NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL UNDERCOVER FOR GAME, 59 
will be required to make them spread and keep them from running 
up too high, 
This forms an excellent cover for pheasants and foxes, as it is 
always so dry and comfortable ; with a little care and patience it 
can be produced on any estate at a merely nominal cost, and if 
properly looked after, will last for a long time. Where rabbits and 
foxes are the main objects in view, the very best cover for preserv- 
ing them is, without doubt, gorse or whin. Of course, if there is a 
good supply of natural grown whins, little need be done, except 
an occasional cutting or burning, just to keep them in good condi- 
tion, and this should be done on the rotation system—say a patch 
every year, so as to keep up a regular supply of cover. The burn- 
ing or cutting should always be done before the plants get too old 
and weak, because if left too long, the roots are apt to die out. 
On a good many estates, and especially in the principal hunting 
districts in the midlands of England, good patches of natural gorse 
are rather rare, consequently it is quite a common practice to raise 
them from seed. 
In connection with the selection of a site for an artificial gorse 
cover, the following points might be observed :— 
The site should be of a hilly nature, composed of light sandy soil 
—say the worst piece of ground in the district. 
It should not be in too close proximity to arable land, because a 
large number of rabbits can soon do enormous damage to grain or 
root crops, and they prove a constant source of annoyance to the 
farmer. 
An ideal site for a gorse cover would be in the middle of a large 
park adjoining the mansion-house. There is then plenty of food 
for rabbits, and it is handy for shooting, while in the hunting season 
it is rather interesting to watch the ‘‘draw” from the windows or 
pleasure-grounds. 
If the soil is light and sandy, gorse-growing is almost a certain 
success, provided the seed is of good quality. If the proposed site 
is old turf, it is advisable to plough it a fair depth in the autumn, 
and let it lie all winter, so as to let the turf rot as much as possible. 
In the spring, the ground should be worked pretty well, so as to 
kill as many of the weeds as possible, and then the seed may be put 
in early in April, just like an ordinary cereal crop. If the ground 
is very dirty, the seed should be sown in drills, say 20 to 24 inches 
apart. Cleaning can then be attended to during the summer 
months, thereby giving the crop a fair start for the first season. If 
