172 On the Nature and Advantages of Inclosures. 



tentive of moisture, open drains or ditches are used, for 

 the double purpose of dividing the fields, and clearing them 

 from superfluous water; but unless the stock are accustom- 

 ed to such a fence, they are apt to fall into the ditches, by 

 which some are maimed, and occasionally destroyed; and if 

 posts and rails are erected to prevent such accidents, they 

 seldom last long ( 7 ^). If smaller drains are wanted, they 

 ought to be covered, that all the valuable soil that can pos- 

 sibly be obtained, may be turned to profitable use. Where 

 it would be an imprudent waste, to occupy valuable land in 

 fences, stone walls are to be preferred ; or a fence of white- 

 thorn may be raised ; but that species of fence requires to 

 be protected till the thorns grow up. The best protection 

 for such a fence, is either a railing of wood, or a hedge of 

 dead thorn, cut to about 27 inches in length, and fix- 

 ed in the top of the dike; or if stones are at hand, they may 

 be raised to the height of 15 or 18 inches on the top of the 

 dike. By any of these modes, the fence will be rendered 

 complete at once, and kept so, till the growing thorns be- 

 come sufficient of themselves. 



3. Inclosures in low arable Farms. In such situations, 

 where circumstances permit, the fields should be from fif- 

 teen to twenty-five or thirty acres; and the fences either 

 stone walls, or hedges trained close and low. Some smaller 

 inclosures near the dwelling-house, are of use, according 

 to the size of the farm, for various purposes, in particular, 

 for the rearing of calves or young horses, where they may 

 be attended to, and watched with greater convenience. 



4. Inclosures in upland Farms. The soil of upland farms 

 is generally cold, and of inferior quality. To secure early 

 and rich grass, and to shelter the live stock, the inclosures 

 ought to be considerably smaller than in lower farms ; belts 

 of several sorts of wood should be raised, or hedges of beech 

 or holly, which, though of slow growth, will certainly thrive 

 in dry and gravelly soils where the thorn would fail. In 

 Devonshire and Cornwall, it is usual to make copse fences 

 on large mounds of earth, which, in time, pay for the ex- 

 pense of making them, by the fuel they afford, and the shel- 

 ter they furnish, both to the land and the cattle. 



5. Inclosures on mountain Sheep-Farms. No sheep-farmer 

 can carry on his business with satisfaction and profit, with- 

 out some inclosures. There ought to be at least a tup-park^ 

 or inclosure for the rams ; an hospital-park, for such dis- 

 eased or unfortunate sheep, as require better food, or more 

 shelter than the rest of the flock ; an inclosure for water- 



