LAYING OUT THE GARDEN 13 



feet wide at the top, and two and a half wide at the 

 bottom. I suppose the ground to be trenched to the 

 width of eighteen feet from the wall. You take all 

 the good earth from the top of the place that is to be 

 the ditch, and lay it upon the trenched ground to the 

 extent of two feet wide which will make a very good 

 and deep bed of earth for the plants which are to form 

 the hedge to grow in. Then the ditch ought to be 

 dug out to the depth of three feet, and shovelled out 

 very clean and smooth at the bottom. This bottom 

 earth of the ditch must be carried away, for it would 

 not do to carry it up into the border. If it be con- 

 venient the slope of the bank ought to be covered 

 with turf, well beaten on and in the autumn ; because 

 if put on in the spring, the grass would be likely to 

 die. If not convenient to get turf, the slope ought 

 to be thickly sown with grass seeds from a hay loft ; 

 and in both cases this slope of the bank ought to be 

 hung very regularly with dead bushes, fastened to the 

 bank by little pegs. This bank and ditch alone, if 

 the bushes were well hung and fastened on would be 

 no bad protection ; few boys or young fellows would 

 venture, particularly by night, to take a jump over a 

 ditch of six feet, with about two feet of elevation on 

 the bank ; but the hedge in addition to this ditch and 

 bank, renders the storming literally impossible, except 

 with the assistance of fascines and scaling ladders, 

 which are munitions that the besiegers of gardens are 

 very seldom provided with." This extract will show 

 that Cobbett considered protection most necessary for 



