THE MANSE GARDEN. 23 



utterly extirpated ; and if the place it occupied happen 

 to be under the drop of the trees which you have 

 spared, or is likely to be soon overshadowed, a new 

 stance, somewhat farther remote, must of necessity 

 be chosen, and there the same method as that recom- 

 mended in the formation of a strip on new ground 

 maybe adopted; but with this absolute resolve, that 

 from the first the fence shall be perfectly hare-tight. 

 A garden lying open to hares, rabbits, hens, dogs, 

 and cats, is truly nonsense ; for why incur the expense 

 of many things, and render them all nugatory by 

 saving the expense of one ? A few words, therefore, 

 on the article of fencing will not be deemed unneces- 

 sary; and ample apology for the pains may be pled 

 by the frequent occurrence of a ragged hedge as the 

 only shield of the manse garden. 



But should the requisite work appear less easy 

 than you could wish, the only rule for you is to 

 break all up, and have no garden ; to buy your vege- 

 tables and your fruits; to make open pasture, suffer- 

 ing the cows to poke your windows, defile your doors, 

 and rub their necks, leaving the brown hair on the 

 greased corners of your harled house. This has at 

 least the merit of a system, in which no part counte- 

 racts the whole ; and the taste that approves of graz- 

 ing, with its understood accompaniments, up to the 

 doorstep, has not long gone by. But to fence, and 

 yet not fence, is faulty, not in point of taste, but of 

 reason ; and to exclude your own cows from your 

 garden, whilst you admit hares and rabbits which are 

 not your own, can scarcely be reckoned charity, and 

 is not very justifiable on the ground of prudence. 

 But a garden in all probability you will have ; and if 



