OLD HEDGEROWS. 59 



CHAPTER III. 



i 



OLD HEDGEROWS. 



OLD hedges are rapidly disappearing from the face 

 of the country. They can certainly be seen lining 

 the road and bounding the fields, but these, with 

 very few exceptions, are of recent growth ; possibly 

 some of them may be from twenty to thirty years 

 old. Many of the older ones have been split, cut 

 down, and allowed to shoot out in fresh growth; but 

 this course of hedge-trimming does not afford places 

 of shelter such as the old ones gave. 



Our present system of farming on a large scale 

 has had much to do with the destruction of fine old 

 hedgerows. If large fields are required, or if it is 

 thought that they are necessary, the men have only 

 to cut down and grub up the hedges of three or four 



