838 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART 111. 



' When the milkmaid singeth blythe. 

 And the mower whets his scythe. 

 And every shepherd tells his tale 

 Under the hawthorn in the dale ;' 



anJ with these, and a thousand such associations as these, we cannot but 

 feel emotions of no ordinary nature when we behold this beautiful tree." 

 (Lauder's Gilpin, vol. i. p. 195.) 



As a tree of the third rank, in ornamental scenery, few surpass the haw- 

 thorn ; and, in parks, the haws afford food for small birds, and for deer. It 

 also forms an ornamental undergrowth ; and Sir Uvedale Price has recom- 

 mended it to be planted in thickets, in order to afford a protection to timber 

 trees, without the aid of fencing. As trees are frequently planted thick at 

 first, with the intention of thinning them afterwards; and as this operation is 

 almost always neglected, the same author suggests that, in extensive plant- 

 ations, no more timber trees ought to be planted than are intended finally to 

 remain ; and that the interstices should be filled up with hawthorns, hollies, 

 and other shrubs, or low trees. 



By far the most important use of the hawthorn is as a hedge plant. For 

 this purpose, it is planted in single or in double lines, most commonly along 

 the margin of a ilitch ; though, however convenient this may be with respect 

 to fencing the plants when young, and draining the soil, yet it is a great draw- 

 back to their j)rogress afterwards, by preventing their roots from extending 

 themselves, except on one side ; and, by the drainage of the ditch, it also 

 deprives them of their natural share of moisture. Wherever thorn hedges 

 are planted, and intended to thrive, the ground ought to be trenched at 

 least 2 ft. in depth, manured, if poor, and the plants inserted on a flat sur- 

 face, so as to receive and retain the whole of the moisture that falls from the 

 heavens. The margin of the ditch ought always to be 2 ft. or 3 ft. from the 

 plants ; and the earth excavated, instead of being raised into a ridge over the 

 roots of the plants, and where it can be of little or no use to them, ought to be 

 spread over the general surface, so as to increase the depth of nutritive soil. 

 This mode of raising hedgcs'would, doubtless, be attended with somewhat more 

 expense, at first, than the present one ; but it would be found cheaper in the 

 end, by the more speedy production of a sufficient fence, and the consequent 

 saving of temporary protecting fences. The prejudices, however, in favour of the 

 present mode of hedging and ditching are so great, and are so generally diffused 

 through every part of the country, that we can hardly hope that any new plan 

 involving greater expense will be favourably listened to. It is necessary to 

 have had some experience in planting, and to have participated in the enjoy- 

 ment derived from seeing the extraordinarily rapid increase produced in plants 

 by extraordinary care being bestowed on their culture, to induce a departure 

 from ordinary practice. The object of planting and training hedges will be 

 treated of at length in the succeeding part of this work ; and, in the mean 

 time, we may state that by far the best instructions which have been pub- 

 lished for planting and raising hawthorn hedges will be found given by Mr. 

 Stephens, in the Quarterly Journal of AgnculltirCy vol. ii. p. 621., and quoted 

 in our EncyclojiCEdiu of Agricullurc, 2d edit., p. 480. 



Poetical and kgcndary Allusions. Hawthorn flowers have been identified 

 with the floral games of May, and the beauties of spring, from time imme- 

 morial. Their scent is said to be not only reviving to the spirits, but to have 

 the power of counteracting poison. They are regarded as the emblem of 

 hope, and were carried by the girls in the wedding processions of the ancient 

 Greeks, and laid on the altar of Hymen, which was lighted with torches made 

 of the wood. The Troglodytes tied bunches of hawthorn to their dead, when 

 they were buried. In some parts of France, the hawthorn is called I'epine 

 noble, because it is supposed to have been the thorn used for crowning our 

 Saviour; and the country people beheve that it always utters groans and 

 sighs on Good Friday. Others put a bunch of hawthorn in their hats during 

 a thunder storm, to guard them from the lightning. The most remarkable 

 legend connected with the hawthorn is that of the Glastonbury thorn. It 



