BER TREES.
These subjects, though not strictly of one nature, are so connected together, that they may with pro priety be treated of in one Chapter. The majority of enclosures in Britain being made by planting thorn hedges; and as all woods and plantations should be com pletely fenced, so that they may thrive and prove pro ductive, the subjects which are included in this Chap ter are therefore not so incompatible as at first sight may appear.
On Enclosures.
Enclosures, with some trifling exceptions, are formed in Britain by building stone walls, or planting thorn hedges. According to the first method, the walls are either of dry stone, or of stone and lime; and in the last instance, lime is either used only in bedding the out ward part of the wall, or applied to the whole of it, as circumstances may render necessary. These walls are either coped with sod, or have a cope which tapers to the top, closely built with stone and lime, or the coping is executed in what is called the Galloway fashion, with large irregular stones, according to the taste and dispo sitions of the persons by whom they are erected. A wall built with stone and lime is undoubtedly the preferable fence; but the expense far exceeds the value of the in terest which a tenant generally has in the premises. Such walls ought therefore, in every case, to be erected 7,), the peoprictor, who thus increases the value of his property, in a direct proportion with the increased value given to the land, by the erection of such fences. Ge nerally speaking, proprietors have not been very for ward with such improvements, but have thrown them upon the shoulders of the tenantry as often as the latter would undertake them. Hence the bad state of fences in many districts. The tenant having only a limited interest in their success, executes the erection at the least possible expense, and without any regard to their permanence.
To render a stone wall useful as a fence, its height ought never to be less than five feet three inches, other wise it will not keep in many of the breeds of sheep which prevail in the country. In erecting the fence, great care ought to be taken to build upon a solid foundation, otherwise the wall is apt to incline to a side, and gradually to fall down. The coping should be made close; for if water gets down the inside of the wall, it will bulge out, and filially go to ruin. To bed the stones sufficiently, and to give each a hold of the other, are likewise matters of importance when walk are built; the duration of the wall depending entirely upon the attention given to the particulars which we have mentioned.
On Thorn Hedges.
A thorn hedge makes an excellent fence, when once trained up and brought to maturity; but the length of time which elapses before it can prove of much benefit, and the great expense incurred in training it up, render such a fence not much cheaper than a stone wall ; espe cially if the loss from the want of it in the first instance is duly estimated. The price of such a fence, however,
being gradually expended by the farmer, he is not so sensible of its amount as of that of a stone wall, and is therefore generally disposed to give a preference to the former. If the several expenses belonging to hedges, and the extent of ground wasted by this mode of fenc ing, are fully considered, we are not certain that the ba lance will be much in favour of them as fences. At all events, a stone wall is useful in the first year, whereas a dozen at least must elapse before a hedge can be of much benefit.
When a thorn hedge is to be planted, it is of advan tage to fallow the ground a year before hand; and if the soil is poor, to dress it with dung, so that the young plants may not be oppressed with weeds, or stunted for want of food, when weak and unable to send forth their fibres in search of nourishment. These things being attended to, and the hedge planted, an annual cleaning ought to be given; sometimes two cleanings are neces sary before the hedge will thrive. It is also necessary to fence it at the back with paling, that beasts may be restrained from going over it, and to switch it over when two or three years of age, in order that it may be kept close at the bottom. It may be remarked, that a gap once made is never effectually filled up; and there fore the utmost care ought to be exerted to keep cattle of all kinds from making trespasses. As the hedge grows up, repeated cuttings are necessary, so that a wide bottom may be gained, without which no hedge can be considered as a suitable fence; and some atten tion is required to give a proper shape to the top, which is a matter of much importance to the welfare of the hedge. When thorns arc allowed to grow to unequal heights, the sonny plants are sure to snioditr the weak ones; and when the hedge becomes broad at the top, it retains water and snow, to the great injury of the plant:. All these evils may be ;s oiled by proper management ; though, as we have already said, twelve years must elapse before the best managed hedge can be considered as a sufficient fence; and in may cases double that time must intervene betwixt planting and perfection. Upon many soils, the most arduous endeavours will not make a fence from thorns, though this, after all, depends mucit upon the attention bestowed at the outset. If once mar red in its growth by carelessness and negligence, it is hardly practicable to make up for former errors by addi tional diligence. In fact, it is an easier business to root up the old hedge, and train up a new one, than to recover a hedge which has been mismanaged, or suffer ed to get into bad condition, from want of attention to the cleaning and cutting processes.