204 FENCES. {Jan. 



a few yards either to the right or to the left, will 

 furely appear a trifling matter, in comparifon 

 perhaps with laying a field dry, or even maintain- 

 ing the line of beauty with the boundary of fome 

 adjoining plantation. It need hardly be here ob- 

 ferved, that the ditch fhould be fo conftru&ed, as 

 that no part of it will retain Handing water. A 

 declivity mould be fecured in every part of the 

 bottom of the ditch. 



THORN PLANTS. 



The rapid progrefs of the hedge depends in a 

 great meafure on the goodnefs of the plants em- 

 ployed. The goodnefs of thefe, however, does 

 not fo much confift in the thicknefs of their ftems, 

 as in the numerous fibres of their roots. A very 

 thick flemmed plant may have hardly a fibre at 

 the root to fupport it when planted. The moft 

 defirable plants are therefore fuch as have the 

 greateft number of fibres at their roots, with a 

 clean and vigorous ftem. It muft be obferved, 

 that if thorns (land in the nurfery line more than 

 one, or at the moft two years, unmoved, their 

 roots become thinner of fibres, which confequent- 

 ly renders them lefs fit for the purpofe of plant- 

 ing for hedges, than if they had been removed at 

 an earlier period of their growth. 



One-year feedlings of good growth, nurfed for 



one 



