10 HALF- HOURS IN THE GREEN LANES. 



of them are old " occupation roads," formed for the 

 convenience of the original cultivators of the soil 

 and without any reference to the wants of future 

 wayfarers, and depend upon it, certainly without 

 giving a thought to future botanists and entomo- 

 logists ! You observe the thick gnarled bases of the 

 hedges, some of which have been pollarded time oat 

 mind. It is just possible that some were planted as 

 hawthorn sprigs by the first Saxon settlers in these 

 parts ! Many of our old roads and lanes are the 

 boundaries of parishes which have retained their 

 present area since the Conquest, therefore many of 

 the hedges must have been in existence since then. 

 Only those who are acquainted with the manners 

 and customs of the first Saxon settlers, are aware of 

 the great value they set on the hawthorn fence as 

 a protection. Even now, when an Englishman 

 travels in France for tho first time, it seems strange 

 to him to find what an absence of hedgerows there 

 is. Perhaps nothing appears in greater contrast in 

 the scenery than this. And should England ever 

 be attacked by a foreign foe, it is more than likely 

 we should, for the first time, realize the defensible 

 value of our hedgerows, and obtain from them that 

 cover and protection which their original planters 

 had in view when they stuck the first twig in the 

 ground. Every field and hedge would be disputed, 

 and an invader would meet with obstacles which 

 exist in no other country in the world. Whether 

 the first Saxon settlers brought the hawthorn with 



