CHAPTER XXX 
HEDGEROWS—CULTIVATED AND WASTE LAND 
WITHIN the area of cultivation the hedgerow forms one 
of the most striking features of the country. They are 
artificially made, and where not cleared and trimmed too 
scrupulously, and not ruined by dust, they form a rich 
and varied community of the waifs and strays of all kinds 
of associations. The hedge itself is made of trees and 
bushes, and at the top of the hedge-bank the soil is dry 
and shady. The deep shade prevents many plants from 
becoming established, but those with climbing stems or 
much-divided leaves are common. The former can reach 
the light by climbing to the top of the hedge, whilst the 
finely-cut leaf allows what little light there is to reach all 
parts of the plant. From the hedge slopes down the 
bank, which is warm and sunny on the south side if not 
overhung by trees. The north, shady side harbours a 
much richer flora than the other, and the plants are taller 
and more luxuriant. The light strikes the bank obliquely, 
and prostrate plants or rosette-plants, which place their 
leaves at right angles to the incident light, are common on 
the drier side. The effect of the lateral light is seen in 
the way some of the leaves, especially of seedlings, turn 
away from hedges (see Heliotropism, p. 68). At the 
bottom of the bank may run the ditch, which was formed 
when the hedge-bank was built up. The flowers there are 
immigrants from the damp meadow or stragglers from the 
marsh, and if the ditch is always filled with water a mixed 
assemblage of aquatics will flourish (see p. 236). Then 
beyond this, bordering the road, may stretch a rough 
piece of grass, a place of refuge for outcasts from the 
pasture, or, if bare spots occur, from the cultivated 
field. The vegetation of the hedgerow is therefore very 
292 
