HEDGEROW TREES AND HEDGES 241 



foliage. Who shall affirm that the spring beauty 

 of wild cherry or laburnum surpasses the autum- 

 nal glory and richness of field maple, rowan, 

 and service tree, or vice versa ? Of these a 

 larger store than of big trees can be reserved in 

 the hedgerows without prejudicing the growth 

 of the crops so much ; and some of them yield 

 useful small timber for ordinary estate purposes. 

 It is, indeed, very much open to question if the 

 selection of hedgerow trees has hitherto received 

 anything like the attention it deserves ; yet it is 

 often not one of the least important points in 

 the rural economy of certain parts of England. 

 In some places even good fruit trees might be 

 grown there with profit, like the apples, pears, 

 and plums planted along public roads in many 

 parts of Germany, which not only cover the 

 cost of maintaining the highway, but also yield 

 a good annual surplus. 



With regard to the live hedges themselves, 

 they are subject to precisely the same law as 

 the woodlands, highwoods, copses, and coppice- 

 woods, the law of demand for light and of 

 capacity for bearing shade. The best hedges are 

 formed by trees and shrubs having the thickest 



