THE HOLLY. 



33 



troduced 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 waste. 



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 

 winds of heaven affect the perpendicular growth 

 of the holly tree, although they make an im- 

 pression upon the sturdy oak itself. Thus, in 

 this neighbourhood, whilst we see the elm and 

 the beech leaning towards the east by the over- 

 bearing pressure of the western blast, we find 

 that the holly has not given way to its impe- 

 tuosity. Indeed, keep the roots of the holly 

 clear of stagnant water, and you have little 



D 



