A CHAPTER ON HEDGES. 359 



not likely to make more than one attempt to force its green walls. 

 It shows a fair and leafy shield to its antagonist, but it has thou- 

 sands of concealed arrows ready at a moment of assault, ana there 

 are few creatures, however bold, who care to " come to the scratch " 

 twice with such a foe. Indeed a well made and perfect thorn 

 hedge is so thick that a bird cannot fly through it. 



" The hedge was thick as is a castle wall, 

 So that who list without to stand or go, 

 Though he would all the day pry to and fro, 

 He could not see if there were any wight 

 Within or no." CHAUCER. 



" This is all true," we hear some impatient reader say ; " hedges 

 are beautiful, excellent, good ; but what an age they require five, 

 six, seven, years to be cut down the poor things once or twice, 

 to be kept back every year with shortening and shearing, and only 

 to reach the height of one's head, with such an outlay of time and 

 trouble. Ah ! it is too tedious, I must build a paling I shall never 

 have patience to wait for a hedge ! " 



Build a paling, friend ; nature does not get up hasty job-work, 

 like journeymen carpenters. But at least be consistent. Fill your 

 garden with annuals. Do not sow any thing more lasting, or asking 

 longer leases of time than six weeks beans and summer sun-flow- 

 ers. Breed no stock, plant no orchards, drain no meadows and 

 set no hedges ! Leave all these to wiser men, or rather be per- 

 suaded of the wisdom of doing in the best way, what tillers of the 

 earth have not learned to do better after a lapse of centuries ! 



But there are also persons, readers of ours, who must be treated 

 with more respect. They will tell us that they have more reason 

 in their objections to hedges. They admire hedges they have 

 planted and raised them. But they have not succeeded, and they 

 have great doubts of the possibility of making good hedges in the 

 United States. We know all the difficulties which these cultivators 

 have experienced, for we have made the same trials, and seen the 

 same obstacles ourselves. But we are confident we can answer 

 their objections in a few words. The HAWTHORN (Cratcegus) can- 

 not be depended upon as a hedge plant in this country. 



