PRIVET-BERRIES 



FRUITFUL HEDGEROWS 



RIPENING berries in October brighten innumerable hedge- 

 rows with a more fruitful splendour than the colours of 

 the changing leaves. In warm September weather, the 

 monotony of the bronzed foliage and unripe berries is merged 

 by the hazy sunshine into uniform peace ; but when the 

 beginning of autumn is marked, as sometimes happens, by 

 sharp winds and unrefreshing showers, there is a singular 

 lack of interest in the landscape of faded summer colours 

 without summer warmth. All Nature seems chilled and 

 inert, and waiting for a new inspiration. It comes when the 

 woods and hedgerows break into a hundred contrasting hues 

 under the October rains and frosts. Amid the broader 

 splashes of colour formed by the changing leaves, the ripen- 

 ing berries gleam with a concentrated intensity that appeals 

 both to the eye and the mind. The crimson berries hanging 

 among the orange boughs of the hawthorn are the susten- 

 ance of birds and animals in their time of dearth, and the 

 seed of plants which will flourish in distant places. The 

 promise of the spring and summer flowers is brought to 

 visible fulfilment in the crop of autumn berries ; and when 

 it is brilliant and abundant, it sets a crown of prosperity 

 on the wild year. 



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