THE LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF HAMPSHIRE. 357 



clumps as are seen in tlie Outwood, Hursley, Norman Court on 

 the borders of Wiltshire, and Mark Ash in the New Forest, still 

 show the grandeur of the ancient forests. 



The Hazel [Corylus avellana). — The nut of the hazel varies 

 greatly in different plants, but not so the leaf. This tree is widely 

 distributed, and in former years it was extensively planted in the 

 hedgerows. Twenty-five to thirty years ago many of these hedge- 

 rows were grubbed up, partly for the purpose of enlarging the 

 fields, and partly owing to the depreciation in the value of hazel 

 hoops consequent on the importation of the foreign article ; but 

 after a time it was found that imported hoops did not last so long 

 as homegi'own, and now hazel " rods " command a good price. 

 The wood is cut at the age of from eight to twelve years, and is 

 the most useful of our small-wood. Here a question presents 

 itself to the agricultural chemist. — Most of these hedgerows have 

 been in existence time out of mind, and have been regularly cut 

 say every ten years. The weight of a crop taken ofl' an acre is 

 estimated at 40 tons. Besides this, there is in the hedgerow a 

 thick carpet of wild hyacinth (^Agrajjhis nutans), wood anemone 

 (Anemone nemorosa), and the common primrose (Primula vulgaris). 

 When grubbed up a rich virgin soil is exposed, in strange contrast 

 to the adjoining arable land, which has been ploughed and manured 

 from the time the hazel was planted. The hedgerow has neither 

 been tilled nor manured, yet not only is the soil richer, but has 

 increased in bulk, and is on a higher level than the arable fields. 

 Compare the weight of produce carried off per acre, and putting 

 the hazel at ten years of age, and taking the weight at 40 tons, — 

 this gives an average weight of 4 tons per acre per annum, while 

 agricultural produce cannot be taken at more than 2 tons per acre 

 per annum. But it may be said that there is a crop of "roots" of 

 say 20 tons to the acre every four years. To balance this, however, 

 the ground receives say 20 tons of manure per acre in every fourth 

 year. Then, without going into the chemical composition of the 

 produce removed, it is obvious that the 4 tons of wood contain a 

 larger proportion of solid matter than the 2 tons of agricultural 

 produce. It is said that the hazel leaves which fall tend to enrich 

 the soil. This is no doubt true, but whence did the leaves obtain 

 their nourishment ? Some part may be from the atmosphere, but 

 the agricultural plant has the same chance. It may be said that 

 the roots of the hazel penetrate to a greater depth in the soil. 

 This is true, although the hazel is not a deep-rooting plant. Then, 



