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thrives better in this method of planting than any other, and advances much fafter in rainy feasons, or in wet climates, than in fuch as are drier. If the foil in which they are planted is poor, I would advife to mix fome well made dung* with the earth that covers the roots of the thorns, which would greatly

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I have met with many gentlemen who are firmly perfuaded, that dung of every kind is hurtful to hedges, and many other plants. It is much to be regretted, that mankind should adopt any kind of theory with fo little reserve, as to shut their eyes against the plaineft dictates of experience. I will not here attempt to undeceive those who may have adopted this opinion, by any kind of reasoning, which, in matters of this fort, is always in danger of being fallacious; but leave the decifion of the matter to their own experience and observation; not doubting but that they will find, that, if there are any plants which are not forwarded in their growth, by the judicious application of dung to the foil in which they are reared, the number is extremely small, and that the hawthorn is not one of these.

promote their growth, and be attended with very little expence ; as the quantity neceffa ry could be but very small *.

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* It will hardly be neceffary here to remark, that the hedge ought to be carefully kept clear of weeds for feveral years; and that it ought likewife to be preferved from being broke down by cattle, by means of any kind of dead fence that may beft fuit the circumftance of the farmer to rear. A nobleman in Scotland, who is eminently diftinguished by his attention to agriculture, and the many improvements that he hath made in that art, has lately contrived to effect both these purposes at once, by facing with ftones the ditch in which the hedge is planted, making a fmall fquare hole for each thorn-plane, and cutting the stems of a fufficient length, so as to permit them to come quite through the dike; in which fituation they advance as well as if no facing of stone had been there. In this way of planting, great care ought to be taken to reject bad plants, as it is more difficult to fupply deficiencies afterwards than in the common way; large plants are here alfo more effentially neceffary than in the ordinary mode of planting hedges.

§ XIII.

Directions for the Manner of Planting in a very expofed Situation,

Those who live in an open uncultivated country have many difficulties to encounter, which others who inhabit more warm and sheltered regions never experience; and, among thefe difficulties, may be reckoned that of hardly getting hedges to grow with facility. For, where a young hedge is much exposed to violent and continued gufts of wind, no art will ever make it rife with fo much freedom, or grow with fuch luxuriance as it would do in a more fheltered fitu¬ ation, and favourable exposure.

But, although it is impoffible to rear hedges, in this fituation, to fo much perfection as in the others, yet they may be reared

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even there with a little attention and pains, fo as to become very fine fences.

If it is advifeable, in other cafes, to plant the hedges upon the face of a bank, it becomes abfolutely neceffary in fuch an expofed fituation as that I have now described: For the bank, by breaking the force of the wind, fcreens the young hedge from the violence of the blaft, and allows it to advance, for fome time, at firft, with much greater luxuriance than it otherwise could have done.

But, as it may be expected foon to grow as high as the bank, it behoves the providing husbandman to prepare for that event, and guard, with a wife forecast, against the inconvenience that may be expected to arise from that circumftance.

With this view, it will be proper for him, instead of making a single ditch, and planting one hedge, to raise a pretty high bank, with a ditch on each fide of it, and a hedge

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on each face of the bank; in which fituation, the bank will equally fhelter each of the two hedges, while they are lower than it; and, when they at length become as high as the bank, the one hedge will in a manner afford fhelter to the other, so as to enable them to advance with much greater luxuriance than either of them would have done fingly.

To effectuate this ftill more perfectly, let a row of service-trees be planted along the top of the bank, at the distance of eighteen inches from each other, with a plant of eglantine between each too services. This plant will advance, in fome degree, even in this exposed situation; and, by its numerous shoots, covered with large leaves, will effectually screen the hedge on each side of it, which, in its turn, will receive fome support and shelter from them, so that they will be enabled to advance altogether, and form, in time, a close, strong, and beautiful fence.

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