APFEiNDIX. 145 



coming to its prime when the fenced covert had 

 to be burnt, having been beaten down by a 

 heavy fall of snow, and rabbits got in and 

 destroyed the young shoots in the following 

 spring, the thick, stunted bushes of the other 

 being regardless of rabbits and weather alike. 



If there are no wild gorse bushes on the site 

 selected for the covert, it can be made entirely 

 of seedlings, but the wild bushes protect the 

 latter, and seem to help them on, whilst you do 

 not notice the nakedness of the land so much, 

 or think the gorse is taking an unconscionable 

 time to grow. " A watched pot never boils," 

 they say, nor will the gorse seem to grow if you 

 are always looking at it. 



In case gorse plants are not procurable, 

 recourse must be had to seed. The ground 

 must be tilled, and fenced with wire netting if 

 there are rabbits about, and the gorse seed 

 sew^n broadcast with corn, oats for choice, to 

 shelter the young shoots. 



Irish gorse seed, which can be obtained 

 from Messrs. Sutton, Reading, for about 2s. 6d. 

 a pound, is by far the best and hardiest, and 

 plant about 15 lb. to the acre. We once put 

 30 lb. per acre, but it was too thick ; the gorse 



