FENCING. 249 



In all strong, plough-countries, as our fine loams 

 and clays are termed by sportsmen, hedges with 

 ditches (for the most part only one ditch) prevail. 

 For height and width the}^ are not equal, b}^ much, 

 to those of the frrazins: districts, but circumstances 

 render them equally difficult and trying to the 

 skill of a horseman, and the judgment of his horse, 

 and oftentimes still more so. In the grazing dis- 

 tricts, although the fence is large (brooks excepted) 

 the ground on the rising side is almost always 

 sound and firm ; whereas in deep plough-countries 

 it is generally soft, and often, what is worse, it is 

 sticky or holding. Neither is this all. It very 

 often happens that the headland of a field is ploughed 

 to within a foot or two of the ditch, when a small 

 ridge, or " balk,'' as it is termed in some districts, 

 is left to prevent the soil of the field washing into 

 the ditch. This ridge is often very perplexing to 

 the horseman. He must either put his horse at 

 the fence so as to clear all at once, or he must let 

 him take his footing from oft' this narrow ridge, 

 which, if his head be not in a very good place, and 

 his rider's hand an indifferent one, makes even a 

 small fence dangerous. The objection to a ploughed 

 country also holds good as regards the other, the 

 landing side of the fence. In the grass countries, 

 a horse alights on turf sufficiently elastic to break 

 the concussion from the weight of himself and his 

 rider, but seldom soft enough to sink him below his 

 hoofs. On the other hand, in the ploughed dis- 

 tricts, he is perpetually alighting in fallowed 

 ground, or in that sown with wheat or other corn, 



