120 The Holhj. 



ten, does more harm than good, seems to have condemned the 

 holly hedge as a thing of stiff unsightly form, and in its vacant 

 place has introduced a scanty sprinkling of isolated plants. I 

 own that I am for the warm arboreous plan of ancient days ; 

 and thus I never pass a garden where yew and holly hedges 

 grow without stopping to admire them, and then I proceed 

 onwards with favourable notions of the owner's taste. 



But, to the holly in particular. I am so convinced of its 

 utility both to men and birds, that I have spared no pains in 

 rearing it as a shelter from the cold, when Boreas, sure har- 

 binger of storms, sweeps over the dreary Avaste. 



The deeper and richer the soil, so much the better for the 

 holly. Still, this favourite plant of mine will thrive almost in 

 any soil, and even amongst the clefts of rocks, where there is 

 scarcely any soil at all. Neither can any of the four rude 

 Avinds of heaven affect the perpendicular growth of the holly 

 tree, although they make an impression upon the sturdy oak 

 itself. Thus, in this neighbourhood, whilst we see the elm and 

 the beech leaning towards the east by the overbearing pressure 

 of the western blast, we find that the holly has not given way 

 to its impetuosity. Indeed, keep the roots of the holly clear of 

 stagnant water, and you have little more to do, for it forms its 

 own defence ; and, moreover, it has one advantage over most 

 other plants, namely, it can push its way successfully up amid 

 surrounding shade and pressure. Its lateral branches, too, will 

 take root, so soon as they come in contact with the soft soil 

 beneath them. 



If you place a young holly plant in a full-grown hawthorn 

 hedge, it will vegetate in that incommodious site ; and will 

 manage, at last, to raise its head aloft, and flourish clear of all 

 opposition. Thus, driven from his native home, perhaps through 

 scarcity of wheat and whiskey, I have known a hardy son of 

 Caledonia, although put in a situation apparently hostile to 

 advancement either in fame or in fortune, maintain himself 

 under fearful trials of adversity. In process of time, his per- 

 severance and honesty were crowned with complete success. 

 He took kindly to it, where you thought there would be no 

 chance of ever getting on ; but, by carefully watching his hour 

 of advance, in the death of this competitor or in the negli- 

 gence of that, this frugal, careful, steady emigrator from the 

 North moved slowly onwards, till, in due good time, he passed 

 through all surrounding difficulties ; and, having got at last into 

 the full sunshine of good fortune, he there took the lead on the 

 high road to long expected wealth and honours. 



He whose nerves would be affected at the sight of a straight 

 holly hedge, might prevent their irritation by forming a cres- 

 cent ; say a segment of a circle to a radius of sixty yards. 

 This would present a fine appearance to the eye, whilst it shut 



