tremely firm in the stem, and is hurt by no fort of exposure. At this present time, I have fome plants of it growing upon a very indifferent foil, which, in eight years from the time of fowing the feeds, are about twelve feet in height, and eight or nine inches in girt at the root; fo that, I think, there is but little doubt, but that these trees might be employed for a fence in the fame manner as was defcribed for the poplars, upon fuch poor and barren foils as would be improper for them. This tree ought to be raised from feeds, in the fame manner as the hawthorn ;transplanted from the feed-bed at one or two year's growth into a rich garden-mold, and, in four or five years, they would be fit for planting out upright.

$ XXV.

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§ XXV.

Of the Ufe of the Alder in Fencing.

The alder might be employed for the fame purpose upon damp foils. If propagated from feeds, it rifes upright, and grows very fast; and, being strong in its shoots, would be well adapted for this use.

Hedges are undoubtedly the beft fences; and would, on almost all occafions, be preferable to those of every other kind, were they not fo long of coming to perfection after they are planted, and fo difficult to be preferved from other accidents during that period; fo that it has hitherto been a defideratum in agriculture, to find out fomething that should be an immediate fence as a wall, and lasting as a hedge. Whether the four

plants

plants last mentioned will effectuate this purpofe in the manner above proposed, I will not take upon me to fay; but, as the matter is of confiderable importance, and there seems to be a probability that they may at least be of fome ufe, I hope I fhall be excused for having hazarded a few conjectures upon this head.

Of Furze, or Whins, as a Fence.

Whins (furze) have been often employed as a fence when fowed upon the top of a bank. They are attended with the convenience of coming very quickly to their perfection, and of growing upon a foil in which few other plants could be made to thrive : But, in the way that they are commonly

em

employed, they are neither a ftrong nor lafting fence.

The first of these defects may, in fome measure, be removed, by making the bank upon which they are fowed (for they never should be transplanted) of a very confiderable breadth; in order that the largenefs of the aggregate body, confidered as one mafs, may, in fome measure, make up for the want of strength in each individual plant.

With this view, a bank may be raised of five or fix feet in breadth at the top, with a large ditch on each fide of it; raifing the bank as high as the earth taken from the ditches will permit; the furface of which fhould be fowed pretty thick with whinfeeds. These will come up very quickly; and, in two or three years, will form a barrier that few animals will attempt to break through, and will continue in that state of perfection for fome years.

The

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The greateft objection to this plant as a fence is, that, as it advances in fize, the old prickles always die away; there being never more of these alive at any time upon the plant, than those that have been the produce of the year immediately preceding; and these thus gradually falling away, leave the stems naked below as they advance in height; fo that it very foon becomes an exceeding poor and unfightly fence; the ftems being entirely bare, and fo flender withal, as not to be able to make a fufficient refiftance to almoft any animal whatever. To remedy this great defect, either of the two following methods may be adopted that shall beft fuit your fituation and circunftances.

The firft is, to take care to keep the banks always ftored with young plants; never allowing them to grow to fuch a height as to become bare below. And, it was principally to admit of this, without lofing at any time the use of the fence, that I have advised

the