FRANCE. 339 



beech, horn-beam, holly, and all the race 

 of the pines. Of thefe the horn-beam fuc- 

 ceeded much the beft -, making a thick and 

 flrong hedge, which flourished fo well, as 

 foon to become impenetrable to man or 

 beaft ; of the fir hedges, none anfwered fo 

 well as the filver fir, which grew up fo 

 clofe to one another, and flourimed fo well, 

 that they formed rather a living wall than 

 a common fence. After inclofing thefe 

 fields, they examined the foil : it was all 

 the gentle dope of a mountain, a black peat 

 earth of very different depths, in fome places 

 very wet and boggy from fprings, and in 

 others dry and ftony ; they dug drains to 

 lay the wet parts dry, before they attempted 

 any cultivation, and then they employed 

 men in the peculiar hufbandry of paring off 

 all the furface with fpades made for that 

 purpofe, and drying the turfs, in order for 

 burning them to afhe?, which is eafily per- 

 formed in dry weather : upon this calcina- 

 tion of the furface, the afhes are fpread 

 equally, and ploughed in ; but they, upon 

 another part of the field, in purfuance of 

 the intention of their founder, tried the me- 

 thod of ploughing up the wafte, without 

 Z 2 the 



