CHAPTER XXX 



HEDQEBOWS— CULTIVATED AND WASTE LAND 



Within the area of cultivation the hedgerow forms one 

 of the most striking features of the country. They are 

 artificially made, and where not cleared and trimmed too 

 scrupulously, and not ruined by dust, they form a rich 

 and varied community of the waifs and strays of all kinds 

 of associations. The hedge itself is made of trees and 

 bushes, and at the top of the hedge-bank the soil is dry 

 and shady. The deep shade prevents many plants from 

 becoming established, but those with climbing stems or 

 much-divided leaves are common. The former can reach 

 the light by climbing to the top of the hedge, whilst the 

 finely-cut leaf allows what little light there is to reach all 

 parts of the plant. From the hedge slopes down the 

 bank, which is warm and sunny on the south side if not 

 overhung by trees. The north, shady side harbours a 

 much richer flora than the other, and the plants are taller 

 and more luxuriant. The light strikes the bank obliquely, 

 and prostrate plants or rosette-plants, which place their 

 leaves at right angles to the incident light, are common on 

 the drier side. The effect of the lateral light is seen in 

 the way some of the leaves, especially of seedhngs, turn 

 away from hedges (see Heliotropism, p. 68). At the 

 bottom of the bank may run the ditc^, which was formed 

 when the hedge-bank was built up. The flowers there are 

 immigrants from the damp meadow or stragglers from the 

 marsh, and if the ditch is always filled with water a mixed 

 assemblage of aquatics will flourish (see p. 236). Then 

 beyond this, bordering the road, may stretch a rough 

 piece of grass, a place of refuge for outcasts from the 

 pasture, or, if bare spots occur, from the cultivated 

 field. The vegetation of the hedgerow is therefore very 



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