MINUTES MAY 



I6. of the air and foil, or from rnifmanagement, or* 

 Sc P&b$ps by old age, are greatly below par; 



the fences being mere mud-walls, with here 

 and there an old Hunted thorn. Near the coaft 

 the fea air may have fome influence; but in 

 Fleg, equally near to the fea, the hedges are 

 flourifhing and beautiful in a high degree. 

 The Fleg farmers feem fully mailers of the 

 fubject of liye hedges. They plant the layer 

 at a moderate height, and are aware of the 

 utility of cutting it down to the flub at four 

 or five years old ; facing and backing the 

 ditch, and fetting on a new hedge. This fc- 

 cures them a fence in perpetuity ; for before the 

 fecond dead hedge begins to fail, the quick is 

 fciecome a perfect fence. Another good prac- 

 tice is that of trimming off the young fhoots 

 which fprawl over the ditch ; by which means 

 their hedges become thick at the bottom. 

 Add to this, they do not fuffer their quick to 

 ftand too long before they cut it down to the 

 flub ; fo that an old overgrown hedge, or 

 row of timber-like " bulls," is fcarcely to be 

 feen. Their method pf felling them, too, is 

 much preferable to the practice of this part of 

 the'country; where the flubs arc ui'ually cutoff 

 ftnack-fmooth with the face of the bank, and 



