58 BIOGRAPHY. 



reason, leaving an unsightly gap which could not be filled 

 up. In most hands the holly is a slow-growing tree, but 

 Waterton made it grow with astonishing rapidity. 



How he managed to "force " the holly may be seen from 

 his own words. 



" People generally imagine that the holly is of tardy 

 growth. It may be so in ordinary cases, but means may 

 be adopted to make this plant increase with such effect as 

 to repay us amply for all our labour and expense. 



" Thus, let us dig the ground to a full yard in depth, 

 and plant the hollies during the last week of May, taking 

 care to puddle their roots well into the pulverized soil. 

 We shall find by the end of September that many of 

 the plants will have shot nearly a foot in length, and that 

 not one of them has failed, let the summer have been 

 never so dry. 



" Small plants, bought in a nursery, and placed in your 

 own garden for a couple of years, will be admirably 

 adapted for the purpose of transplanting. Had I been 

 aware in early life of this increasing growth of the holly, 

 it should have formed all my fences in lieu of haw- 

 thorn." 



I tried this plan with perfect success upon a stony and 

 ungrateful soil. The rationale of the process is, that 

 the young rootlets, which ought to be carefully spread by 

 the fingers, are able to draw nourishment rapidly from the 

 earth, and in consequence throw up branches in proportion. 

 Waterton advised me to cut down the young hollies at 

 first, and his advice was most valuable, although it cost 

 some pangs when followed. 



I mentioned just now that a good holly hedge is imper- 

 vious to man and beast. So it is ; and not even the rat, 

 stoat, weasel, or even that worst of poachers, the cat, can 

 get through it. True, they might push their way between 



