New gorse coverts. 85 



arranged. It now became too hot for the dehnquent, 

 and he bhirted out : — " Well, then, I did do it, and I 

 could not help it, for it would be unnatural in nie not to 

 kill what I was brought up to do." Of course he got the 

 sack, and the M.F.H. imbibed a salutary lesson, which 

 he has handed down to us for the sake of sport, " Trust 

 not your keepers." 



And now about these new gorse coverts, which w^ien 

 made will be a great boon to the country, especially the 

 one Wroxeter way, and the other near Lythwood. 

 Having had a good deal of experience in both sowing 

 and planting gorses, I may be allowed a few words of 

 advice. I have tried both planting and sowing, and 

 succeeded in both, but prefer the latter as the more 

 certain of the two methods. Plough in April, and 

 sow barley or oats, not a heavy crop : then sow the gorse 

 seed broadcast, exactly as you would other seeds, such 

 as clover or rye grass, and harrow it in. At harvest-time 

 cut the grain pretty high up the straw, and the stubble 

 will protect the young gorse, which is very tender the 

 first year. Babbits will damage it the first winter, and 

 must be kept off. Afterwards they do good, as they 

 keep it open under for foxes to creep about in it. A few 

 larch or Scotch firs as a boundary to it are an advantage, 

 as they give it a protecting fringe, and deter malicious 

 people from setting fire to it. Five acres is plenty of 

 extent for a gorse under any ordinary circumstances — 

 and do not cut a ride in it. If it is larger, you may be 

 tempted to divide it by a ride, so as to get foxes away- 

 more easily, and by doing so you will probably spoil it. 

 I once did so, and never could rely on the covert again 

 as a holding one. Do not make an artificial earth inside 

 a gorse, for two reasons. It will be always difficult 

 to get at to stop, and secondly you will have to be 

 continually disturbing the covert to go to the earth and 

 stop it. The smell of a man's foot within his sanctuary 

 is worse than that of a dog, and- is fatal to a fox's 

 happiness. Have your earth outside in an adjoining 

 wood or plantation. The worst of gorse coverts are that 

 foxes, by the aid of rabbits, make earths in their midst, 

 which you can seldom discover, and which, if you do, 

 you dare not touch for fear of spoiling the covert. I had 



