[ 194 ] 



XXII. Account of some remarkable Holly Hedges and 

 Trees in Scotland. By Joseph Sabine, Esq. F.R.S. fyc. 

 Secretary. 



Read February 20, 1827. 



Th e utility of Evergreen fences to gardens, and especially 

 those of Holly, seems to have been more considered by Hor- 

 ticulturists in England in former than in latter times ; for 

 they are seldom to be seen except in old gardens, which 

 remain unaltered from their former state. The particular 

 advantages of such protections have been pointed out by 

 Mr. Williams, in a Communication to the Horticultural 

 Society, which is published in the second Volume of the 

 Transactions, page 324. The satisfactory explanation given 

 in that Paper, of the causes why evergreen are preferable 

 to deciduous hedges, has induced in some places a revival of 

 the practice of planting them. 



Our northern neighbours in this kingdom, in former periods, 

 appear to have been more especially aware of the benefits 

 arising from Holly screens to their gardens, and their suc- 

 cessors have shewn their judgment in the preservation of 

 them at the present day. Old hedges of this character are 

 now of much more frequent occurrence in Scotland than in 

 England. The rigour of their seasons obliges Scotch gar- 

 deners to be more attentive to whatever will afford the best 

 and warmest shelter. 



In a journey through parts of Scotland, which I made in 

 in the autumn of the year 1825, I was much struck with the 



