Making fences, walls and hedges
u V 1^ I I' §^ « H •«i« g .SS B V o (^ li; §■« !^ o "1 S^ «> •S-s gu> ^1 • u '(3 1^ «> (0 l-i V ^ -C C o O 9 O o , ^ ** «> 'O wH o c rS o 5^ W)^ •> <J^ dbyGoogk dbyGoogk Walls 51 for this. They are placed where the ten- sile stress occurs. If a load is applied to a concrete beam, the tendency to bend causes the molecules in the upper part of the beam to be compressed and those in the lower part to be pulled asunder. The steel rod or rods placed below the center, by their great tensile qualities, supply the needed strength. Posts should have two rods, placed vertically in diagonal corners and walls can have either rods placed ver- tically or a steel mesh running lengthwise with the wall. If a wall is thick and not high in proportion to its width this re- enforcing is not necessary. Expansion joints should be left in all continuous walls and precise information about these is ob- tained from the hand books. COST It is difficult to lay down definite figures for the cost of building walls and fences. Material and labor vary from year to year and from place to place. Therefore what follows should be regarded as only approx- imate although every precaution has been taken to be accurate. dbyGoogk 52 Fences, Walls and Hedges Starting with fences, the simple forms of picket fences cost in the section of New York about $2.00 to $6.00 per running yard. New England and the South could build them cheaper, say for 76 cents up per yard, due in the former section to cheaper labor and in some parts cheaper material, and in the latter section (the South) to both cheaper labor and material. The West in general is cheaper than New York, especially in the lumber regions. These figures are for fences of considerable length and not for short runs. As the fence becomes more complicated in design the labor cost increases in a greater ratio than the material cost and the only exact way to determine these is to get an estimate from a carpenter. It would be necessary to have drawings of the fence to get accurate figures. For wire and iron fences the safest way is to go directly to the manufacturers for their figures. Their catalogues give prices and other information. A fence 8 feet high of three wires strung between locust or chestnut posts costs from 90 cents to $1.00 per running yard. dbyGoogk Walls 53 A fence five feet high cost $1.16 per run- ning yard If you have the posts grow- ing, then outside of buying the wire and the staples the cost consists of cutting and setting. A man can drive 90 posts in a day under ordinary conditions and he can dig 80 holes. A man can drive from S5 to SOO iron posts in a day, depending on the soil. In rough masonry work we figure by the perch of 16% cubic feet. For a rough dry wall a good average would be $4.00 the perch while for one laid up at random in cement mortar a perch would be worth about $5.00. Copings 4xSl inches if rock face edges and tops, cost from $ .50 per lineal foot up; if clean cut $1.00 or more. These figures are for stone at hand, if carting is necessary the price goes up in proportion to the distance hauled. Walls of common brick handburned with ordinary bonds cost from $1S.00 to $15.00 per thousand bricks. There are 16 bricks to a square foot of 8-inch wall, 22% bricks to a square foot of 12-inch wall, SO bricks to a square foot of 16-hich wall, and 7% bricks for each additional thick- dbyGoogk 54 Fences, Walls and Hedges ness of wall. Face brick such as washed, wire cut and tapestry brick bring the price up 50 per cent, or more. Cut stone walls can only be fixed by estimates when draw- ings and specifications are supplied. Con- crete mixed by hand in most sections runs from $6.00 to $10.00 per cubic yard. Remember in figuring the cubical contents of a wall to include what is below grade as well as what is above. dbyGoogk m HEDGES HEDGES are capable of fitting any scheme of planning and combine with the beautiful some of the most ex- cellent of practical features. These " live fences ** with the colors of nature have a limitless range of shapes and sizes. If dense, the hedge not only obstructs the vision of the outsider but acts as a windbreak. If les« thick it still screens, but at the same' time allows a certain amount of air to pass through. With the average wall or fence, once in place, a change is not easy. Not so with the hedge. It may be varied from year to year, now thick, now thin, now high, now low, until just the right shape and density are acquired. It improves with time. With hedges you have wonderful back- grounds for garden accessories, long lines of bright color if needed or screens to ob- * 55 dbyGoogk 56 Fences, Walls and Hedges .^jectionable features. They may be links L between the formal and the purely natural : and mark a dividing line with softness but C_ decision. Yet even such a glorious creature as a ; hedge has tome disadvantages. It just 1 welcomes all sorts of woody and creepy \ vines, among which the poison-ivy is a \ leader. The only successful way out, is to remove these intruders by hand when they are small, or otherwise the task will become a titanic one. Then there are the insects, but these can be treated with the same methods and amount of work as for shrubs and trees. Cultivation is often necessary and makes another act of labor with pruning and spraj^j^g. Yes, a hedge must have care while a b ick or stone wall once in place needs little farther attention. Do not get the idea that hedge growing is a life long affair. It is true that box and a few other varieties are very slow growing but privet and laurel makes in two or three years a very respectable appear- ance and the majority of others very little longer. dbyGoogk Hedges CJ PLAKTING General Directions. Before planting is started the soil must be properly prepared. First thoroughly plow a width of six feet and the length of the hedge and then cul- tivate. Better results are certain when fertilizers are used and the area cropped the year previous, especially if the soil is poor or impoverished. A trench or fur- row is run through the center of the cul- tivated strip deep enough to take the roots without bending, and after setting growth is hastened by making the soil firm with a rammer. The young plants must be shortened both top and rofkt before planting and must not be too old or large. It is true that in transplanting hedge plants as well as fruit trees the shock of transplanting retards the growth when too far developed so that a younger plant, which has not gone far enough to be shocked, will over- take and pass its older rival in a few years. Two or three years old is about the right age. A young hedge often has a wire fence down the center <is a reenforcing un- ci by Googk 58 Fences, Walls and Hedges til it is strong enough to stand bj itself in the world. A good general rule for the spacing of the new plants is to have the distance be- tween two-thirds the height of the plants. If you wish to have eventually a high hedge, plant farther apart than for a low hedge. To help increase the height from the beginning plant on a low raised bank whose flat top should be at least two feet wide. Let this bank have turf. Plant in single lines for formal effects and in double lines, the plants alternating, for protection and shelter. Where a hedge is used as a background for flowers a distance of two feet may well be kept between the hedge and the flowers as the roots of the former would rob the latter of much of their nourishment. PBUNING All deciduous growths may be pruned at any time in the south, while in the north ^ mild weather in February and March is selected by many gardeners for this work. The plants develop buds along the branches and when part of a branch is cut dbyGoogk o V •n In (0 o In o 1^ bfl O dbyGoogk dbyGoogk Hedges 59 away the future growth is concentrated in the remaining buds which improves the shape and the health of the plant. But good judgment is essential for this prun- ing. Different plants require different cuttings and the final shape desired has much to do with where the cuts are to be made. To secure a bushy effect, cut back the ends of branches. To get long ver- tical branches cut away those branches which are not vertical or which interfere with those that are.. As a rule make the cut just above and quite close to, a bud. This will leave little wood projecting be- yond after the bud has started growing. Generally flowering hedges look best with rounded outlines. Do not be afraid to prune enough ; most beginners are. Shrub hedges require pruning while evergreen hedges are generally clipped with shears. Remember that flowering shrubs pro- duce their flowers in two ways — one class from buds formed the previous season and another class from buds appearing on the wood the same season with the flowers. Some of the first class are lilacs, honey- suckles, privets, dogwood, Japan, quince. dbyGoogk 6o Fences, Walls and Hedges azaleas, mock oranges and dwarf horse- ' chestnuts. If these are pruned in the early spring all buds cut away are flowers i lost. The best way is to prune severely every three or four years and regulate \ yearly as much as possible by late spring cutting. With the second class pruning may be as close as you wish in the early spring or late winter for many varieties I will flower all the better if closely cut back. Honey locust and osage orange may be allowed to grow until they are an inch through near the ground and then cutting them back almost- to the ground. A strong new growth is the result and after- wards they may be trimmed yearly as for other hedges. Evergreens are best pruned in April. By being clipped each year they become very dense which is especially desirable for \ the Norway spruce as it becomes very open if allowed to grow. Most pines are ! not happy when pruned, the white pine \ being more tractable than the others; al- \ though if their natural forms of growth are carefully considered much can be done with them. dbyGoogk Hedges 6i Cut back to some strong bud and as a rule do not go back further than last year's growth. Most hedges if left un- clipt for several years are ruined beyond remedy. TABIBTTBS We usually think of hedges as being evergreen, box or privet, but in truth the majority of hardy shrubs and some trees make excellent hedges. We shall divide the varieties into Decid- uous and Evergreen. Following is a list of the better known flowering deciduous kinds : — Japanese Barberry (Berberis Thunber- Holly-leafed Barberry (Berberis aqui- folium). Cockspur Thorn (Crataegus Crus-galli). Rose of Sharon, variety of (Hibiscus Syriacus, Carneaplena). Osage Orange (Madura aurantiaca). Honey locust (Gleditschia Triacan- thos). European Hawthorne (Cratoegus Oxy- licantha). dbyGoogk 62 Fences, Walls and Hedges Buckthorn (Rhamnus Catharticus). Lilac (Syringa Vulgaris). Sweetbrier Rose. Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata). EVEEGEEENS Norway Spruce (Picea excelsa). American arbor vitae (Thuja occiden- talis). Common Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis). Junipers^ (Juniperus communis). Box. EVEBOEEEN {Southem) Flex cassine. Holly as far north as New Jersey. Privet in a way is both deciduous and evergreen. SMALL LAWN HEDGES (Northem) Honeysuckle. Lilac. Redbarked dogwood. SOUTHEEN Chinese Privet; cape jasmine; Japan evergreen; roses. dbyGoogk Hedges 63 The Japanese Barberry grows four feet high, in a great variety of soils and will stand the shade. It is hardy everywhere with many twigs and thorns and if dipt makes a dense and solid wall. It has bright scarlet berries which last through the winter. If the plants are sheared, set The various forms of hedge trimming shown in section and perspective them 18 inches apart; if n,ot, 24 to 80 inches. Ths HoUy-leafed Barberry stands to a height of four feet and like the above grows in any soil. Has good winter color and blossoms in May with yellow flowers. Set plants as for above. The Cockspur Thorn will go up to twenty-five feet and while it will grow in most any soil prefers a rich one. Blos- soms in May and June with clusters of white flowers something like apple blos- dbyGoogk 64 Fences, Walls and Hedges soms. Has long, sharp thorns. Set plants 24 to 30 inches apart and prune not later than August first. Variety of Rose of Sharon. Grows twelve feet high in any soil. The bush is covered with single pink flowers in August and September. Set plants 18 to 24 inches apart and prune after flowering. Osage Orange. This is really a tree but adapts itself wonderfully to a hedge. Is spreading and picturesque with hand- some orange-like foliage. Will not stand the climate of our extreme northern states. Honey Locust. Small globe-headed tree with elegant foliage. With proper shear- ing makes an excellent hedge. European Hawthorn. Not recommend- ed for United States as it has many fungus enemies here. The varieties are arbutus- leaved, apple-leaved, pear-leaved, glossy- leaved, parsley-leaved and many others. They are of compact growth and will stand any soil and situation. The flowers are abundant and plentiful. Buckthorn has small dark leaves and in- conspicuous greenish white flowers. Makes a good hedge. dbyGoogk Hedges 65 LUac, Flowers purple and white. There are several varieties having differ- ent colors in the flowers and leaves. Some varieties assume a tree like form. Hydrangea. It is hardy throughout the country and very vigorous in growth. The flowering is extremely gorgeous with large pyramidal panicles of white flowers that change to pink and last well into the winter. The plant enjoys a deep rich soil and moisture. Norrtay Spruce. This tree is very hardy and of free growth. It is well to control it by clipping as it appears coarse when grown too high. There are many valuable varieties that vary in color and all make fine hedges. Some grow into pyramidal and conical forms naturally and there are dwarf species. Arbor Vita is hardy with rapid growth when conditions are favorable. Assumes conical forms. Varieties range from som- ber colors to golden and silver-hued ones. Fine for contrasts. There are also dwarfs of this family valuable for edgings or low hedges. Jimipers. These are beautiful and re- dbyGoogk dbyGoogk dbyGoogk imiVERSITY Of IHCHI6AJI 3 9015 00940 9387 dbyGoogk dbyGoogk. 