As in hedge laying, the opportunities for direct co-operation between workers are limited, and the satisfaction comes in seeing your own job well done. In most cases it is best to each take a section of bank and work at it alone. The length of each section will depend on the bank’s height, and the total length needing repair.
If the bank is low and has a hedge which is to be laid immediately afterwards, it is best for the group to concentrate on the length which it is planned to lay that same day. On low banks turfing is normally faster than laying. The turfers should progress a safe distance along the bank before the hedge layers begins.
On high banks work is more difficult, and it is best if each worker or a pair of workers takes a section a few yards long. Lifting and placing the turfs is tiring, and working in pairs is advisable. One person cuts and lifts the turfs, while the other prepares the backing, helps take the turf off the shovel without dropping it, and tamps it into position. Switch positions at intervals. In commercial work, it is expected that a craftsman should be able to cut and throw a turf onto the highest bank ‘without the assistance of help or hand’.
In turf hedging competitions, where the entire face is torn down and rebuilt, juniors and novices are usually assigned 9’ (2.8m) lengths, and more experienced competitors 12’ (3.7m). Competitors are usually hard pressed to finish within three hours. These lengths are about right for a full day’s work at a reasonable pace.
Where the bank has two faces, both of which need repair, it’s best to complete the repair of one side before starting on the other. If opposite sides are torn apart at the same time, the whole section is likely to collapse.
