a square around the stem of 4½ ft. to the side, four bars, each 3 in. by 1 in., are nailed horizontally on the straight portions of the posts, and at equal distances apart from where the angle occurs downwards; upwards from that three hoop-iron rails are nailed in a similar manner, the top one being one inch below the level of the crown of the posts. Iron has a light and neat appearance when used for the top bars, but wood is often substituted. Another cheap and neat tree guard for using with the rarer trees, to which horses and cattle have not access, is made as follows:—Pales 3 ft. long, 2 in. wide, by ⅜ in. thick, are sawn out and pointed. They are driven into the ground round the tree to be protected, the tops sloping outwards and 1½ in. apart. Stout tying wire is then interlaced at two heights from the ground.

Oak or chestnut bark placed loosely around clean-stemmed young trees will prevent damage by ground game, and is cheap and looks unobtrusive.