94 Evergreen covert 



shrub. It is easy to establish or move at any age, but 

 for covert use is best small, when it can be bought very 

 cheaply. It seeds freely in our country, and on arid 

 slopes might be increased by scattering the seed on the 

 surface. To many the odour of Box is agreeable, and 

 its colour also is very beautiful. 



Hedges and shelters of Holly. Our country is fortunate 

 in having as a wild tree the most beautiful evergreen of 

 western Europe, and one denied to much of the country 

 in central and northern Europe and a vast region in 

 North America, where it will not withstand the winters. 

 In beauty other evergreen Hollies are inferior to it, 

 hence its berried branches are sent in quantities to North 

 America at Christmas. Of all possible living evergreen 

 fences the best is Holly in close but not stiffly clipped 

 lines. Better still is the free undipped Holly hedge, as 

 it makes a fine shelter as well as a good background. 

 In Warwickshire and other counties it often makes as 

 good a shelter round fields as any shed. Of the clipped 

 Holly hedges fine examples are at Woolverstone in 

 Suffolk. Where land is not valuable— either from its 

 poverty or elevation or other reasons — it matters little 

 whether the hedge is clipped or not, especially round 

 woodland and for cutting off woods from pasture fields. 

 For such a case the finest hedge is that of undipped 

 Holly, because then we get its fruit and protection and 

 fine form. Such hedges might be either of Holly alone 

 or mixed with Sloe or Quick. Where from the nature 

 of the soil it is not easy to raise Hollies from seed — as 

 they should have friable open ground in the young 

 state— it is best to buy small plants from the forest 

 nurseries. The worst enemy of the Holly hedge is the 

 rabbit. I have lost thousands of plants in that way, and 



